Contractors and Installers
Category 8 - cabling is designed to work at 2 GHz, and for all of you new to installing and testing shielded cables, now is a good time to start learning. The good news for installers is that Category 8 systems will use similar RJ45 connectors. While the intended application is a 24-meter permanent link with two 3-meter equipment lines at each end, the standard also includes some derating factors for different measurement equipment lines. Of course, this wiring system requires field testing. That's why the ANSI/TIA-1183-1 standard, which defines the measurement and test methods for Class 8 laboratory tests, was approved. This paved the way for Category 8 field testing standards. The existing TIA-1152 standards for field testing that supports the TIA 568 series of standards has added an 1152-A version for 2G field testing - the 2G refers to the accuracy level and was named as such due to the need to test Category 8 to 2 GHz. If you're familiar with the accuracy levels for previous categories of cable (i.e., Level III for Category 6 and Level IIIe for Category 6A), you may be wondering why the next level isn't Level IV. That's because Level IV and Level V accuracy levels already exist within ISO/IEC standards for Class F and Class FA cabling. TIA-1152-A
| Field Tester Accuracy Levels | ||
| Cabling Standard | Frequency Range (MHz) | Accuracy Level |
| CAT 5e | 100 | Level II |
| CAT 6 | 250 | Level III |
| CAT 6A | 500 | Level IIIE |
| CAT 8 | 2,000 | Level 2G |
| ISO-only Accuracy Levels (ISO 61935-1) | ||
| CLASS F | 600 | Level IV |
| CLASS FA | 1000 | Level V (draft) |
Optical Fiber - Another trend is the use of fiber optics within corporate facilities. The trend for many businesses to install fiber due to bandwidth requirements will continue to increase. According to a report on the fiber optic assembly market conducted by Global Industry Analysts Inc. (GIA), the global fiber optic assembly market is expected to reach $42 billion. According to the company's report, the growing demand for bandwidth and the pursuit of fiber-based broadband, as well as mobile Internet and other factors will contribute to this growth trend.
Many organizations are preparing for 100 gigabit over fiber transmission, and that's going to involve the use of Multifiber Push-On (MPO) Connectors. MPO connectors are new to many cable installers as well as end users, so there will also be to the learning curve. With MPO, there are more opportunities for errors in connections, because the technology is a lot more complex.
Contractors are also facing changes in how data centers are being designed and built, as more organizations move to a cloud computing model. Many companies will rely on hybrid cloud environments consisting of private cloud facilities and public cloud services.
Learn About Solutions
There are many solutions on the market that help contractors and installers meet the challenges of changing network environments. Cabling Certification System from Fluke Networks - Cable certification is part of the overall process from system design to system acceptance. The faster the process is performed, the more profit you can make. Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that can slow down this process—using the wrong test limits, waiting for the responsible technician to set up or troubleshoot, and incomplete results. Research by Fluke Networks shows that over 90% of contractors report dealing with setup, testing, and reporting-related issues on a monthly basis. Thus, a week's labor is wasted on a typical 1,000 trivial tasks. Versiv is designed to avoid these problems. Its ProjX™ system manages job requirements and the entire process from setup to system acceptance, ensuring that all tests are done correctly. Taptive™ User Interface simplifies setup, eliminates errors, and speeds troubleshooting. The LinkWare Live cloud service controls the entire process: you can use any mobile device to set up and track the tester and view the results during the task. It even lets you upload and integrate results from multiple testers at multiple jobsites so you can quickly generate reports with the de-facto industry standard LinkWare PC. Eliminate the problems and get to system acceptance faster with Versiv - and make money every time you use it.
Another offering from Fluke Networks, LinkWare PC, gives network professionals the ability to manage test results data from multiple testers with one application Any data uploaded to a computer with LinkWare ensures that the results stored came from the testers' memory. Fluke Networks MultiFiber Pro Optical Power Meter and Light Source is the industry's first MPO fiber trunk tester that validates the performance of all 12 trunk fibers in a single test, and reduces testing time by nearly 95%. For the average data center with 1,600 MPO trunks, the MultiFiber Pro tester can save contractors more than 155 hours of labor and $17,000 in costs, assuming an average burdened labor rate of $55. Fluke Networks OptiFiber Pro OTDR is the first OTDR built from the ground up for enterprise fiber testing. OptiFiber Pro has the industry's only smartphone interface. DataCenter OTDR configurations reduce the uncertainty and errors that occur when testing data center fiber. The product's ultra-short dead zone allows fiber patch cord testing in virtual data centers.