Technical Paper Weighs Strategies for Extending Beyond 100 Meters
A technical paper recently published by Reichle & De-Massari (R&M) provides guidelines for extending local area network (LAN) cabling circuits beyond the standard-defined 100-meter distance. The paper compares and contrasts the advantages of structured cabling and the more recently developed approach of using application-specific extended-reach cabling. In the paper and in its announcement of that paper’s availability, R&M emphasizes the benefits of the structured cabling approach. That preference is evident in the subtitle of the document: “Beyond 100 Meters: Preserving Generic Cabling While Engineering Extended-Reach Exceptions.”
When announcing the paper’s availability, R&M noted, “Today, the demand for ranges of more than 100 meters is growing. Longer transmission distances are needed, for example, for Internet-based building automation in smart buildings and factories. The extended-reach LAN has recently been promoted on the market as a solution. Initially, it is based on copper cables.”
The company’s market manager for LAN cabling Matthias Gerber commented, “This cabling is not always up to the task of handling future or unfamiliar applications. Although the extended-reach approach opens up new possibilities, it cannot replace structured cabling. Structured and non-application-specific LAN cabling remains the basis of future-proof building networks. Ranges of more than 100 meters are not a product feature or a new standard, but a challenging engineering task.”
The company, and the technical paper, advocate what it calls a holistic approach to network planning. “First of all, network planners should verify whether structured cabling—expanded by additional distributors, zone cabling, fiber-optic or hybrid cabling, and modern technologies such as Single Pair Ethernet—is the best solution,” R&M says.
Gerber added, “Only after these options have been evaluated should extended-reach copper cabling be considered as an option. It can be defined either for several applications in terms of cabling class or specifically for a single application. Extended-reach cabling must be planned based on the application. Data rate, network devices, power supply, temperature, electromagnetic interference, cable bundling and design, as well as the expected service life of the installation all influence what range is possible and practical.”
The company emphasizes, “The value of structured cabling is not in the transmission distance. The decisive factor is that it is independent, interoperable and sustainable, as well as future-proof. It supports a wide range of applications and end-devices throughout their entire lifecycle. This principle is becoming increasingly important, especially with the increasing convergence of IT, building technology, and automation.”
