EN 50173-4:2007

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-januar-2008
Informacijska tehnologija - Univerzalni sistemi pokabljenja - 4. del: Bivalni prostori
Information technology - Generic cabling systems -- Part 4: Homes
Informationstechnik - Anwendungsneutrale Kommunikationskabelanlagen -- Teil 4:
Wohnungen
Technologies de l'information - Systèmes de câblage générique -- Partie 4: Locaux
d'habitation
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 50173-4:2007
ICS:
33.040.50 Vodi, zveze in tokokrogi Lines, connections and
circuits
35.110 Omreževanje Networking
91.140.50 Sistemi za oskrbo z elektriko Electricity supply systems
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN 50173-4
NORME EUROPÉENNE
May 2007
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 33.040.50
English version
Information technology -
Generic cabling systems -
Part 4: Homes
Technologies de l'information -  Informationstechnik -
Systèmes de câblage générique - Anwendungsneutrale
Partie 4: Locaux d'habitation Kommunikationskabelanlagen -
Teil 4: Wohnungen
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2007-04-11. CENELEC members are bound to
comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on
application to the Central Secretariat or to any CENELEC member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and
notified to the Central Secretariat has the same status as the official versions.

CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

CENELEC
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung

Central Secretariat: rue de Stassart 35, B - 1050 Brussels

© 2007 CENELEC - All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC members.
Ref. No. EN 50173-4:2007 E
Foreword
This European Standard was prepared by the Technical Committee CENELEC TC 215, Electrotechnical
aspects of telecommunication equipment, in cooperation with the Technical Committee CENELEC TC 209,
Cable networks for television signals, sound signals and interactive services.
The text of the draft was submitted to the formal vote and was approved by CENELEC as EN 50173-4 on
2007-04-11.
The following dates were fixed:
– latest date by which the EN has to be implemented
at national level by publication of an identical
national standard or by endorsement (dop) 2008-05-01
– latest date by which the national standards conflicting
with the EN have to be withdrawn (dow) 2010-05-01
The European Standards EN 50173:1995 and EN 50173-1:2002 have been developed to enable the
application-independent cabling to support ICT applications in office premises. Their basic principles,
however, are applicable to other types of applications and in other types of premises.
TC 215 has decided to establish relevant European Standards which address the specific requirements of
these premises. In order to point out the commonalities of these cabling design standards, these EN are
published as individual parts of the series EN 50173, thus also acknowledging that standards users recognize
the designation “EN 50173” as a synonym for generic cabling design.
At the time of publication of this European Standard, series EN 50173 comprises the following standards:
EN 50173-1 Information technology – Generic cabling systems – Part 1: General requirements
EN 50173-2 Information technology – Generic cabling systems – Part 2: Office premises
EN 50173-3 Information technology – Generic cabling systems – Part 3: Industrial premises
EN 50173-4 Information technology – Generic cabling systems – Part 4: Homes
EN 50173-5 Information technology – Generic cabling systems – Part 5: Data centres
This standard, EN 50173-4, is based upon but is not identical to ISO/IEC 15018:2004, Information
technology - Generic cabling for homes.

– 3 – EN 50173-4:2007
Contents
Introduction . 6
1 Scope and conformance. 10
1.1 Scope. 10
1.2 Conformance. 10
2 Normative references. 11
3 Definitions and abbreviations. 12
3.1 Definitions . 12
3.2 Abbreviations . 13
4 Structure of the generic cabling system to support ICT and/or BCT applications in homes. 14
4.1 General . 14
4.2 Functional elements . 14
4.3 General structure and hierarchy for ICT and BCT cabling. 14
4.4 Cabling subsystems for ICT and BCT applications . 16
4.5 Accommodation of functional elements . 16
4.6 Interfaces . 17
4.7 Dimensioning and configuring . 19
5 Cabling structure to support CCCB applications in homes . 23
5.1 General . 23
5.2 Functional elements . 23
5.3 Cabling structure for CCCB applications. 23
5.4 Cabling subsystems for CCCB applications. 25
5.5 Accommodation of functional elements . 25
5.6 Interfaces . 25
5.7 Dimensioning and configuring . 27
6 Channel performance in homes . 29
6.1 General . 29
6.2 Environmental performance. 29
6.3 Transmission performance . 29
7 Reference implementations in homes . 33
7.1 General . 33
7.2 Dimensions for ICT and BCT channels. 34
7.3 Dimensions for CCCB channels . 35

