Smart Buildings

RemoteIP Cable: A New Way to Transcend Distance Limitations of 100 m

Josh Goyke

It’s a complex design challenge that building teams have grappled with for years: installing IoT devices in locations that allow them to fulfill their purpose while also staying within 100 m of a telecommunications room so the devices can connect to the network for remote monitoring and to share data.

 

To streamline the acceptance of new technologies as faster application speeds develop, Category cabling has historically been capped at a channel length of 100 m per ANSI/TIA-568 cabling standards. This means that telecommunications rooms are needed within 100 m of each network-connected device.

 

But this standard places limitations on where and how devices can be deployed. Depending on the type of device and its location, it may require a longer channel length. What about surveillance cameras in parking lots? An access control panel at a rarely used building entrance/exit? A wireless access point in an outdoor patio or pool area? PoE LED lighting fixtures in the middle of an expansive open office space? A sensor on a roof-mounted fan?

 

To make these applications work when a telecommunications room isn’t within 100 m of the device, the building designer, consultant and/or end-user has to sort through other options, which may include:

 

  • Using fiber cables instead of copper cables
  • Establishing a new telecommunications room within 100 m of the device being installed
  • Using hybrid copper-fiber cables
  • Adding a hub or switch in an existing telecommunications room
  • Taking a risk and extending the copper cabling link beyond 100 m (even though that approach doesn’t comply with ANSI/TIA-568 standards)

 

While these options are all possibilities, they can also be costly, lead to inefficient use of building space or create performance issues (in the case of extending the copper cabling link beyond 100 m).

 

As device count continues to grow, so does the need to efficiently utilize building space and conveniently supply power and data to deploy these new devices—many of which will be installed in locations where telecommunications rooms aren’t close by.

 

To reduce the frustration that these continued connectivity challenges will create as smart buildings rely on IoT devices, we designed our new RemoteIP Cables. They provide another viable option for applications where Category cabling (literally) falls short.

 

RemoteIP Cables follow IEEE application standards, such as 10BASE-T, 100BASE-T and 1000BASE-T. How are application standards different than cabling standards? While cabling standards map out minimum performance requirements for structured cabling systems so they can support any application over 100 m, application standards focus on the ability of the application itself—such as wireless or Ethernet—to run on a link segment regardless of distance.

 

The cables work with any devices and switches that follow these IEEE application standards, including IP cameras, building sensors and PoE LED lighting fixtures.

 

Because they supply data and power to remote IP devices up to 215 m away, they more than double what Category cabling can provide. With these cables, it’s now possible to achieve 10 Mb/s transmission at 215 m, 100 Mb/s transmission at 200 m and 1 Gb/s transmission at 130 m. They also feature 22 AWG conductors, which help signals travel across longer distances while keeping cable heat levels low to minimize impact on electrical characteristics.

 

This opens up new worlds of possibilities for building designers, consultants and end-users. It allows placement and installation of IoT devices in new locations, reclaims and maximizes square footage, and reduces costs by eliminating the need for media converters (which enable fiber and copper cables to be connected) or extenders (which boost or repeat signals).

 

Because they utilize Power over Ethernet (PoE), Belden’s RemoteIP Cables can transmit data and power beyond the 100 m channel length associated with Category cabling.

 

RemoteIP Cables are also designed to pair with our game-changing REVConnect® connectivity, which makes them simple to deploy and compatible with any IoT device. RemoteIP Cables install just like Category cables and feature a filler-less design, which makes them exceptionally easy to terminate.

 

If you need to cost-effectively extend your Ethernet channel beyond 100 m and up to 1 Gb/s—without worrying about performance degradation—then these cables will help you do it. They’re specifically designed to meet or exceed IEEE application standards limits. Learn more about our RemoteIP Cables.

 

Related Links:

 

Application-Based RemoteIP Cable

Solutions to Four Real-World Problems that Installers Face Every Day

4 Considerations for Extending Cable Reach