The efforts of standards organizations like the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) to publish documents related to the installation of twisted-pair copper cabling systems beyond 100 meters underscore a common challenge for designers and installers of these systems: Achieving reliable connectivity in outdoor environments. In many cases, these beyond-100-meter connections are made outdoors, and may require cabling products that can withstand the rigors of these spaces. Meanwhile, many twisted-pair cabling channels that are 100 meters or less in length also traverse the outdoors.

To meet this growing requirement among local area network (LAN) administrators—whether the channel length is within or beyond 100 meters—Leviton recently expanded its portfolio of outdoor copper cable assemblies. When announcing the portfolio expansion, the company commented, “Across commercial buildings, campuses, healthcare facilities, industrial sites, and public spaces, the number of IP-enabled devices installed outdoors continues to increase. Perimeter security cameras, thermal imaging systems, integrated security solutions, access control points, and other intelligent devices are critical components of the modern network infrastructure.

“Connecting these devices often requires portions of the network cabling to be exposed to sunlight, moisture, and other environmental conditions. Leviton’s new Outdoor Copper Cabling Assemblies are designed to address this growing challenge while helping simplify installation and maintain reliable network performance.”

Leviton’s stocked line of Outdoor Copper Cable Assemblies includes the following.

• 20-foot Category 6A Outdoor Patch Cord offering PoE and alien-crosstalk performance that exceed industry standards
• 25-foot Category 6 Outdoor Patch Cord that supports 1-Gbit/sec applications up to 250 MHz
• 15-foot VXC Assembly with RDT I/O cable (pictured), a connecting cord with cable coupler for a durable connection without the need for punchdown or other proprietary tools

Each product’s cable jacket construction provides moisture- and UV-resistance for outdoor applications, a compact cable diameter of 0.25 inches (6.35 mm) or less, compliance with ANSI/TIA-568.2 and ISO/IEC 11801, a black-jacket construction that is optimized for outdoor environments, and availability in custom lengths upon request.

Kirk Krahn, director of product management for Leviton Network Solutions, commented, “More of today’s network-connected devices are being installed on the exterior of buildings than ever before. Whether supporting cameras protecting a facility, access control systems securing entrances, or specialized IoT devices monitoring the environment, contractors and installers need connected solutions designed for outdoor exposure. These new Outdoor Cable Assemblies provide a straightforward way to extend network connectivity to those devices while leveraging the performance and reliability customers expect from Leviton.

“These new cable assemblies build on our recent extended-distance solutions, enabling customers to address increasingly demanding edge-network deployments while maintaining a standards-based architecture.”