With the launch of a cable tester capable of certifying networks to the proposed Category 7, contractors can now have the confidence to install cabling to the highest standards.
Suppliers of voice and data cabling have long been selling network solutions suitable for the most demanding applications. Even before the standards-setting bodies have agreed on what constitutes Category 6 or 7 cable, it is not unusual to hear of installations "equivalent to Category 8", particularly in Germany, where clients are keen to future-proof their offices for emerging technologies such as high-speed video conferencing.

There has been one small problem, however. No cable tester on the market has been able to test (and hence no contractor has been able to certify) installations at the highest bandwidths. Until now.

Ideal Industries has launched Lantek 7, a cable tester that is fully compliant with the emerging Category 7 standards and beyond to frequencies of 750 MHz (see box, Ideal solution, over). "Businesses are increasing their bandwidth requirements and converging multiple media to stay competitive and provide higher levels of service and communication. Our new testers are the first to offer certification solutions for these evolving networks," says Ideal Industries' chief executive officer Robert Lane.

Ready for ratification
The breakthrough is timely as 2002 is likely to see ratified standards for both Category 6 and Category 7. "While Category 6 is not yet ratified, the performance is set," explains Ideal's N W Europe sales manager Jason Holroyd. "We expect the ISO Class E standard to be ratified early in 2002."

The ISO Class system and the TIA's Category system are broadly similar. Class E/Category 6 cabling will deliver 250 MHz of performance over either unshielded twisted pair (UTP) or shielded twisted pair (STP) – ample for most of today's commercial applications.

The pending Class F/Category 7 system, expected by September 2002, is likely to set an overall bandwidth of 600 MHz and, as such, targets newer, emerging higher performance applications.

The Category 7 standard is based on shielded cable, already typical in mainland Europe. Individual pairs will have a screened shielding and the four pairs together will have an overall shield. "The additional shield results in a larger outside diameter cable and allowance must be made in the design of pathways to allow for more space and larger bend radii," points out Jason Holroyd.

An important distinction will be the connecting hardware. The pending Category 7 specification requires connectors to provide at least 60 dB of crosstalk attenuation between all the pairs at 600 MHz. This compares with the Category 5e requirement of 43 dB at 100 MHz and the Category 6 requirement of 46 dB at 250 MHz.

Meeting the demand
Few contractors are as yet involved in the high speed Category 7 arena, and many will doubt whether there is a need to invest time and money in gearing up for a market that they can see scant evidence of. Jason Holroyd is in no doubt that, with the arrival of Ideal's Lantek 7, contractors should now have more confidence that end-users will be demanding such systems. "Installers and end-users no longer have to rely on just the assurance of cable and connector manufacturers that their components will work to 600 MHz. Now each link may be individually certified as it's installed, ensuring peace of mind for the contractor and the end-user."

Making connections
One area that will need attention is the connectors. In a departure from lower performance standards, the ISO technical committee has selected one non-RJ style connector and will select one RJ style connector as the basis for inclusion in the Class F standard. Siemon's Tera connector has been selected as the non-RJ connector and Nexans (formerly Alcatel) is in line for the nod for the RJ connector.

Siemon decided to develop its Tera connector to reach beyond the limitations of an RJ style connector. Its goal was to develop a twisted pair connector that offers a bandwidth well beyond 600 MHz. Siemon has already licensed the Tera connector to several major manufacturers, so multi-vendor support and interoperability is already a reality. Nexans will be aiming to bring its RJ style product to the market some time in 2002.

As bandwidths get bigger and bigger, when does the point come when it cheaper to ditch the copper and opt for fibre straight to the desktop? "The advantage of copper systems is that they meet the emission and noise immunity requirements without the complexity of active expensive electronic modules required in fibre and coax systems," explains Jason Holroyd. "While fibre may have a cost advantage in terms of passive components, that advantage quickly disappears when active modules such as routers, switches and network interface cards are added in. Copper still enjoys a 2:1 cost advantage overall."

With the expected Class F/Category 7 approval in 2002, all of the pieces will be in place: cabling and connector products, a standard that specifies criteria for performance and reliability and, with the arrival of Lantek 7, a cable tester capable of certifying to 600 MHz and beyond to 750 MHz.

Ideal solution

Ideal Industries’ latest range of cable testers includes what is claimed to be the first product capable of testing copper and fibre data networks to emerging Cat 7 standards. Ideal’s Lantek 7 is fully compliant with the proposed Cat7/ISO F standards and is said to be the industry’s only tester capable of certifying up to 750 MHz. Also in the range is the Lantek 6 model, which complies with Cat 6/ISO E and has a frequency range of up to 350 MHz. This breakthrough means that electrical contractors will now be able to test and certify voice and data cable installations designed for very high speed applications. Lantek 7 is designed for high bandwidth environments using gigabit Ethernet and data/voice/video convergence applications, such as graphic design, publishing, engineering and medical networks. The Lantek 6 cable tester is aimed at Cat 5, 5e and 6 networks. The range has a built-in upgrade path; Lantek 6 can be upgraded to Lantek 7, and fibre test options can be added to either tester at any time. The fibre hardware and software options add features such as optical signal loss and fibre length to the testers’ measurement capabilities. Other key features include a PCMCIA slot for increased storage of test data and a USB port that allows data to be uploaded directly to a pc. Optional software is available for the professional presentation and analysis of results. Ideal’s new link adaptor design for the Lantek range means that the testers will only require regular replacement of the connection patch cord instead of the expensive link adaptor units, resulting in considerable cost savings. In addition, the temptation to cut corners on link replacement is removed, improving test quality and consistency. Both of the new Lantek testers are designed for single-person operation. A second display and an auto-test option make it easy for one person to initiate the test and monitor progress from either end of the cable.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor