2007-09-10
Residential networking is finally starting to accelerate in Europe. Partly as a result, the industry standards have been recently revised, developed and approved for domestic cabling systems. The relevant standard is Cenelec EN50173-4 - Generic Cabling Systems - Homes. This includes cables and control systems for home automation systems, intelligent buildings ('Smart Homes') and command control systems. James Hunt reports:
Despite quite early expectations, the market for residential networks has been
slow to materialise, especially in Europe - and even more so in the UK. However,
the sector has significant potential and is now starting to take off, and not
only for expensive luxury homes - costs are reducing all the time for lower end
systems, so that even quite ordinary homes can benefit.
The current market drivers include increased homeworking (and this will only
increase still further), increased use of datacomms in the home, together with
home cinema / video entertainment systems. In addition, more and more developers
and homeowners are fitting modern and quite sophisticated monitoring, control
and security systems. All such systems require data cable, as well as power
cable. As use of these systems increases, the sector will grow, probably quite
rapidly, and across a broad cross-section of homes.
Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA -
www.bsria.co.uk) has estimated that 10% of US homes now have such home cabling,
with the penetration rate also high in far eastern countries (China, Singapore,
South Korea etc). Europe has not seen a high penetration rate so far, but it is
beginning to grow fast, especially in Northern Europe. Scandinavia and Germany
are normally acknowledged to be the leaders, but the business is starting to
grow significantly in the UK too. It is still the case that use of residential
networks is more widespread in new, single dwellings in Northern Europe and the
US, while in the Far East, the technology tends to be most used in new multiple
dwellings.
Standards:
ISO/IEC has been developing standards for domestic cabling and home
electronic systems for over a decade. Three years ago, ISO/IEC 15018 was
published. This defines generic cabling infrastructure for domestic
(residential) environments, including cabling for Broadcast & Communications
Technologies (BTC), Information & Communications Technologies (ICT) and
Command & Control Communications for Buildings (CCCB).
Under ISO/IEC 15018, briefly, copper cable is preferred to support remote
power as it is relatively cheap, while ICT cabling is the same as office
structured cabling (screened or un-screened). As such, it has a minimum
requirement for Class D/Cat 5e, but Class E/Cat 6 is recommended. For BCT
cabling, Class F/Cat 7 is specified up to 1 GHz, but coaxial cables can be used
for shorter lengths. CCCB cabling can be low bandwidth / high current or,
alternatively, conventional Cat 5e. Also note that optical fibre is allowable as
an alternative to copper for ICT and BCT cabling systems. The standard also
covers connectors. Under ICT and BCT cabling infrastructures, primary and
secondary 'home distributors' provide connection to external network services
and local equipment, and primary home cabling to secondary home cabling
respectively. The latter then provides connections to the various outlets. CCCB
cabling, on the other hand, can follow any topology between the primary and
secondary 'home distributors' and control outlets.
However, CENELEC (www.cenelec.org) has adopted its own standard for such
cabling. This is EN 50173-4, which is based on a simplification of
ISO/IEC 15018. EN 50173-4 is now the structured cabling standard, and is (in
full) termed: 'EN 50173-4 - Information Technology - Generic Cabling Systems
Part 4: Homes', but such wiring must also adhere, in the UK, to the cable
separation standard BS EN 50174-2 and to BS 7671, the IEE Wiring
Regulations.
Note that the Telecoms Industry Association (TIA) is responsible for
providing and maintaining standards and practises for the cabling industry.
To learn more:
For much more information, click on CENELEC's 'SmartHouse Code of Practise'
.PDF document elsewhere in this VoltiBULLETIN. This looks at all
aspects of so-called 'smart home' design and installation from the
electrical/electronic and cabling points of view, including relevant
standards.
From Legrand in .PDF format, is a 'resume' on residential Wired Networks - a
very brief, yet informative and colourful document of what wired infrastructures
can do for homeowners. In fact, this should, perhaps, be used as an introduction
to the topic.
For a concise introduction to smart homes in general, click on Legrand's
excellent .PDF document entitled: 'Home Networks - Principles, Applications and
Desirability.
Mike Gillmore, MD of e-Ready Building, the Cabling Partnership, runs courses
and seminars on the topic. Click on .PDF documents 'Dotting the 'i's &
Crossing the 't's - Cabling Standards 2005', and also 'Data Cabling Standards
& New Technology Overview' to learn more. VoltiBULLETIN users can
also contact him using the details below to learn more about the courses.
Contacts:
Building Services Research and Information Association Ltd.,
(BSRIA)
Email: bsria@bsria.co.uk
Web: www.bsria.co.uk
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation
(CENELEC)
CENELEC Online Info Service:
Email: Info@cenelec.org
Tel:
+ 32 (0) 2 519 68 71
Web: www.cenelec.org
Contact: Mike Gilmore
Senior Partner,
The Cabling
Partnership
Tel: +44 (0) 113 232 2632
Fax: +44 (0) 113 293
2632
Web: www.it-cabling.com
Legrand Electric UK,
Great King Street North, Birmingham B19
2LF
Tel: 0121 515 0515
Fax: 0121 515 0516
Email:
legrand.sales@legrand.co.uk
Web: www.legrand.co.uk
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Source: James Hunt |
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