CAT5 SmartWired Surge Protection Systems

TM

March 21, 2012

What is CAT5 SMARTWIRED

TM

Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Traditional POTS vs. High Speed Data Outside Plant Connectivity and Protection ................................................................ 3 High Speed Data Wiring and Terminating............................................................................................................................... 4 LEA Networks Protector Block, Making Smart Wiring Possible .............................................................................................. 4 CAT5 SMARTWIRED Protection Systems .................................................................................................................................... 6 Attenuation and Crosstalk Performance ................................................................................................................................ 6 Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Glossary ................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 References .............................................................................................................................................................................. 9 About the Author .................................................................................................................................................................... 9 About LEA Networks ............................................................................................................................................................... 9

lea-networks.com/us 2

What is CAT5 SMARTWIRED

TM

Introduction
Current high speed transmission standards like ADSL2+, VDSL2, and Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM), require increased performance from wireline outside plant connection and protection equipment. The cables themselves, most notably multi-pair Category 5e, have been refined over the years to improve pair-to-pair crosstalk and signal loss. Its even become common to use fully shielded cable in high density data service areas, such as remote DSLAM enclosures to mitigate noise. Two increasingly common situations can quickly reduce Category 5e, or any cable data transmission abilities: 1. The number of active high speed lines within any span or connectivity point. 2. Increased transmission frequencies on individual pairs within any span or connectivity point. Coping with these two situations, or worse, the combination of the two, requires a rethinking of copper connectivity products and how theyre used. CAT5 SmartWired is LEA Networks design philosophy to ensure maximum bandwidth in modern telecom data systems.

Traditional POTS vs. High Speed Data Outside Plant Connectivity and Protection
Until the late 1990s, telecom connectivity hardware designs were focused on long term reliability, robust designs, and some attention to cable and wire routing. The connections themselves were entirely focused on simplicity and strength (e.g. binding posts, screw terminals & wire wrapping). Primary protection connector blocks were designed for ease of manufacturing and long term reliability. In the absence of transmission concerns, safety and reliability were rightfully the top concerns. Protection systems saw a gradual shift from traditional 5 pin gas discharge tubes to solid state based technology. This gave better equipment protection, and solved the problems of high variability with gas tube manufacturing. In the early 2000s, transmission testing showed that traditional 5 pin connection blocks were capable of Category 5 (100MHz) hardware component performance levels, the same as a standard RJ-45 LAN jack. Wiring was still largely voice-grade or Category 3. Connection and termination technologies did begin a gradual shift towards ease of use (insulation displacement connectors) and transmission quality. The enterprise infrastructure led the way with the proliferation of Category 5 and later, Category 5e structured network architectures. However, the OSP delivering data services was still reliant on T-1 for business and data centers, and ADSL was limited to possibly 6Mbps under ideal conditions. The connectivity and protection hardware didnt require much change of design or use. Easy improvements in attenuation were made by changing back to (modernized) gas discharge tube modules. DSLAM remote terminals and Central Offices eventually showed the first weak link in the twisted pair plant. While the speeds werent yet very high, the density of active pairs within any one cable or running through a connection block was increasing. The issue wasnt attenuation; it was the crosstalk within the tight bundles of active signal pairs. Soon enough, Category 5e cable became the norm in high density data pair systems. Even though the length of cable in a remote terminal is only several feet, the crosstalk contribution can eliminate the ability to transmit high speed signals over long distances.

lea-networks.com/us 3

What is CAT5 SMARTWIRED

TM

To understand this fully, its important to know that crosstalk isnt as simple as attenuation, which generally goes up smoothly as the span distance increases. Its dominated by the cable itself in most spans. The total crosstalk in a data channel is the sum of the crosstalk contributions from all the individual elements, or disturbers. The total crosstalk can easily be dominated by one element. A Category 3 jack used in a Category 5e channel will cause the whole system to run at Category 3 speeds. This is the reason that LAN system components (cables, connectors, patch panels & patch cords) are all certified to a specific Category capability. In order to function at Category 5e speeds, everything needs to perform at Category 5e crosstalk levels. Crosstalk is the now the major limiting factor in high speed telecom data delivery. Crosstalk is dominated by the connectivity, cabling, and line (connection) conditions.

