08/04/2010 by David Slade.

As defined under The Distribution Code of Licensed Distribution Network Operators (UK):

Detailed additional data which the DNO requires under the Distribution Planning and Connection Code in support of Standard Planning Data.

Posted in Detailed Planning Data (DPD), DNO | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

As defined under The Distribution Code of Licensed Distribution Network Operators (UK):

The System consisting (wholly or mainly) of electric lines owned or operated by the DNO and used for the distribution of electricity between the Grid Supply Points or Generation Sets or other Entry Points to the points of delivery to
Customers or Authorised Electricity Operators, or any Transmission Licensee within Great Britain and Offshore in its capacity as operator of the licensee’s Transmission System or the National Electricity Transmission System and includes any Remote Transmission Assets (owned by a Transmission Licensee within Great Britain), operated by the DNO and any electrical plant and meters and metering equipment owned or operated by the DNO in connection with the distribution of electricity, but shall not include any part of the National Electricity Transmission System

Posted in Authorised Electricity Operator (AEO), Distribution System, DNO | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

As defined under The Distribution Code of Licensed Distribution Network Operators (UK):-

Any person supplied or entitled to be supplied with electricity at any premises within Great Britain >but shall not include any Authorised Electricity Operator in its capacity as such.

Posted in Customer | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

As defined under The Distribution Code of Licensed Distribution Network Operators (UK):

An or an Exit Point of the Distribution System as the case may be.

Posted in Connection Point, Distribution System | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

As defined under The Distribution Code of Licensed Distribution Network Operators (UK):

Any person (other than the DNO in its capacity as an operator of a Distribution System) who is authorised to generate, participate in the transmission of, distribute or supply electricity.

Posted in Authorised Electricity Operator (AEO), DNO | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

As defined under The Distribution Code of Licensed Distribution Network Operators (UK):

The procedure necessary for a recovery from a Total Shutdown or Partial Shutdown.

Posted in Black Start | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

Posted in CUSC Bilateral Agreement, Distribution System, Connection Agreement, DNO | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

Posted in Meter Operator (MOP) | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

Posted in Smart homes | No Comments »

08/04/2010 by David Slade.

A direct mail marketing piece designed by a sound design/production company converts in one step to a functional record player. The package, which is made of corrugated cardboard and contains a 45-rpm record, unfolds into a makeshift user-powered record player.

The record is spun by hand, with a pencil. And the sound is generated through a built-in needle via a cardboard “speaker.”

The company, Vancouver-based Griffiths, Gibson and Ramsay Productions, even has an amusing video (1:22) demonstrating how the record player works:

I suspect this has been done before, but I’m sure vinyl enthusiasts and many of those who grew up with only digital audio will be impressed. And as a promotional tool it’s certainly pretty clever and seems to have generated a fair amount of online buzz - and a good number of requests to the company for extra copies.

Now if they can figure out how to do one that works with CDs that would really be something.

Posted in Marketing | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

If the components are category 6 compliant, then you will be assured of category 6 performance.

Posted in Cat6 | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

Although category 6 and category 5e connectors> may look alike, category 6 connectors have much better transmission performance. For example, at 100 MHz, NEXT of a category 5e connector is 43 decibels (dB), while NEXT of a category 6 connector is 54 dB. This means that a cat6 connector couples about 1/12 of the power that a cat5e connector couples from one pair to another pair. Conversely, one can say that a category 6 connector is 12 times less “noisy” compared to a category 5e connector. This vast improvement in performance was achieved with new technology, new processes, better materials and significant R&D resources, leading to higher costs for manufacturers.

Posted in Cat6 | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

You should expect to get passing results if both the link adapter interface and the mating jack that is part of the link are both compliant to category 6 requirements.

Posted in Cat6 | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

This was an interim solution while the standard was still being developed and the interoperability requirements were not yet established. It is likely that soon one or more adapters will work for testing of cabling from all vendors.

