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Telecom / Modular (Premise Wiring) Tutorial

What is Premise Wiring?
Premise Wiring is the cabling, connectors and accessories that are used to connect LAN (Local Area Network) and phone equipment inside a commercial building.

How is Premise Wiring used?
Premise Wiring is made up of vertical and horizontal cable runs from a central location throughout buildings to individual desktops.

Premise Wiring Terms

Backbone Wiring: The cabling used between telecommunication closets, entrance facilities, equipment rooms or buildings.
Category 5E/6: The standard unshielded twisted pair cabling used for LAN drops.
Conduit: Circular raceway that cable is run inside of. Conduit requirements are specified under appropriate electrical codes.
Cross Connect: The connection method used between permanent cabling (inside the walls) and equipment. A patch cord is often used as the connection means.
Demarcation Point: The point at which operational control changes. For example, where the phone company’s responsibility ends and the building owner’s begins.
Drop: Slang term used for each cabling span pulled from a telecommunications closet.
Equipment Room: The space dedicated to telecommunications equipment.
Horizontal Wiring: The span of cabling and connectors between the wiring closet and each drop. It is called horizontal because this type of wiring does not go up or down floors of a building.
Insulation Displacement Contact (IDC): A means of terminating wires without the need of stripping down to the bare wire.
Jumper: Single twisted pairs used for cross connecting between 66, 110, or Krone blocks.
Modular Jack: The female connector used at the end of each horizontal cabling drop. Usually modular jacks utilize a 6 or 8 contact modular plug on the patching side and a 110, Krone, or other Insulation Displacement connection method (on the permanent horizontal wiring side).
Modular Plug: The male connector usually found at the end of a patch cord.
Patch Cord: A cable assembly with modular plugs on each end. Used for patching equipment to the patch panel in the equipment room and also used to connect to phones and computers at the drop.
Patch Panel: The common cross connect method used inside an equipment room. Typical Patch Panels utilize 110 or Krone connectors on the rear to connect to the horizontal cabling and modular jacks on the front to connect to equipment via patch cords.
Star Topology: The topology where wiring stems from one central point.
Telecommunications Closet: Enclosed space for containing telecommunications equipment, cable terminations and cross connects.
Work Area: Building space where occupants utilize telecommunications equipment.