Digital Ceiling – Tertiary cabling in the ceiling

PoE technology has been an essential component of network technology for some time. In addition to the data, power is also transmitted via RJ45 connectors and twisted pair cables in order to supply the end devices with power at the same time. The power supply via the network cabling tends into ever higher performance classes, currently up to 90 W. The standardization of power supply in PoE classes is being driven by more and more new devices and applications based on PoE technology. From the IP camera to the lighting, PoE saves part of the cabling through a power supply and simultaneous data transmission, and enables the intelligent building and energy management.

Examples:

• Lighting / PoE Lighting
• Wireless Networks: Wireless Access Points (WAPs) for WLAN, In-Building Wireless
• Wired networks: Voice-over-IP (VoIP) phones, PCs, presentation screens
• Security technology: IP surveillance cameras, access control & time recording, fire alarm technology
• Sensors (temperature, brightness, humidity, oxygen, etc.)
• Controls, control technology (air conditioning, ventilation, heating, elevator, etc.)
• Loudspeaker, public address system
• Multimedia: HDBaseT (not PoE, but to be considered by PoH following PoE), AVoverIP (depending on device, transceiver, display etc.), intercom systems/ Interco

Networks grow together
More applications for the structured building cabling

The following figure shows what it's all about. On the one hand, the integration of different languages in the form of transmission protocols from proprietary solutions or different bus systems into a single uniform solution – the Ethernet-IP network. On the other hand, the combination of different transport media into a uniform, widely used twisted pair cable with RJ45 connectors.

Digital Ceiling – Change in the tertiary cabling

The subject of Digital Ceiling in the field of network technology can be understood as the digital ceiling to a certain extent. This means the integration of, for example, intelligent PoE LED lighting, sensors, customized WAPs for each workstation and other Ethernet- & Power-over-Ethernet applications in the suspended ceiling

Basic components for the Digital Ceiling:

Goals and advantages

Relocation of the network infrastructure to the ceiling

In the current office environment, most network connections are placed near the workplaces in dado ducts and floor boxes. In addition to technology-driven devices with network connectivity, the increasing performance of PoE is also making the network infrastructure increasingly attractive. Many PoE applications are no longer necessarily connected to the wall outlets, the raceway, the table solutions or the floor outlets. These connections are increasingly being moved into the ceiling, e.g. for WAPs, near doors, on presentation walls, for example, for the Digital Signage, as well as outside of buildings on exterior walls or lantern poles. These unconventional connection points may require additional cabling, new cabling solutions, but also new infrastructures.

An alternative to horizontal cabling is the zone cabling in suspended ceilings. Horizontal cabling runs from the floor distributor to a specific area in the building. The service concentration point is located in this area, from where it continues to a service outlet or directly to the end devices. For maximum flexibility and the ideal structure of horizontal cabling with Service Concentration Points, an even division of the floor into cells with the respective Service Concentration Point is recommended.

The background is a more flexible, simpler and more cost-effective change of the cabling when moving, adding or removing end devices. The advantage lies in the shorter distances that have to be rerouted. They are more easily accessible and the intervention as well as interruption times are shorter.

Considering the PoE lighting and other Ethernet and PoE applications, the coverage radius of a zone should not exceed approx. 13 m, which would therefore be a cell of approx. 18 m by 18 m. The background to this is the high number of ports used per service concentration point, which means that over 96 ports are no longer manageable.

Connections can be changed, rerouted or removed at these points. With an increasing number of IP and PoE-enabled end devices, especially in open-plan offices, a long-term saving is achieved through the more flexible and simple changes to this structure. The Service Concentration Point should be at least 15 m away from the floor distributor, and should not exceed the link length of 100 m.

Complete zone cabling via the suspended ceiling

For the current requirements with a view towards the future, the conventional network infrastructure for workplaces according to ISO/IEC 11801-2, and the ca-bling infrastructure could be combined via service con-centration points for distributed building services ac-cording to ISO/IEC 11801-6.The following figure shows the separate, application specific cabling and cabling with service concentration point for Wi-Fi applications.

A complete horizontal cabling via an SCP in the suspended ceiling could look like the depiction in the following figure. The merged applications are depicted in the network cabling through an SCP. Most applications in the ceiling could be solved as with Wi-Fi cabling and the individual workstations could be wired via cable ducts, columns or on the walls all the way up to the wall outlet.