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Structured Cabling FAQ: Complete Guide to Structured Cabling Systems

  • 1 day ago
  • 6 min read

Updated: 12 hours ago

Image showing a structured cabling system installed by IES Communications

What is structured cabling, and why is it important for virtually every business and organization, public and private? Here’s a condensed look at everything you need to know about structured cabling systems, including their uses, functions, benefits, and more — plus links to in-depth analysis of standards, installation, and other essential concepts.



Structured Cabling Systems: Definition & Basic Facts


From standards and regulations to the different types of wiring and components and beyond, there’s a lot more to structured cabling than you may realize. And you can find all the info you need in our five-part guide to structured cabling — or read on for a bird’s eye view.


What is a Structured Cabling System?


The definition of structured cabling is an organized system of interconnected cables and associated hardware that provides a single network of wired connectivity for a building, business, or organization. In other words, a structured cabling system connects all of a building’s data and/or telecommunications functionality into a single, wired network.



What’s the Purpose of Structured Cabling Systems?


The purpose of a structured cabling system is to provide a single, streamlined, and scalable network for data and telecommunications connectivity throughout a single building or an entire organization. Think of it as the nervous system that powers an IT network, a data center, or other essential infrastructure, but one that’s more organized and high-functioning that traditional point-to-point cabling systems of the past.



Why is Structured Cabling Important?


Today, professionally designed and installed structured cabling is more than important — it’s absolutely essential for any commercial or public-facing organization seeking to ensure operational uptime, seamless connectivity, regulatory compliance, and the integrity and security of the data they process and manage, helping to ensure quality, consistency, and reliability in every key function.



What Benefits Does Professional Structured Cabling Offer?


Structured cabling systems also helps organizations get more value from infrastructure investments by simplifying network management and maintenance — thus reducing downtime and network degradation (i.e., the performance decline caused by interference, congestion, equipment malfunctions, and other common issues).


Structured cabling is also designed to be flexible and scalable to more readily accommodate organizational growth, geographical expansion, or the need to integrate new technologies and processes without significant additional expense or restructuring. It all adds up to significant improvements in performance, as well as the cost-effectiveness of any organization’s overall infrastructure investment.



What Types of Businesses & Organizations Use Structured Cabling Systems?


Structured cabling is used by virtually every type of commercial and public-facing organization that needs advanced, highly organized infrastructure to meet basic operational needs, as well as specific safety standards and regulatory requirements — including (but not limited to):

  • Corporate offices

  • Data centers and other mission-critical facilities

  • Schools, universities, and other educational facilities

  • Hospitals, health centers, and other patient care facilities

  • Retail and hospitality-centered businesses

  • Power plants, fuel reprocessing stations, and similar facilities



What are the Components of a Structured Cabling System?


A structured cabling system is made up of various types of cables (usually copper and fiber wiring) combined with related components like servers, switches, conduits, cords, pathways, and patch panels. It also includes elements of a building’s infrastructure like raceways, penetration sleeves, consolidation points, and even entryways and access points.


The list usually includes six (and sometimes seven) primary structured cabling components:

  1. Entrance facilities, where an internal system links to an external source

  2. Equipment rooms that serve as central hubs, featuring equipment like servers and mainframes

  3. Telecommunications rooms or enclosures, a distribution point between equipment rooms and individual workstations

  4. Vertical cabling (a.k.a. backbone or riser cabling) that connects a building’s different sections or floors — or different facilities altogether — with equipment rooms, telecommunications enclosures, and entrance facilities

  5. Horizontal cabling that connects telecommunications rooms to workstations

  6. Work stations, or individual end points where users connect with the network

  7. Pathways, or the components that allow for proper and safe routing



What are the Different Types of Structured Cable Wiring?


Different types of cabling are used for different functions, ranging from Cat5 (which can handle 10-100 Mbps), Cat5e (up to 1000 Mbps), and Cat6 (up to 10 Gbps) copper wiring through high-capacity ethernet and fiber-optic wiring, which can cover greater distances and at much faster speeds. Learn more about the types of structured cabling wiring here.



How is Structured Cabling Implemented & Installed?


More than simply assembling the necessary pieces, implementing and installing a structured cabling system involves following a specific blueprint to make sure all the components work together seamlessly and in a way that best supports network demands and future scalability. In brief, these steps include:

  1. Preparation, planning and design, including site survey, assessment of network demands, and mapping a system’s layout

  2. Choosing, acquiring and assembling the necessary wiring and components

  3. installation and documentation, including clearly labeling every component, both in its place of installation and within a separate standalone document

  4. Verification, qualification, and certification, including initial and ongoing testing and QA/QC

  5. Creating a schedule for ongoing maintenance and upgrades



Why Is Professional Installation Important for Structured Cabling Systems?


Because it’s a complex process that requires a careful and deliberate step-by-step approach — including the careful following of industry standards and any other applicable regulations, and the ability to select and source the right wiring and components — achieving the full range of benefits offered by a functional and high-performance structured cabling system depends requires the help of certified experts.



What are the Different Structured Cabling Standards?


From layout and installation to performance and testing, there’s a detailed list of specific standards that regulate structured cabling systems. In North America, the ANSI/TIA-568 Series, 569-E, 606-D, and 607-E standards collectively define the cable types and components to be used in commercial buildings and telecommunications infrastructure like data centers, while ISO/IEC 11801 provides international standards for telecommunications cabling in commercial buildings.



What Structured Cabling Standards Apply to Data Centers?


In addition to ANSI/TIA-568, ISO/IEC 11801, and IEEE 802.3, data center cabling standards also include ANSI/TIA-942-C as well as a separate set of commercial certifications for data center design, installation, and management designed by BICSI.



Why Do Standards Matter for Structured Cabling Systems?


Essential for meeting industry regulations — and avoiding fees and downtimes — following structured cabling standards also helps organizations:

  • Avoid interference, lag, and data loss, as well as fire and water damage

  • More easily and cost-effectively expand or upgrade to newer equipment or technology

  • Streamline oversight and diagnostics to improve maintenance and avoid cost overruns

  • Achieve full interoperability and backwards-compatibility for a more versatile network

  • More readily and cost-effectively accommodate future growth and expansion


In short, when it comes to data centers — with the entirety of a facility's operational output depending on its cabling foundation — meeting structured cabling standards isn't just useful but an absolute necessity.



Learn More about Structured Cabling Systems


If you’re looking for more details on any aspect of structured cabling, dive into our comprehensive, five-part series — or, contact our experts today for a free consultation for your business or organization.


Trust Your Structured Cabling Systems to the Experts


At IES Communications, we specialize in creating and managing high-grade structured cabling that delivers the performance you need, and at the budget you’re working with, all across the U.S.A. Contact us today to see what our team of certified experts can do for you.


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