A structured cabling system integrates data, voice, video and management systems through a standardized infrastructure. It includes 6 sub-systems: building entrance, equipment room, telecommunications room, backbone cabling, horizontal cabling, and work areas. The telecommunications room houses networking equipment and cross-connects between backbone and horizontal cabling. Backbone cabling connects telecommunications rooms to the equipment room. Horizontal cabling extends from telecommunications rooms to work areas. A structured cabling system provides benefits like redundancy, ease of fault location and repair, flexibility, and long-term cost containment.

1. Structured Cabling
A Basic Approach!

2. Structured Cabling System
A Structured Cabling System is a cabling and
connectivity products that integrates data, voice, video
and various management system of a building

3. The Six Sub-Systems of a Structured
Cabling System
1. Building Entrance
2. Equipment Room
3. Telecommunication Room
4. Backbone
5. Horizontal
6. Work Area

4. Entrance Facility
The entrance facility is the point where outside cabling
and services interface with backbone cabling.

5. Equipment Room
The equipment room is the area of the building where
incoming cabling interfaces with electronic equipment. It is
also the main cross-connect (MC) to the backbone cabling.

6. Telecommunications
Room
Telecommunications Room is the area within a building that
houses telecommunications/networking equipment, as well
as the cross-connection (patch panels) between backbone
and horizontal cabling i.e. Horizontal Cross-connect (HC).

7. Backbone
Backbone consists of the pathways and cabling that provide the
interconnection between the Building Entrance/Equipment
Room and the Telecommunication Rooms. It consists of the
mechanical terminations for backbone-to-horizontal cross-
connects.

8. Horizontal cable
Horizontal consists of the pathway and cabling that
extends between the Telecommunications Room and the
Work Area

9. Work Area
Work Area is where personal computers, telephones,
printers, etc are located. It also includes equipment cords
that connect the device to the horizontal cable.

10. Elements/Equipments Used In Structured
Cabling System :
Figure 1
Figure 1

11. Telecommunication Room
Equipments :
Equipment racks
Patch Panel
Hubs/Switches,
Servers
Uninterruptible Power Supplies
(UPSs)

12. Cabling Used in the System
• The most common (and lowest cost) twisted pair
cabling is unshielded twisted pair (UTP). It is
produced in 4 pair, 24/25 pair and 96/100 pair sizes.
• A foil shielded version of the twisted pair is FTP. An
aluminum shield is wrapped around all pairs under a
PVC sheath. The purpose of FTP is to prevent high
intensity electromagnetic interference entering the
cable.
• A version of twisted pair cable in which the
individual pairs are shielded from each other using
an aluminum foil around each pair is called shielded
twisted pair or STP or ScTP. The purposes of
individually shielding pairs is to reduce cross-talk
interference between the pairs.

16. Categories of Transmission and Classes of Operation
• To distinguish between the various levels of transmission quality
in both cable and termination components, the term Category
is used.
• Ordinary telephone (voice) quality twisted pair is Category 1
and it only supports low bandwidth classes of operation such as
the telephone/fax/basic internet connection.
• Category 5 is commonly used in 4 pair structured cabling of
office floors to the desk outlets.
• Category 5 supports 1000Mb/s data rates on a bandwidth of
100 MHz using all 4 pairs of a 4 pair cable; typical system
operation is Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mb/s).
• Category 6 cable supports a bandwidth of 250 MHz and
operation of Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mb/s) on 2 of the 4 pairs of
a 4 pair cable using them as go/return pairs.
• Category 5 and Category 6 twisted pair cables are available in
both UTP and FTP.
• Category 7 twisted pair is under development expected to be

17. Cable Characteristic(s) Determining its Category :
The primary determinate of transmission quality is the
frequency and accuracy of the twist rate of each pair as well
as the uniformity and accuracy of its physical construction.
Category 1 twisted pair (ordinary telephone cable) has
a very loose and infrequent pair twist.
Category 5/6 has a very frequent pair twist with unique
twist rates for each pair. A critical aspect of installation is
to maintain these pair twist to within 10-13mm of the
actual wire termination points at sockets and not to
disrupt pair twists and wire geometry through poor
installation practices.

19. Cabling Management :
Good cable management is important and must adhere
today to local codes, EIA/TIA, and the National Electrical
Code (NEC) rules.
Proper hooks and cable trays should be used.

20. Benefits of Structured Cabling System
• Redundancy at design stage reduces downtime & repair
time
• Concealed cabling
• Ease of fault location & repair
• Flexibility, expandability & modular connecting platform
• Ease of moves, adds and changes
• Enhanced end-use understanding and control
• Continuous product support and warranty
• Significant long term cost containment