Reap the Benefits of Zone Cabling with CPs and HCPs

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Reap the Benefits of Zone Cabling with CPs and
HCPs-Mark Mullins
www.flukenetworks.com 2006-2017 Fluke
Corporation
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Reap the Benefits of Zone Cabling with CPs and
HCPs
With the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT)
and intelligent buildings, there are more devices
than ever being connected to the network, and
many of them reside in the ceiling
space--everything from LED lights and building
automation devices, to Wi-Fi access points and
security devices. And because zone cabling offers
significant benefits for these highly automated
buildings, this cabling topology is on the rise
and it may be time to test out of your comfort
zone. Zone cabling can be achieved using either
consolidation points (CPs) or horizontal
connections points (HCPs), and it depends on the
type of the device being supported and the
applicable TIA structured cabling standard. For
example, for zone cabling supporting voice and
data applications and following the TIA 568-C
standard for commercial buildings, the connection
in the zone is considered a CP. For zone cabling
supporting a building automation device and
following the ANSI/TIA 862-A standard for
building automation systems, the connection in
the zone is often considered an HCP.
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Reap the Benefits of Zone Cabling with CPs and
HCPs
In both scenarios, horizontal cables run from
patch panels in the closet to connections housed
in a zone enclosure strategically placed in a
densely populated and accessible location.
Shorter cables are then used from the enclosure
to an outlet or directly to the device. This
provides a flexible, manageable cabling plant
where new outlets and devices can be more easily
and cost-effectively added via shorter cables
with less disruption compared to installing new
horizontal cables all the way from the outlet or
device back to the closet. To reap the cost
benefits of zone cabling over traditional home
run cabling to every device, the zone enclosure
must be located far enough away from the closet.
TIA standards also recommend that it be located
at least 15m (49 ft.) from the closet to avoid
additional crosstalk that occurs due to having
connections in close proximity.
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Reap the Benefits of Zone Cabling with CPs and
HCPs
Know What to Test When You're In the Zone
Regardless of whether the zone is a CP or an
HCP, it should be considered part of the 90-meter
permanent link and tested as such--from patch
panel in the closet to the work area outlet. One
issue is that TIA 862-A also allows building
automation devices to be directly attached to the
HCP without the use of an outlet. In other words,
the cabling terminates with a plug rather than a
jack. When the horizontal cable terminates to a
plug, it is not really considered a channel or a
permanent link--it is referred to by BICSI as a
modified single connector permanent link. The
best way to test this link is with the DSX-5000
CableAnalyzer using a permanent link adapter at
the patch panel in the closet and a channel
adapter at the far end. If you try to test to
the permanent link limit or the channel limit,
the tester will give you an on one end and the
channel adapter on error since it recognizes the
permanent link adapter the other. In this case,
the modified single connector permanent link
limit should be selected. Click here to watch the
YouTube video that demonstrates this test
procedure.
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Reap the Benefits of Zone Cabling with CPs and
HCPs
Know What to Test When You're In the Zone
For channel testing, the RJ45 plug into the
adapter is typically excluded. Thankfully, the
DSX-5000 will also let you know if that plug was
poorly terminated or the pair twists were not
maintained.
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Reap the Benefits of Zone Cabling with CPs and
HCPs
Don't Zone Out on Future Testing
In today's more automated building, a single
zone enclosure might contain both CPs serving
voice and data outlets and HCPs connecting
directly to building automation devices. For
example, one port within the zone enclosure may
connect directly to an LED light using a plug on
the end of the cable while cable from another
port may be terminated to a jack in an outlet
that then connects to the device via a patch
cord. To truly reap the benefits of zone
cabling, enclosure should be fully cabled from
the closet but strategically deployed with spare
ports in the enclosure to support future devices.
That means that when a new outlet or device is
connected to the zone enclosure, you must
remember to test at that time--either using the
modified or the standard permanent link testing.
Thankfully the DSX-5000 CableAnalyzer lets you do
both.
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