Intelligent CIO APAC Issue 05 | Page 76

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CABLES FORM THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ANY IT INFRASTRUCTURE THEREFORE HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCT , PROVEN TO MEET THE REQUIRED OUTPUT PERFORMANCE LEVELS IS CRITICAL .

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with the increasing scope of the Internet of Things . Furthermore , with the expansion of the Industrial Internet of Things , these transactions will inevitably increase further .
Indicators of performance quality
Data network infrastructure quality should be carefully considered to assess whether or not it will be able to operate efficiently , both now and as technologies advance in the future . Data networks have been evolving since 1985 . This is when the first voice grade copper cabling was used to transmit data , by means of a simple unshielded twisted pair cable , which managed to transfer data at a rate of 1Mbps .
Of course , in 2020 , the transmission requirements have significantly evolved and now copper structured cabling specifications have progressed further . Increases in data demand has meant a far greater emphasis on cable design to reduce or eliminate the undesirable effects of electromagnetic interference ( EMI ). Pair geometry , choice of dielectric and shielding are all design considerations when manufacturers are looking to negate the impact .
The progression of established standards IEC , ANSI / TIA and EN , which specify the requirements of structured cabling systems has imposed higher requirements , in respect to the measurement of data integrity and immunity to EMI . Test parameters have become more onerous . The key performance indicators for a data cable are attenuation and crosstalk , therefore in-depth tests have been developed to measure both . The tests
Mark Froggatt , Technical Director at BASEC

CABLES FORM THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ANY IT INFRASTRUCTURE THEREFORE HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCT , PROVEN TO MEET THE REQUIRED OUTPUT PERFORMANCE LEVELS IS CRITICAL .

determine the interference experienced , which in turn impacts the ability of the cable to transmit data without errors .
To enable verification of cable , it is advisable to ensure that structured cabling is purchased from a manufacturer who is certified by a third-party approval company . Approved cable benefits the end-user and installer alike , in that the likelihood of infrastructure failure down the line is significantly reduced .
Approved cable products are assessed to ensure that they are produced using only high-quality components and process , or factory controls are also audited as part of any certification to ensure standard ’ s compliance is maintained .
During the certification process cables are measured against various performance parameters , which reflect those the cable will experience during operation , considering environmental challenges it may encounter during installation and its life span . For example , thermal ageing and chemical resistance exposure are targeted tests used to qualify performance .
These tests act to give both the installer and end-user piece of mind that the cable being
used can accommodate high demands for data , while withstanding external influencers which would otherwise compromise performance and , potentially , the integrity of data for end-users .
The adoption of data cables in almost all industries has meant that transmission testing alone may not indicate the cables overall performance . For this reason , ANSI / TIA standards have developed a mechanical , ingress , chemical and electromagnetic ( MICE ) classification to determine the harshness of the cable ’ s surroundings .
Helping you safeguard networks
Any manufacturer going through the approval process is assessed on the basis of many contributing factors , including its quality management systems , how they validate design , how they purchase materials , how they deal with nonconforming product , down to how they train their teams , all of which contributes
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