High Speed Data Wiring and Terminating

Like fiber optic systems, twisted pair wiring for high speed data requires a few special precautions. The general methods are listed below, and what not performing them correctly can cause. Guideline Minimum 10X cable diameter Issue Sharp bends can create localized crosstalk hotspots, and if severe enough, an issue with extra reflection losses. Trim tip/ring as evenly as possible Uneven lengths can create longitudinal imbalances, which adds noise and decreases effective speeds. Never leave more than 0.5 of Category 5e wire Open loops create crosstalk hotspots pair untwisted. If more is required to make a to adjacent pairs. termination, re-twist pairs after the connection is made Keep wire pairs away from adjacent terminations Termination points are more as much as possible; use guide rings or loose tie susceptible to crosstalk since pairs are wraps in common areas opened up; this can cause spikes in crosstalk

Minimum Bend Radius

Trimming Wire Pairs

Wire Untwist

Pair Separation/Isolation

LEA Networks Protector Block, Making Smart Wiring Possible

LEA Networks engineering, having been in design and development of wireline protection and connectivity for decades, knew that all the existing suppliers legacy 5 pin protector blocks were designed for ease of manufacturing, but not transmission. LEA Networks goal was to design a block with the same features and protection performance, but optimized for modern data transmission. Using the aforementioned guidelines for proper high speed wiring, LEA Networks redesigned the 5 pin protector block from the ground up. To enable this goal, a shortened module socket was designed, since the straight socket is the same as open untwisted wire. Next, the line and equipment sockets were re-oriented to minimize Tip-to-Ring wire wrap distance resulting in the following benefits:

lea-networks.com/us 4

What is CAT5 SMARTWIRED

1.

TM

Untwisted wire pair and tip/ring open loop area are minimized which reduces crosstalk and attenuation.

2. Adjacent pair to pair distance is increased, which also reduces crosstalk. 3. The free space for wire routing is now between the rows, not down the middle of tip/ring pairs. This is perhaps the biggest benefit since it prevents adjacent untwisted wire pairs being threaded down through each other, a major cause of crosstalk. Guide rings were added to enforce proper grooming while cables are wire wrapped into place. The diagram below illustrates the new LEA Networks wired block compared to nearly all existing blocks.

lea-networks.com/us 5

What is CAT5 SMARTWIRED

TM

CAT5 SMARTWIRED Protection Systems

LEA Networks protection block was designed to maximize high speed transmission performance to Category 5e levels. Wiring with anything less than Category 5 cable would defeat the performance gains, so all LEA Networks Protection Systems use minimum Category 5 internal cable. Internal wiring methods adhere to all the high speed wiring guidelines to ensure optimum performance. So, what is CAT5 SmartWired? - A lightning protection system built using a high speed optimized protector block, Category 5 minimum rated cabling, and manufactured using strict high speed wiring methodologies. Maybe I dont need CAT5 SmartWiring, so why pay a premium? - There is no premium. By only producing high speed compatible systems, LEA Networks is able to leverage its volume with standardized designs and material usage. Even if your current system requirements dont need it, chances are you eventually will. When you really need to maximize your transmission performance, theres no enhanced special part numbers (or pricing), every system is designed for high speed performance.

Attenuation and Crosstalk Performance

The current Telcordia telecommunications hardware transmission standards and the latest EIA/TIA 568-C standards for Category 5e serve as guidelines for high speed testing. Below are independent laboratory tests of LEA Networks protection block system wired with 1m of Category 5e cable, the same cable used in all protection systems LEA Networks manufactures. Crosstalk is measured using Power Sum NEXT, to give a real world idea how the system performs with multiple active data lines. In the Insertion Loss graph, the red line shows the Category 5e requirements for a connector, such as an RJ-45 jack. The protector block, even with 1m of cable barely shows any attenuation. The crosstalk graph shows PSNEXT in 5 representative positions on a 50 pair system. The worse case measurements on 4 simultaneous pairs are within 5dB of the Category 5e requirements for one pair. The best case is good enough to meet lea-networks.com/us 6

What is CAT5 SMARTWIRED

TM

the Category 5e requirements for one pair. Return Loss and Longitudinal Balance performance (not shown) are comfortably within Category 5e ratings.

lea-networks.com/us 7

What is CAT5 SMARTWIRED

TM

Summary
As data delivery protocols evolved from analog POTS to todays VDSL2 speeds, the performance of the outside plant network has had to improve dramatically. Legacy POTS era equipment wasnt designed to minimize crosstalk, return loss and attenuation, which can all significantly deteriorate the ability to reach the needed distances with reliable data rates. Implementing transmission optimized OSP equipment is essential to maintain the rate reach performance required for todays media, since even one significant crosstalk disturber can have immediate and obvious affects. LEA Networks has reset the performance expectations of standardized twisted pair protection with a ground up redesign of the heart of all lightning protection systems, the 5 pin protector block. Combined with a disciplined methodology for wiring and grooming, allows LEA to produce truly state of the art protection and connectivity systems.

