What is Structured Cabling?

(and Why You Should Care)

In the cable world the term structured cabling gets thrown around often. People say it like a buzzword, but what
does it really mean? What exactly is structured cabling?
Well, to be thorough and methodical lets look at some definitions.
According to the Fiber Optic Association
Structured Cabling is the standardized architecture and components for communications cabling specified by the
EIA/TIA TR42 committee and used as a voluntary standard by manufacturers to insure interoperability.
If you look into TIA TR42, its likely your search will bring you to discovering that structured cabling is even more
technically defined and outlined by TIA 568.
You can see that this path leads to lots of lengthy and highly technical language. If that is not what you are looking
for, that leads logically to a simple question.

What Is Structured Cabling (in Plain

Language)?
Structured Cabling is defined as building or campus telecommunications cabling
infrastructure that consists of a number of standardized smaller elements (structured).
A properly designed and installed structured cabling system provides a cabling infrastructure
that delivers predictable performance as well as has the flexibility to accommodate moves,
adds and changes; maximizes system availability, provides redundancy; and future proofs the
usability of the cabling system.
- as defined on CABLExpress.com cabling glossary
From this definition you get a good sense of what structured cabling is and its purpose.
What Are the Benefits of Structured Cabling?

Once again, organization is the key word here. With an organized structured cabling system the
benefits are:

1. MACs are much quicker due to the fact that they are done in the MDA
versus running long patch cords from equipment racks.
2. Potential for downtime is reduced as potential for human error is
drastically reduced due to this organization.
3. Time savings; cable and port tracing becomes a much easier job with a
structured cabling system.
4. Aesthetics; Never underestimate the looks! A structured cabling system will
look much cleaner than a point to point method. Since the changes are done
in the MDA versus at the hardware, the hardware can be cabled up and not
touched in most instances. This allows the cabling in front of the switch to
remain aesthetically pleasing.

What Are the Risks Of Not Switching to a

Structured Cabling System?
Downtime!
With an unorganized messy cabling infrastructure, mistakes are commonly made. Incorrect ports
are unplugged. Even worse is the messy cabling that gets in the way. Trying to remove a single
cable from a large tangled mess can cause stress on the other cables. This stress can lead to
network and channel errors in the hardware that are very difficult to trace.
Airflow: If a point to point method is used, the front and potentially the sides of the switch are
congested with cabling bulk. This impedes the airflow that the switch needs to operate. This also
translates to underfloor cooling; cabling congestion in this space hinders the airflow of the
CRAC unit and can cause cooling issues.

Work Area
The work area wiring subsystem consists of the communication outlets (wallboxes and faceplates),
wiring, and connectors needed to connect the work area equipment (computers, printers, and so on)
via the horizontal wiring subsystem to the telecommunication closet. The standard requires that two
outlets be provided at each wall plate-one for voice and one for data.
Horizontal Wiring
The horizontal wiring system runs from each workstation outlet to the telecommunication closet. The
maximum horizontal distance from the telecommunication closet to the communication outlets is 90
meters (295 feet) independent of media type. An additional 6 meters (20 feet) is allowed for patch
cables at the telecommunication closet and at the workstation, but the combined length cannot exceed
10 meters (33 feet). As mentioned earlier, the work area must provide two outlets. The horizontal
cable should be four-pair 100-ohm UTP cable (the latest standards specify Category 5E), two-fiber
62.5/125-mm fiber-optic cable, or multimode 50/125-mm multimode fiber-optic cable. Coaxial cable is
no longer recommended.
Telecommunication Closet
The telecommunication closet contains the connection equipment for workstations in the immediate
area and a cross-connection to an equipment room. The telecommunication closet is a general facility
that can provide horizontal wiring connections, as well as entrance facility connections. There is no
limit on the number of telecommunication closets allowed. Some floors in multistory office buildings
may have multiple telecommunication closets, depending on the floor plan. These may be connected
to an equipment room on the same floor.
Equiptment Rooms and Main Cross-Connects
An equipment room provides a termination point for backbone cabling that is connected to one or
more telecommunication closets. It may also be the main cross-connection point for the entire facility.
In a campus environment, each building may have its own equipment room, to which
telecommunication closet equipment is connected, and the equipment in this room may then be
connected to a central campus facility that provides the main cross-connect for the entire campus.
Backbone Wiring
The backbone wiring runs up through the floors of the building (risers) or across a campus and
provides the interconnection for equipment rooms and telecommunication closets. The distance
limitations of this cabling depend on the type of cable and facilities it connects. Refer to Figure T-11
and the following table. Note that UTP is limited to 90 meters.

Cable Type

MC to ER

Multimode fiber

2,000m (6,560 ft)

Single-mode fiber

3,000m (9,840 ft)

UTP (<5MHz)

800m (2,624 ft)

Entrance Facilities
The entrance facility contains the telecommunication service entrance to the building. This facility may
also contain campus-wide backbone connections. It also contains the network demarcation point,
which is the interconnection to the local exchange carrier's telecommunication facilities. The
demarcation point is typically 12 inches from where the carrier's facilities enter the building, but the
carrier may designate otherwise.