Home » Telecommunications Consulting & Cost Reduction Services » A Typical Commercial Network Wiring System

The structure of network wiring (shown in blue on the right side of the building in this example) is similar to that of electrical wiring (shown in red on the left).
Click on any of the letters between A and F for a description.

A. Though data typically flows between buildings via fiber optic cable rather than copper cable, inter-building network cabling can be direct-buried, run underground through conduit, or carried above ground by utility poles — just like power cabling. Underground interconnect points for fiber cabling can be made accessible using manholes. You’ll find a full range
of P&S FiberSmart™ fiber optic products.

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B. Public and private network services entering the building are distributed vertically through backbone cabling.

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C. On each floor, a telecommunications room provides a connection point between vertical cabling and dedicated cables running to each workstation. Workstation cables, which can be either copper or fiber, connect to either hubs or patch panels. You’ll see patch panels for copper cabling and interconnect centers for fiber optic cabling

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D. The first floor of this building is an open office plan, with workstations located along walls. Cable runs from rack-mounted patch panels in the telecommunications room above a dropped ceiling, then through raceways to modular inserts. In this example, power and network wiring are sharing a raceway system. If wall cavity wiring is practical, standard electrical wiring boxes may be used with wall plate mounted jack modules

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E. The second floor has offices comprised of movable partitions. Because this space will be
rearranged frequently, cables run from workstation outlets to consolidation points rather than directly to the telecommunications room. This permits easier, less-costly cable reconfiguration.

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F. Because the third floor is devoted primarily to a video-conferencing meeting space, few workstation jacks are required. An economical wall mounted patch panel is sufficient to meet telecommunications room needs.

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