Glossary
Attenuation - also known as Insertion Loss, is a measure of the strength of a signal at a remote point, compared to the original signal strength transmitted. Its measured in negative decibels (dBs), representing a ratio of the remaining signal vs original signal. Every 6 dB equals half signal strength, so -6dB is 1/2 strength, -12dB is 1/4, -18dB is 1/8, etc. Attenuation goes up as the transmission speed increases. Crosstalk - this occurs when the signal from one pair is induced into another pair, causing signal distortion and degradation. The terminating equipment cant tell the difference between the two streams, so bit errors increase. Its also measured in negative dBs, as a ratio of the unwanted signal compared to the desired one. So, a smaller negative number means more crosstalk (the unwanted signal is becoming as big as the desired one). Crosstalk also sets worse as the transmission speed increases. PowerSum Crosstalk this is crosstalk, but measured by adding the crosstalk from 3 adjacent pairs. This shows how a loaded cable or connection point acts when multiple signals operate at the same time. Attenuation-to-Crosstalk Ratio (ACR)- this measurement is frequently used at a termination point or subscriber location as a single number to represent line quality. Its simply the attenuation minus crosstalk, and the bigger the number the better (i.e. less attention and higher crosstalk rejection). This is particularly important when dealing with longer spans and higher bit rates, where attenuations and crosstalk numbers can be significant. It is entirely dependent on transmission speeds, so just because a line handles a 1.2Mbps ADSL signal doesnt mean it can handle 35Mbps VDSL. Primary Lightning Protection an over-voltage protection device used to prevent personnel injury and equipment damage from lightning, AC power faults, etc. They are generally used on either end of any copper pair span that is susceptible to transients, and is mandated by the National Electric Code to be used at every building or service location occupied by people. Its termed primary because its the first and frequently only line of defense. 5 Pin Protection Module/Connector Block the predominant form factor for primary protection on twisted pair communications cables in the US, Canada, Mexico, and some South and Central American countries. The plug-in modules and connecting blocks are standardized to ensure continued viability of the supplier base, and future-proofing for replacement protection devices. lea-networks.com/us 8

What is CAT5 SMARTWIRED

TM

Building Entrance Protector (BEP)- a standardized system to terminate outside plant cables, provide primary protection, and a subscriber side (or equipment) cable connection point. This also presents a demarcation and field/equipment side test access. An internal fusing mechanism permanently disconnects the equipment connector from the outside line connector to isolate the personnel during catastrophic or sustained faults.

References
TIA-568-C.1, Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standards - Part 1 General Requirements, Revision Date: 02/02/09 TIA-568-C.2, Balanced Twised Pair Telecommunications Cabling and Component Standards, Revision Date: 04/00/10 NFPA 70: National Electric Code (NEC), 2008 Edition

About the Author

Allen Gara is the Engineering and Operations Manager for LEA Networks. He has more than 20 years of experience in research, design, and development of telecom lightning protection and connectivity systems. For more information, email support@lea-networks.com.

About LEA Networks

LEA Networks is a worldwide provider of xDSL splitters/filters, Power Line Carrier (PLC), Primary Surge Protection and connectivity systems for the telecommunications industry. The company researches, designs, markets, and distributes a wide range of standard and custom products, which have been deployed by over 150 carriers worldwide. Headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, LEA Networks is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HF Company (NYSE Euronext: HF).

USA LEA Networks, LLC 5500 W. Touhy Ave, Suite P Skokie, Illinois 60077 USA Phone: +1.847.673.1853 Fax: +1.847.673.2153

France LEA SAS Immeuble Le Lina 1 rue du Gnral Leclerc 92047 Paris La Dfense Cedex Phone: +33 (0) 1.49.97.05.30 Fax: +33 (0) 1.49.97.05.31

China LEA Technologies Ltd Tianan Hi-Tech Plaza Tower A Futian District, Shenzhen PRC 518048, China Phone: + 86.755.8287.6321 Fax: + 86.755.8287.6331

lea-networks.com/us 9