What is BS EN 50173-4 - Information technology about?
BS EN 50173 is a series on information technology. Information technology is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of electronic data and information. BS EN 50173-4 specifies generic cabling for homes. A home can contain one or more buildings or can be within a building that contains more than one home. BS EN 50173-4 covers balanced cabling, optical fibre cabling, and coaxial cabling. BS EN 50173-4 specifies generic cabling for two groups of applications:
- Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)
- Broadcast and Communications Technologies (BCT)
BS EN 50173-4 specifies directly or via reference to EN 50173-1 the:
- Structure and minimum configuration for generic cabling within homes
- Interfaces at the telecommunications outlet (to) and broadcast outlet (bo)
- Performance requirements for cabling links and channels
- Implementation requirements and options
- Performance requirements for cabling components
- Conformance requirements and verification procedures
BS EN 50173-4 has considered requirements specified in application standards listed in EN 50173-1.
Note: Safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements are outside the scope of BS EN 50173-4 and are covered by other standards and regulations. However, the information given in this standard can be of assistance in meeting these standards and regulations.
Who is BS EN 50173-4 - Information technology for?
BS EN 50173-4 on information technology is useful for:
- Telecommunication sector
- Telecommunication wiring and cabling manufacturers
- Telecommunication cabling installers
- Design engineers
- Quality control personnel
Why should you use BS EN 50173-4 - Information technology?
Information technology is typically used within the context of business operations as opposed to personal or entertainment technologies. The importance of cabling infrastructure is similar to that of other fundamental utilities such as water and energy supply and interruptions to the services provided over that infrastructure can have a serious impact. A lack of design foresight, the use of inappropriate components, incorrect installation, poor administration, or inadequate support can threaten the quality of service and have commercial consequences for all types of users. BS EN 50173-4 specifies generic cabling within a single home. The home can contain one or more buildings or can be within a building that contains more than one home (e.g., one home in a multi-dwelling building). The campus or backbone cabling connecting individual homes within multi-tenant premises is specified according to the BS EN 50173-4.
The generic cabling specified by BS EN 50173-4 provides users with an application-independent system capable of supporting a wide range of applications in a range of installation and operating environments, a flexible scheme such that modifications are both easy and economical and a multi-vendor supply chain within an open market for cabling components. In addition, BS EN 50173-4 provides relevant industry professionals with guidance allowing the accommodation of cabling before specific requirements are known i.e., in the initial planning either for construction or refurbishment and for further deployment as the requirements of areas is defined and industry and standardization bodies with a cabling system that supports current products and provides a basis for future product development and applications standardization. Using BS EN 50173-4 you can specify generic cabling for homes.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 50173-4:2018 supersedes BS EN 50173-4:2007+A2:2012. BS EN 50173-4:2018 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN 50173-4:2007+A2:2012. These include:
- Introduces new components 8.1 and 8.2 for balanced cabling to support new channel Classes I and II as well as optical fibre cabling (OM5) as defined in EN 50173-1:2018
- Revises the functional elements in Clause 4
- Clarifies the relation of generic home cabling systems to the network access cabling subsystem in Clause 4
- Introduces relevant design objectives for home cabling systems
- Introduces cable sharing requirements