Posted in Cat6 | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

 The category 6 standard has specifications for patch cords and connectors that are intended to assure interoperable category 6 performance. If manufacturers can demonstrate that each component meets the requirements in the standard, minimum category 6 performance will be achieved. However, manufacturers may also design their products to perform better than the minimum category 6 requirements, and in these cases compatible patch cords and connectors may lead to performance above the minimum category 6 requirements.

Posted in Cat6 | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

Category 6 patch cords are precision products, just like the cables and the connectors. They are best manufactured and tested in a controlled environment to ensure consistent, reliable performance. This will ensure interoperability and backward compatibility. All this supports patch cords as a factory-assembled product rather than a field-assembled product.

Posted in Cat6 | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

There is no limit imposed by the standards on the maximum number of category 6 cables in a bundle. This is a matter for the market and the industry to determine based on practical considerations. It should be pointed out that after six or eight cables, the performance in any cable will not change significantly since the cables will be too far away to add any additional external (or alien) NEXT.

Posted in Cat6 | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

Some category 6 cable designs have a spline to increase the separation between pairs and also to maintain the pair geometry. This additional separation improves NEXT performance and allows category 6 compliance to be achieved. With advances in technology, manufacturers have found other ways of meeting category 6 requirements. The bottom line is the internal construction of the cable does not matter, so long as it meets all the transmission and physical requirements of category 6. The standard does not dictate any particular method of cable construction.

Posted in Cat6 | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

What is the difference between enhanced category 5e cable rated for 400 MHz and category 6 cable rated for 250 MHz?Category 5e requirements are specified up to 100 MHz. Cables can be tested up to any frequency that is supported by the test equipment, but such measurements are meaningless without the context of applications and cabling standards. The category 6 standard sets minimum requirements up to 250 MHz for cables, connecting hardware, patch cords, channels and permanent links, and therefore guarantees reasonable performance that can be utilized by applications.

Posted in Cat6, Cat5E | No Comments »

07/04/2010 by David Slade.

Why do I need all the bandwidth of category 6? As far as I know, there is no application today that requires 200 MHz of bandwidth.

Bandwidth precedes data rates just as highways come before traffic. Doubling the bandwidth is like adding twice the number of lanes on a highway. The trends of the past and the predictions for the future indicate that data rates have been doubling every 18 months. Current applications running at 1 Gb/s are really pushing the limits of category 5e cabling. As streaming media applications such as video and multi-media become commonplace, the demands for faster data rates will increase and spawn new applications that will benefit from the higher bandwidth offered by category 6. This is exactly what happened in the early 90’s when the higher bandwidth of category 5 cabling compared to category 3 caused most LAN applications to choose the better media to allow simpler, cost effective, higher speed LAN applications, such as 100BASE-TX. Note: Bandwidth is defined as the highest frequency up to which positive power sum ACR (Attenuation to Crosstalk Ratio) is greater than zero.

What is the general difference between category 5e and category 6?

The general difference between category 5e and category 6 is in the transmission performance, and extension of the available bandwidth from 100 MHz for category 5e to 200 MHz for category 6. This includes better insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss, and equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT). These improvements provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing higher reliability for current applications and higher data rates for future applications.

Will category 6 supersede category 5e?

Yes, analyst predictions and independent polls indicate that 80 to 90 percent of all new installations will be cabled with category 6. The fact that category 6 link and channel requirements are backward compatible to category 5e makes it very easy for customers to choose category 6 and supersede category 5e in their networks. Applications that worked over category 5e will work over category 6.

What does category 6 do for my current network vs. category 5e?

Because of its improved transmission performance and superior immunity from external noise, systems operating over category 6 cabling will have fewer errors vs. category 5e for current applications. This means fewer re-transmissions of lost or corrupted data packets under certain conditions, which translates into higher reliability for category 6 networks compared to category 5e networks.

When should I recommend or install category 6 vs. category 5e?

