This document provides an overview of key differences between AV and IT systems and the importance of testing converged AV/IT systems. It contrasts AV and IT approaches to documentation, standards, technology adoption, and cable/connector types. The document outlines common IT concerns like network security and minimal downtime. It also details various AV signal types and the shift towards converged AV/IT systems using Ethernet and IP. Testing is emphasized as crucial for verifying installation quality and performance according to industry standards and network requirements.

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Installation Issues for Converged
AV/IT Systems

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Objectives
• Contrast IT and AV design
• Examine physical IT topology
• Identify acceptable IT terminations
• Examine testing requirements

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Agenda
• Professionals
• Standards
• Terminology
• Convergence
• Project Coordination
• Unique Hardware
• Terminations
• Testing the system

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Working with IT
• Specific means of documentation
• International standards and references
–TIA/EIA, ISO, IEEE, IETF, ITIL
• Industry standard construction methods:
–TIA, BICSI
• Conservative new technology adoption
• Content is mostly information
• Only one or two cabling types, connectors, standardized
termination
It’s only Data

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Working with AV
• Non‐standard documentation
• Lack of standards
• Proprietary techniques
• Constantly adopting new technologies
• Many different types of content
• Whatever cable and connector works

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IT Concerns
• Minimal downtime
• Scheduled maintenance / backups
• Unified “build” of computers
• Network / data security
• Help Desk / Trouble tickets

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Signals
• Microphone
• Line level
• Loudspeaker
• HDTV (ATSC)
• HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt
• HDBaseT
• SDI and its variants
• Control (Contact closure, TTL, serial,
IR)
• RF
• USB, USB‐C
• AV over IP (Proprietary except for
AVB/TSN)
• Ethernet – IEEE 802
• Faster speeds
• Protocols
• Fiber optic

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Audiovisual over IP

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The Shift
• RS‐232
• Telephony (ISDN)
• SIP
• H.323
• Ethernet
• IP

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Traditional

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Hybrid

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Now
Courtesy Belden

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Structured Cabling System
• ITS infrastructure
• Cables and connecting hardware
• Work areas
• Horizontal and Backbone distribution
• Telcom spaces
• Power
• Field testing
• Standardization of the cabling installation!

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TIA-569-D
• Entrance Facility (EF) / Distributor Room (DR)
• Backbone pathways and cabling
• Cross‐connect facilities
• Telecommunications Rooms (TRs)
• Horizontal pathways and cabling
• Work areas
• Outlets

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Entrance Facility / Distribution Room
•Entrance Facility (EF)
–Telecommunications service entrance
Demarc
–Backbone pathways between buildings
•Distribution Room (DR)
–Formerly called the Equipment Room
–Routers, switches, servers

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Backbone Pathways and Cabling
• Cabling between Equipment Rooms and Building Entrance
Facilities
• Vertical connections between floors

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Telecommunications Room
• Wiring originates from patch panels or punch‐down blocks in
the TR and extends to wall jacks
• Common cross connect between backbone and horizontal
pathways
• Contains switches and routers

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Terminations
• AV
–Field termination ‐ all custom
–Few Premade
–Crimp
–Compression
–Solder
–RJ45 IDC
–Fiber optic
• IT
–Punch‐down IDC
–Premade patch cables
–Fiber optic
–No field terminations of RJ‐45s

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Audiovisual and IT Coordination
•Unusual locations for information outlets
•Network segregation
–VPNs
–Subnets
•Real‐time traffic
•Firewalls
–Ports

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Field Testing – Why?
•Reveals the quality and performance of the installation
–Verifies that the installation meets:
Industry standards
Network requirements
•Reduces costly rework
•Eliminates the blame game

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Field Testing – Why?

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Field Testing
•Discover the requirements
–ISO/IEC 11801 (Class)
–ANSI/TIA‐568‐D (Category)
•Test / Certify
•Troubleshoot
•Document

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Field Testing
•Wiremap
–Is it wired correctly?
•Length
–Link or channel?
•Insertion Loss (Attenuation)
•Crosstalk
•Return Loss

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Cable Length
•Link
–Excludes test and patch cords
–Cable segment including terminations
–Twisted pairs no more than 295 ft. (90 m)
•Channel
–End‐to‐end path including the devices attached to the cable
–Twisted pairs no more than 328 ft. (100 m)

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Insertion Loss
•a.k.a. Attenuation
Freq. (MHz) Max. Attenuation (dB/100m) Min. NEXT (dB)
300 34.5 43.2
350 37.7 42.1
400 40.6 41.3
450 43.5 40.5
460 44.0 40.4

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Crosstalk
•NEXT – Near End Crosstalk
–Ability to reject crosstalk form an
adjacent pair at the transmitting
end
•FEXT – Far End Crosstalk
–Measurement of how the far end
of one pair affects the near end of
another pair

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Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio (ACR)

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Return Loss (RL)
•Changes in impedance in the cable path
–Different cable construction – solid vs. stranded
–Mismatched cable and connectors
–Untwisting of wire pairs
–Separating wire pairs
–Changes in cable geometry due to deformation
Use of nylon ties
Exceeding cable bend radius

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What happens if we don’t test?

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That’s All!