If you are planning a structured cabling project, you may see references to standards such as BS EN 50173, ISO/IEC 11801 and BS EN 50174.

To anyone outside the cabling industry, they can look like a collection of numbers that have little relevance to the finished project.

In reality, the principles behind them are fairly straightforward.

They exist to help ensure that cabling infrastructure is designed, installed and tested in a consistent way, performs as expected and can continue to support the organisation for years after the installer has left site.

For a customer, that matters far more than remembering the number of the standard.

So, what do these standards actually mean for your project?

First, what is structured cabling?

Structured cabling is the physical infrastructure that connects technology throughout a building or estate.

It can include copper data cabling, fibre optic backbone links, communications cabinets, patch panels, outlets, containment and associated infrastructure.

Increasingly, the same underlying infrastructure is also supporting far more than desktop computers.

Modern structured cabling can provide connectivity for:

• computers and telephones
• Wi-Fi access points
• CCTV cameras
• access control systems
• building management systems
• AV and meeting room technology
• Internet of Things devices
• other connected building services

That makes the quality of the underlying cabling increasingly important.

A building may replace its laptops, switches, wireless equipment and CCTV cameras several times during the life of its cabling infrastructure.

Getting that infrastructure right at the beginning therefore matters.

What is BS EN 50173?

BS EN 50173 is a series of British Standards covering generic cabling systems.

The important word is generic.

Rather than designing every cable around one particular manufacturer’s equipment, structured cabling creates a standardised infrastructure capable of supporting a range of technologies and applications.

Different parts of the BS EN 50173 series apply to different environments.

For example, there are standards covering general requirements, office spaces, industrial environments, data centres and distributed building services.

For a typical UK commercial office project, the general requirements and office-space standards are likely to be particularly relevant.

But the customer’s main concern does not need to be which paragraph of which standard applies.

The important question is whether the cabling has been properly designed and installed for the environment in which it will operate.

And what is ISO/IEC 11801?

ISO/IEC 11801 is the international family of generic cabling standards.

There is considerable alignment between the international ISO/IEC standards and European and British structured cabling standards.

Again, the underlying principle is straightforward.

A structured cabling system should provide a defined and predictable level of performance rather than relying on somebody simply installing cable and hoping it works.

For customers operating internationally, across multiple sites or within organisations with formal procurement standards, references to ISO/IEC 11801 are particularly common.

What matters is that the infrastructure is being approached systematically.

What does following a cabling standard actually change?

This is where standards stop being paperwork and start affecting the real project.

Cable selection

Not every cable is appropriate for every application.

The correct specification depends on issues including required performance, cable length, environment, future bandwidth requirements and what the infrastructure will be expected to support.

Cat6 may be perfectly appropriate for one project.

Another project may justify Cat6A.

Longer backbone connections or links between buildings may be better served by fibre.

The answer should come from the requirement rather than simply defaulting to the same cable on every project.

Our structured cabling services include both copper and fibre infrastructure, specified according to the environment and operational requirement.

Cable distances

Copper Ethernet cabling cannot simply be extended indefinitely.

Structured cabling standards establish defined channel and permanent-link configurations and performance requirements.

This matters particularly in larger buildings.

It is surprisingly easy for somebody looking at a floor plan to assume that a cable route will be short enough, only to discover that the actual route through risers, containment, corridors and ceiling spaces is considerably longer.

Good cabling design considers the real cable route before installation begins.

Routing and containment

Where cables travel through a building matters.

Data cabling may share ceiling voids and service routes with electrical infrastructure, mechanical services, fire systems and other building technology.

The installation therefore needs to consider appropriate containment, segregation, accessibility and the physical environment.

This is one of the areas where another standards family, BS EN 50174, becomes relevant because it addresses cabling installation specification, planning and installation practices.

For the customer, the practical outcome should be straightforward: infrastructure that is neatly routed, appropriately protected and capable of being maintained.

