I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would like
to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling myself.

The space is open plan, with some heavy duty plastic trunking around the
edge that carries the mains wiring. The are numerous 13amp sockets flush
mounted on the ducting.

I'd like to run the network cables through the same trunking, and mount
the network sockets on it as well.

I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me (or point me to somewhere I
could find out)...

1/ Do I have to maintain any physical separation between the main wiring
and the low voltage network wiring.

2/ Should I be using a particular type of cable (I've found low smoke,
zero halogen Cat5 cabling on screw fix - its more than 3 times the price
of basic Cat5 cabling).

3/ Is there anything else I should be concerned about. I've done bits
and pieces of network wiring over the years with no problems. I'm just a
little worried about contravening one or more of the many building regs
we seem to have these days.

Thanks

B.

buzzbomb wrote:
I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would like
to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling myself.

Sorry for stating the obvious but why not save even more money and go
wireless?

On Wed, 26 Oct 2005 16:58:19 GMT,it is alleged that buzzbomb
d spake thusly in
uk.d-i-y:

I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would like
to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling myself.

The space is open plan, with some heavy duty plastic trunking around the
edge that carries the mains wiring. The are numerous 13amp sockets flush
mounted on the ducting.

I'd like to run the network cables through the same trunking, and mount
the network sockets on it as well.

I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me (or point me to somewhere I
could find out)...

1/ Do I have to maintain any physical separation between the main wiring
and the low voltage network wiring.

2/ Should I be using a particular type of cable (I've found low smoke,
zero halogen Cat5 cabling on screw fix - its more than 3 times the price
of basic Cat5 cabling).

3/ Is there anything else I should be concerned about. I've done bits
and pieces of network wiring over the years with no problems. I'm just a
little worried about contravening one or more of the many building regs
we seem to have these days.

Thanks

B.

Not sure about the building regs and LSF Low halogen cable
requirements, but usually that kind of 'skirting' or 'dado' trunking
has a separate compartment for comms wiring, sometimes even 2 (top and
bottom). If you remove one of the cover sections you should see if
this is the case. It's definitely good practice to keep mains
separated from comms wiring in trunking like that.

For what it's worth (not much as the info is 10yrs+ out of date, we
used to install normal PVC wiring in that trunking and it complied in
95. YMMV these days though, especially with cat5's internal insulation
sometimes being polyethylene [and thus flammable].

--
There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what
the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be
replaced by something even more bizarrely inexeplicable. There is another
theory which states that this has already happened.

shaun wrote:
buzzbomb wrote:
I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would like
to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling myself.

Sorry for stating the obvious but why not save even more money and go
wireless?


Not an unreasonable question.... a couple of not unreasonable answers...

1/ You don't put servers on wireless, well you don't if you want decent
performance.
2/ Not all our kit is capable of wireless.
3/ The network does include a wireless access point for a couple of laptops

B.

In article ,
lid says...
I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would like
to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling myself.

The space is open plan, with some heavy duty plastic trunking around the
edge that carries the mains wiring. The are numerous 13amp sockets flush
mounted on the ducting.

I'd like to run the network cables through the same trunking, and mount
the network sockets on it as well.

You're not supposed to run data cables close/parallel to power cables.
If the office has a suspended ceiling you could just run long patch
cables over it (avoiding cables to lighting) and let them dangle.

On or around Wed, 26 Oct 2005 16:58:19 GMT, buzzbomb
d mused:

I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would like
to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling myself.

I like going to sort jobs out where customers wanted to 'save some
money'. The job usually looks like it's been installed by an idiot and
invariably gets laughed at by me.

The bitter taste of poor quality lingers on long after the sweet taste
of a cheap deal.

The space is open plan, with some heavy duty plastic trunking around the
edge that carries the mains wiring. The are numerous 13amp sockets flush
mounted on the ducting.

Picture?

I'd like to run the network cables through the same trunking, and mount
the network sockets on it as well.

Depends what it is exactly. A picture could help, or it may not. If
you remove some of the lid the manufacturer and \ or part number could
be stamped in the base. You'll want to get boxes to match the trunking
as you don't just use normal boxes with dado trunking (assumin that's
what it is).

I'd be grateful if anyone could tell me (or point me to somewhere I
could find out)...

Your new office.

1/ Do I have to maintain any physical separation between the main wiring
and the low voltage network wiring.

Yes.

2/ Should I be using a particular type of cable (I've found low smoke,
zero halogen Cat5 cabling on screw fix - its more than 3 times the price
of basic Cat5 cabling).

Depends.

3/ Is there anything else I should be concerned about. I've done bits
and pieces of network wiring over the years with no problems. I'm just a
little worried about contravening one or more of the many building regs
we seem to have these days.

Leave it to someone who knows about these things.
--
| Stuart @ SJW Electrical. Please Reply to group. |

"shaun" wrote in message
...
buzzbomb wrote:
I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would
like
to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling
myself.

Sorry for stating the obvious but why not save even more money and
go
wireless?


Security might be one very good reason, then there is cost, assuming
that the OP already owns most of his own hardware (such as routers
and switches etc.), cat5 cable is cheap providing it's bought from
the right places.

On or around Wed, 26 Oct 2005 20:22:59 +0100, Rob Morley
mused:

You're not supposed to run data cables close/parallel to power cables.
If the office has a suspended ceiling you could just run long patch
cables over it (avoiding cables to lighting) and let them dangle.

