CommScope has announced the GigaREACH™ XL solution, a cable-and-connectivity system featuring the GigaREACH XL cable, that doubles the reach of traditional twisted-pair Ethernet devices on enterprise networks. This new cable, when terminated to CommScope’s Category 6 SYSTIMAX connectivity, allows users to “easily connect and power devices beyond the 100-meter limit with one cable and with little or no disruption to existing services,” CommScope said when announcing the solution. “It requires no additional telecom rooms, PoE extenders or optical equipment, which translates into fewer points of failure, lower installation costs, and lower greenhouse gas emissions,” the company added.
GigaREACH XL supports the following power-and-distance combinations.
- 100-Mbit/sec Ethernet and 90W PoE up to 200 meters
- 1-Gbit/sec Ethernet and 90W PoE up to 150 meters
- 10-Mbit/sec Ethernet and 90W PoE up to 250 meters
The GigaREACH XL cable incorporates patented design features used in CommScope’s SYSTIMAX Category 6A cabling to enable the extended-distance capabilities, the company said.
GigaREACH XL (cable and connectivity) supports all types of PoE applications and uses the same installation tools, and best practices, that CommScope’s certified ParterPro community employs, the company emphasized. The GigaREACH XL solution is backed by the SYSTIMAX Assurance program.
“Since the SYSTIMAX portfolio was launched in 1985, cabling infrastructure standardization bodies have used it as a blueprint to define the standards that are common knowledge today,” stated Luc Adriaenssens, vice president of product line management and research-and-development for CommScope. “Today, CommScope eliminates the 100-meter distance limit to cost-effectively connect a range of edge devices.”
The company further pointed out how enterprise networks have evolved and created the need for this type of power-and-distance capability. “The enterprise network has rapidly expanded beyond IT and is now expected to power and connect operational devices such as security cameras, access control panels, and wireless access points,” CommScope said. “Some of these systems are often located away from the telecom room, placing them beyond the 100-meter limit established by commercial building standards such as ANSI/TIA-568 and ISO 11801. CommScope addresses this challenge with the new GigaREACH XL solution.”