Siemon recently announced that its TERA cabling system supports 10Base-T1L Single Pair Ethernet (SPE), providing a standards-based infrastructure that is easy to deploy and simplifies cable management, reduces costs, and enables more-efficient use of pathway space. Valerie Maguire, distinguished engineer with Siemon and chief editor of the IEEE Std. 802.3cg-2019 10 Mb/s Single-Pair Ethernet project, authored a tech brief that describes why 10Base-T1L operation over TERA cabling offers advantages over traditional/proprietary operational technology for monitoring and controlling simple, low-speed devices in commercial enterprise environments.
“Developed by the IEEE P802.3cg 10 Mb/s Single-Pair Ethernet Task Force and approved in November 2019, 10Base-T1L supports 10-Mbit/sec transmission over balanced single-pair cabling for connecting a wide range of sensors, actuators, relays, contactors and other low-speed devices used for building automation applications such as HVAC, security/access and lighting control,” Siemon explained when making the announcement about TERA SPE cabling and also announcing the availability of the tech brief. “Adoption of 10Base-T1L is a milestone step in enabling interoperability and networking of smart industrial IoT devices. The standard also supports optional DC [direct current] power delivery using IEEE 802.3 power over data lines (PoDL).”
TERA is a fully shielded cabling solution that “offers the benefits of superior noise immunity, virtually zero emissions and superior transmission headroom to ensure guaranteed support of 10Base-T1L over distances of up to 400 meters without the need for field testing,” Siemon further explained. “In addition, all system components are rated for current-carrying capacity up to 2 amps. By leveraging its versatile cable-sharing abilities, the standards-based 4-pair TERA outlet is uniquely capable of facilitating plug-and-play connections to 10Base-T1L and 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet devices and equipment using 4-pair, 2-pair and 1-pair TERA plugs and 4-pair field-terminated category 6A Z-PLUG connectors. Siemon’s innovative Z-PLUG offers best-in-class termination speed and a shorter plug design for easily making custom-length connections between SPE controllers and 4-pair Ethernet control systems and servers.”
The TERA SPE cabling solution is compatible with traditional 1-pair screw-terminal interface connections commonly found on single-pair Ethernet equipment and devices. Siemon adds that its applications-support specialists can work with customers to support other SPE equipment interface types. TERA cabling can be deployed in conventional or zone cabling configurations to support both SPE and 4-pair Ethernet applications. The company further notes that pre-cabling permanent links from patch panels in the mechanical/telecommunications room to Siemon zone enclosures housing TERA outlets enables more-efficient use of pathways and facilitates rapid deployment of connections to devices or outlets serving devices when moves, adds, or changes are required.
“As an active contributor to the development of single-pair Ethernet standards and technologies, Siemon is in a unique position to understand the cabling infrastructure requirements to support emerging 10Base-T1L applications,” explained Maguire. “Our industry-leading TERA cabling system provides a full end-to-end channel solution that supports SPE applications and equipment at distances up to 400 meters while simultaneously eliminating the need for field testing and providing the efficiency of a single interface to support both 4-pair and single-pair Ethernet connections.”