What capabilities can turn your structured cabling system into a critical building asset; one that reduces costs, simplifies application deployment, enhances the workplace experience, and maximizes the potential to qualify for all physical layer and audiovisual innovation technology credits proposed by BICSI's Green Building Technology Alliance?

Imagine these scenarios:

An employee enters a building with a badge - his work space is illuminated, network access is provided, HVAC adjustments are made, and nighttime power conservation methods are disabled

A motion detector is tripped in a secure area - cameras zoom in on the location of the security breach, video feeds are transmitted to multiple locations, audio communication is enabled, operation of classified applications is suspended, and SMS text, e-mail, and IP phone announcements are forwarded to security personnel

A fire alarm is activated - emergency lighting and pathway guidance systems are activated, doors to exit paths are unlocked, video and audio feeds are enabled, emergency shutdowns of critical systems are initiated, and status and containment information is forwarded to rescue personnel

A training center requires new audio/video services - the upgrade is made by means of a modular RJ-45 style plug and jack connection to the building's structured zone cabling system and no new cabling needs to be deployed

New patient monitoring services must be added to hospital rooms with limited pathway space - 10/100BASE-T is deployed over the unused pairs of a TERA? category 7A channel, no new cabling needs to be pulled, and less space is consumed by the category 7A channel than by multiple category 5e channels

ConvergeIT?

A structured cabling solution that is truly a building asset must be synergistic, efficient, reliable, and durable.

Plait's ConvergeIT? structured cabling solution features proven technology and supports voice, data, video, audio, wireless, building automation, security, and other low-voltage applications over one integrated network.

In many cases, a ConvergeIT network can also dramatically reduce the number of unused cabling pairs; thereby reducing the cost of cabling and wireless systems in commercial and residential buildings. ConvergeIT makes any building a greener building by reducing materials and waste and providing greater control of systems to optimize energy efficiency.

ConvergeIT turns your network cabling infrastructure into a building asset!

The ANSI/TIA/EIA-8621 and ISO 164842 series building automation systems standards raised the industry's awareness of the capabilities of structured cabling by specifying planning requirements for the support of low-voltage, non-telecommunications applications, such as fire alarm, security, audio/video (A/V), and energy management, using modular RJ-45 style connectivity and twisted-pair cabling. Draft standards, such as those under development by the IEEE 802.1 Audio Video Bridging (AVB) task force, go even further by specifying protocols that ensure high quality audio and video streaming over Ethernet. The advantages of AVB technology include potentially lower equipment costs, ease-ofinstallation, and the ability to network applications that traditionally operated on widely varying and non-compatible platforms. As would be expected, network equipment manufacturers, such as Broadcom, are rushing to implement the IEEE 802.1 technology in their Ethernet switches, end-point devices, physical layer devices (PHYs), and software.

In order to be a true building asset, today's cabling systems must integrate a wide range of emerging and future low-voltage building needs, while ensuring optimum quality of service and minimal disruptions, in an efficient and non-wasteful manner. ConvergeIT provides the following secure, scaleable, and flexible benefits in the enterprise environment:

Robust and flexible technology: ConvergeIT features Plait's entire family of 20-year warranty-backed cabling solutions and eliminates the need for proprietary cabling and connectivity. Category 5e, 6, and 6A UTP and F/UTP and category 7A S/FTP media support delivery of all low-voltage building automation and A/V applications, including those supported by PoE (Power over Ethernet) and PoE Plus. Multimode and singlemode optical fiber solutions may be deployed as part of a ConvergeIT solution if prior consideration is given to the need to power low-voltage devices.

True network management: ConvergeIT supports low-voltage building automation and A/V systems being linked to the data network resulting in simplified infrastructure management and reduced complexity. This also provides a migration path for IP-enabled devices that can be monitored, accessed, and managed by IT administrators. Device management facilitates initiatives to minimize energy waste (e.g. automatic lighting and HVAC control) and capabilities that can enhance building security and emergency response time (e.g. motion and audio detection).

Asset control: Converging multiple applications over one integrated cabling system enables real-time control of assets and information; a critical component of regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA), the Real ID Act, the Homeland Security Presidential Directive, ISO 17799 code of information security, and the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) for information technology management.

Rapid deployment and reduced labor costs: It is a fact that significant costs and time are associated with using multiple contractors to deploy separate low-voltage cable runs. ConvergeIT reduces labor costs, construction time, and installation expenses because one structured cabling provider installs and services all low-voltage, voice, and data applications. MAC (moves, adds, and changes) work is significantly simplified and the redundancy associated with separate pathways is eliminated. In addition, the low-voltage cabling, which was traditionally left unmanaged after the installation, is now part of the administered network infrastructure.

Reduced number of unused pairs: Since many low-voltage applications operate over just one (e.g. CATV or CCTV) or two (e.g. a PoE-enabled camera) pairs, there is a potential for substantial waste in the form of unused pairs when converged networks are deployed. ConvergeIT eliminates this waste by supporting cable sharing; a strategy whereby multiple low-speed, high-density applications are deployed over one TERA category 7A/class FA channel. This standards-approved strategy can free-up valuable pathway space, provide cost savings, and may be leveraged along with other practices that reduce material and energy waste for green performance credits.

Supports green building initiatives: Strategies that decrease labor and deployment times, optimize material utilization, and maximize energy efficiency are key factors in designing sustainable buildings and obtaining "green" building certification, The Green Building Technology Alliance (GBTA), established by BICSI to develop innovation technology credits for the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED?) certification system, is in the process of developing two to three innovation technology credits specifically related to structured cabling infrastructure. The current proposal is one credit for physical layer technology and another one or two credits for audiovisual deployment. ConvergeIT supports all areas of structured cabling infrastructure efficiency (e.g. reduced labor and rapid deployment provided by one contractor, support of cable sharing strategies to reduce the number of unused pairs in an installation, intelligent HVAC control, and delivery of every audiovisual application) and maximizes the potential to qualify for all innovation technology credits proposed by the GBTA.

Planning

Due to the high variability in the number and type of low-voltage applications found in different end-user environments, it may be difficult to approximate the number of cabling drops required to support a ConvergeIT network. For planning purposes, table 1 provides an approximation of the coverage area provided by one 4-pair ConvergeIT channel in a variety of environments. Remember that these coverage areas are typical (based upon studies evaluated by the TIA TR-42.1 Commercial Building Cabling subcommittee) and do not include the two (2) telecommunications outlets that should be provided in each work area.