Cabinets and patching

A beautifully installed cable becomes far less useful if it arrives in a cabinet that is impossible to manage.

Cabinets should be properly planned with appropriate patching, cable management, identification and capacity.

Poor cabinet management can make changes unnecessarily difficult and troubleshooting considerably slower.

Standards-led infrastructure is not simply about whether an individual cable passes a test.

It is about creating an organised system.

Labelling

Labelling might seem like a minor part of a major infrastructure project.

It is not.

Imagine an engineer arriving several years after an installation and finding 300 unlabelled cables.

Every change becomes harder.

Every fault takes longer to investigate.

Every future project starts with somebody trying to understand what the previous installer did.

Clear identification and documentation turn a collection of cables into manageable infrastructure.

Does standards-compliant mean the cabling has been tested?

Testing is one of the most important parts of a professional structured cabling installation.

A cable can look perfect and still have a performance problem.

Correct testing provides evidence that the installed link meets the required performance criteria.

This is why TCNS Cabling places testing, certification and documentation at the centre of our standards and compliance approach.

Rather than simply being told that the installation works, the customer should receive meaningful evidence as part of the project handover.

Depending on the installation, this can include test results, cable identification, as-built information and other supporting documentation.

That becomes particularly important for organisations with internal governance, audit or procurement requirements.

Do the standards tell you which manufacturer to use?

No, and this is one of the strengths of generic structured cabling.

The objective is not to lock an organisation into one particular technology manufacturer.

The standards define infrastructure and performance principles that allow organisations to build cabling capable of supporting different applications and equipment.

That gives customers greater flexibility.

Your cabling infrastructure should ideally outlive individual switches, computers, Wi-Fi access points and other active equipment.

Does meeting a standard automatically mean an installation is good?

Not necessarily.

A standard is not a substitute for good design, competent installation or proper project management.

An installer can use perfectly good components and still create a poor installation through bad routing, poor labelling, inappropriate cabinet design or inadequate planning.

Likewise, a technically sound installation can cause major problems if the contractor does not understand how to work safely within a live environment.

This is why TCNS Cabling combines standards-led installation with qualified engineers, surveys, project planning, testing and documentation.

The objective should not simply be to say that a particular standard has been mentioned on a quotation.

It should be visible in the quality of the finished infrastructure.

What should you ask when comparing cabling quotations?

If you are comparing quotations, price and cable category should not be the only considerations.

Ask the installer:

• What standards will the installation be designed and installed against?
• Why has this particular cable specification been recommended?
• Will every relevant link be tested?
• What test equipment and methodology will be used?
• Will test results be supplied?
• How will cables, outlets and patch panels be labelled?
• What documentation will be provided at handover?
• Has future capacity been considered?
• Who will actually carry out the installation?
• How will the work be managed if the building remains occupied?

Those questions can reveal considerably more about the quality of a proposed installation than comparing the price per network point.

Standards matter most when you need the infrastructure later

The real value of structured cabling standards is often seen years after the original project.

It is when another floor needs to be added.

When the organisation upgrades its Wi-Fi infrastructure.

When additional CCTV cameras are required.

When new door entry and access control systems need network connectivity.

Or simply when an engineer needs to identify a particular connection quickly.

Well-designed, tested and documented infrastructure makes all of these tasks easier.

Poor infrastructure makes every subsequent project more difficult.

The standards do not need to be complicated

Most customers do not need to become experts in BS EN 50173 or ISO/IEC 11801.

That is the installer’s job.

What customers should expect is an infrastructure partner who understands the standards and can translate them into sensible decisions about design, cable selection, routes, containment, testing, labelling and documentation.

At TCNS Cabling, our approach is based around delivering infrastructure properly rather than simply getting cables from one end of a building to the other.

If you are planning a new installation, expansion or refurbishment, our team can help assess the existing environment and recommend an infrastructure approach appropriate for both your current requirements and what the building may need in the future.