From a future proofing perspective, it is always better to install the best cabling available. This is because it is so difficult to replace cabling inside walls, in ducts under floors and other difficult places to access. The rationale is that cabling will last at least 10 years and will support at least four to five generations of equipment during that time. If future equipment running at much higher data rates requires better cabling, it will be very expensive to pull out category 5e cabling at a later time to install category 6 cabling. So why not do it for a premium of about 20 percent over category 5e on an installed basis?

What is the shortest link that the standard will allow?

There is no short length limit. The standard is intended to work for all lengths up to 100 meters. There is a guideline in ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.1 that says the consolidation point should be located at least 15 meters away from the telecommunications room to reduce the effect of connectors in close proximity. This recommendation is based upon worst-case performance calculations for short links with four mated connections in the channel.

What is a “tuned” system between cable and hardware? Is this really needed if product meets the standard?

The word “tuned” has been used by several manufacturers to describe products that deliver headroom to the category 6 standard. This is outside the scope of the category 6 standard. The component requirements of the standard have been carefully designed and analyzed to assure channel compliance and electrical/ mechanical interoperability.

What is impedance matching between cable and hardware? Is this really needed if product meets the standard?

The standard has no impedance matching requirements. These are addressed by having return loss requirements for cables, connectors, and patch cords.

Is there a use for category 6 in the residential market?

Yes, category 6 will be very effective in the residential market to support higher Internet access speeds while facilitating the more stringent Class B EMC requirements (see also the entire FCC Rules and Regulations, Title 47, Part 15). The better balance of category 6 will make it easier to meet the residential EMC requirements compared to category 5e cabling. Also, the growth of streaming media applications to the home will increase the need for higher data rates which are supported more easily and efficiently by category 6 cabling.

Why wouldn’t I skip category 6 and go straight to optical fiber?

You can certainly do that but will find that a fiber system is still very expensive. Ultimately, economics drive customer decisions, and today optical fiber together with optical transceivers is about twice as expensive as an equivalent system built using category 6 and associated copper electronics. Installation of copper cabling is more craft-friendly and can be accomplished with simple tools and techniques. Additionally, copper cabling supports the emerging Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) power standard under development by IEEE (802.3af).

What is meant by the term “Electrically Balanced”?

A simple open wire circuit consisting of two wires is considered to be a uniform, balanced transmission line. A uniform transmission line is one which has substantially identical electrical properties throughout its length, while a balanced transmission line is one whose two conductors are electrically alike and symmetrical with respect to ground and other nearby conductors.* “Electrically balanced” relates to the physical geometry and the dielectric properties of a twisted pair of conductors. If two insulated conductors are physically identical to one another in diameter, concentricity, dielectric material and are uniformly twisted with equal length of conductor, then the pair is electrically balanced with respect to its surroundings. The degree of electrical balance depends on the design and manufacturing process. Category 6 cable requires a greater degree of precision in the manufacturing process. Likewise, a category 6 connector requires a more balanced circuit design. For balanced transmission, an equal voltage of opposite polarity is applied on each conductor of a pair. The electromagnetic fields created by one conductor cancel out the electromagnetic fields created by its “balanced” companion conductor, leading to very little radiation from the balanced twisted pair transmission line. The same concept applies to external noise that is induced on each conductor of a twisted pair. A noise signal from an external source, such as radiation from a radio transmitter antenna generates an equal voltage of the same polarity, or “common mode voltage,” on each conductor of a pair. The difference in voltage between conductors of a pair from this radiated signal, the “differential voltage,” is effectively zero. Since the desired signal on the pair is the differential signal, the interference does not affect balanced transmission. The degree of electrical balance is determined by measuring the “differential voltage” and comparing it to the “common mode voltage” expressed in decibels (dB). This measurement is called Longitudinal Conversion Loss “LCL” in the Category 6 standard. * The ABC’s of the telephone Vol. 7

Posted in near end crosstalk (NEXT), equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT), Cat6, Cat5E, IT Tech explained | No Comments »