Bugger, better go and rip out those thousands of miles of cat5's I've
put in in segregated dado trunking in close proximity and parallel to
power then.
--
| Stuart @ SJW Electrical. Please Reply to group. |

buzzbomb wrote:
shaun wrote:
buzzbomb wrote:
I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would
like to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling
myself.

Sorry for stating the obvious but why not save even more money and go
wireless?

Not an unreasonable question.... a couple of not unreasonable
answers...

1/ You don't put servers on wireless, well you don't if you want
decent performance.
2/ Not all our kit is capable of wireless.
3/ The network does include a wireless access point for a couple of
laptops

Good answers ;-)

"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
snip
You're not supposed to run data cables close/parallel to power
cables.
If the office has a suspended ceiling you could just run long patch
cables over it (avoiding cables to lighting) and let them dangle.

AIUI you shouldn't run data and power cables together, both for safe
separation and possible cross-talk reasons, but you can run them
within the same trunking if they are physically separated. See (mind
any line wrapping);
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...ing/index.html

:::Jerry:::: wrote:
"shaun" wrote in message
...
buzzbomb wrote:
I'm going to be moving into a rented office space soon, and would
like to save some money by putting in the network (Cat5) cabling
myself.

Sorry for stating the obvious but why not save even more money and go
wireless?

Security might be one very good reason, then there is cost, assuming
that the OP already owns most of his own hardware (such as routers
and switches etc.), cat5 cable is cheap providing it's bought from
the right places.

Cable is indeed cheap.

Running and terminating it correctly (with patchbays and wall cabs etc) is
not so cheap.

":::Jerry::::" wrote in message
eenews.net...

"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
snip
You're not supposed to run data cables close/parallel to power
cables.
If the office has a suspended ceiling you could just run long patch
cables over it (avoiding cables to lighting) and let them dangle.

AIUI you shouldn't run data and power cables together, both for safe
separation and possible cross-talk reasons, but you can run them
within the same trunking if they are physically separated. See (mind
any line wrapping);
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Ind...ing/index.html



I think you will find the rules for crosstalk aren't for TP Ethernet but for
things like rs232, etc.
You don't get problems even if you run the cat5 ontop of the mains.

The separation for safety reasons is another matter.
There is small chance that mains could get onto the cat5 and then into the
equipment.
To do this would require the insulation to fail on the mains cable and on
the cat5e and a fault to occur in the isolation transformers in the NIC.
A fairly unlikely chain of events.. I doubt if the extra separation provided
by the trunking will actually make any difference in practice.
However rules are rules and best not broken if you don't understand them.

"Lurch" wrote in message
...

I like going to sort jobs out where customers wanted to 'save some
money'. The job usually looks like it's been installed by an idiot and
invariably gets laughed at by me.

The bitter taste of poor quality lingers on long after the sweet taste
of a cheap deal.

Moderated by the fact that tight control of costs is one of the things that
separates successful small businesses from failed ones. I don't suppose you
laugh at the customers who go bust owing you money...

I'm surprised no-one's advocated 'stand the hub/switch on top of the server
and run the whole lot in pre-wired patch cable thrown on the floor behind
the desks', which is a pretty common solution, very cheap and less of a
cause of problems than crap fixed installations, IME.

Will

On or around Wed, 26 Oct 2005 23:42:44 +0100, "Will Dean"
mused:

I like going to sort jobs out where customers wanted to 'save some
money'. The job usually looks like it's been installed by an idiot and
invariably gets laughed at by me.

The bitter taste of poor quality lingers on long after the sweet taste
of a cheap deal.

Moderated by the fact that tight control of costs is one of the things that
separates successful small businesses from failed ones. I don't suppose you
laugh at the customers who go bust owing you money...

I'm going to have to come back to that one, it doesn't seem to make
sense to me.

Thanks for your concern anyway.
--
| Stuart @ SJW Electrical. Please Reply to group. |

"Will Dean" wrote in message
.. .

I'm surprised no-one's advocated 'stand the hub/switch on top of the
server and run the whole lot in pre-wired patch cable thrown on the floor
behind the desks', which is a pretty common solution, very cheap and less
of a cause of problems than crap fixed installations, IME.

I did the whole of a stand at CeBit like that when I got there with the kit
and discovered none of the stuff installed actually worked.
(I liked the German electricians attitude to mains extensions.
"If you can hold the lead it isn't overloaded".) ;-)



Trunking stuck to the wall with doublesided tape springs to mind.

1/ Do I have to maintain any physical separation between the main wiring
and the low voltage network wiring.

Basically yes.

LV mains cabling (i.e. standard 230V stuff) must be separated from extra low
voltage comms cabling by either:

(a) 5cm
(b) Physical barrier
(c) Comms cable with mains quality insulation/sheathing

(b) is the usual method, especially if your trunking has a separate
compartment for it.

(c) is normally impossible to find for data cabling, although you can use
multicore mains cable for some applications, such as intruder alarms, to
avoid the need to separate physically.

Christian.

In article ,
says...
On or around Wed, 26 Oct 2005 20:22:59 +0100, Rob Morley
mused:

You're not supposed to run data cables close/parallel to power cables.
If the office has a suspended ceiling you could just run long patch
cables over it (avoiding cables to lighting) and let them dangle.

Bugger, better go and rip out those thousands of miles of cat5's I've
put in in segregated dado trunking in close proximity and parallel to
power then.

Better had then :-)