8 Cable requirements in homes.36
8.1 General . 36
8.2 Balanced cables . 36
8.3 Coaxial cables. 36
9 Connecting hardware requirements in homes . 37
9.1 General requirements. 37
9.2 ICT connecting hardware . 37
9.3 BCT connecting hardware . 37
9.4 CCCB connecting hardware . 38
10 Requirements for cords and jumpers . 38
Annex A (normative) Link performance limits . 39
Annex B (informative) Applications and Associated Cabling . 40
Annex C (informative) Application-specific BCT outlets and baluns . 42
Annex D (informative) Application-specific networks for audio/video applications . 43
Bibliography . 44
Figures
Figure 1 - Schematic relationship between the EN 50173 series and other relevant standards .7
Figure 2 – Schematic of generic cabling within homes .9
Figure 3 - Structure of the generic cabling system in homes.15
Figure 4 - Hierarchical structure of a generic cabling system in support of ICT and BCT applications .15
Figure 5 - Equipment and test interfaces in support of ICT and BCT applications.17
Figure 6 - Channels and permanent links within the home.18
Figure 7 - Examples of interconnection of home and network access cabling.20
Figure 8 – Interconnection of home cabling .22
Figure 9 - Structure of the generic cabling system in support of CCCB applications .24
Figure 10 - Hierarchical structure of a generic cabling system in support of CCCB applications.24
Figure 11 - Equipment and test interfaces in support of CCCB applications .26
Figure 12 - Channels and permanent links for CCCB cabling .27
Figure 13 - Reference implementations for ICT and BCT channels (HD/SHD - TO/BO) .34
Figure 14 - Reference implementations for CCCB channels with HD or SHD .35
Figure 15 - Reference implementations for CCCB channels with HD and SHD .35
Figure 16 - Conductor assignment of EN 61169-2 (Type 9,52) and EN 61169-24 (Type F) .38

– 5 – EN 50173-4:2007
Tables
Table 1 - Contextual relationship between EN 50173 series and other standards relevant for information
technology cabling systems.8
Table 2 - Maximum channel lengths for reference implementations of ICT and BCT channels .19
Table 3 - Different channels and their potential use.30
Table 4 - BCT channel levels.32
Table 5 - Channel length equations .33
Table B.1 - Grouping of applications and cabling.40
Table B.2 - Characteristics of ICT, BCT and CCCB Cabling .41

Introduction
This European Standard specifies generic cabling in homes, installed to support one or more of the following
groups of applications and based upon balanced and coaxial cabling as appropriate:
• Information and Communications Technologies (ICT);
• Broadcast and Communications Technologies (BCT);
• Commands, Controls and Communications in Buildings (CCCB).
Other cabling media, used for the above applications, are not covered in this standard.
Backbone cabling connecting individual homes within single premises is built according to the relevant
standard (EN 50173-1, EN 50083 series).
Generic cabling realised according to this standard:
i) allows deployment of a wide range of applications without changes to the fixed cabling infrastructure;
ii) provides a platform to support moves, adds and changes of connectivity.
This European Standard, EN 50173-4, has been prepared to reflect the demands of generic cabling within
homes and provides for each group of applications (ICT, BCT and CCCB):
a) users with an application-independent generic cabling system;
b) users with a flexible cabling scheme such that changes are both easy and economical;
c) building professionals (for example, architects) with guidance for the design and dimensioning of home
cabling according to the end-user needs or requirements (expressed or assumed);
d) industry and applications standardisation bodies (e.g. ITU-T, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 6, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 25/WG1,
IEC/TC 100, CLC/TC 205, CLC/TC 209, ETSI) with a cabling system that supports current products and
provides a basis for future product development in application standardization;
e) users, designers, and manufacturers of application-specific cabling systems with advice on interfacing to
this generic cabling;
f) suppliers of cabling components and installers of cabling with relevant requirements;
g) service providers with a distribution system for their services.
This European Standard specifies multi-vendor cabling, and is related to:
- the associated standard covering general requirements for generic cabling within premises (EN 50173-1);
- standards for cabling components developed by Technical Committees of CENELEC and/or IEC;
- standards for the quality assurance and installation of information technology cabling (series EN 50174)
and testing of installed cabling (EN 50346);
- applications developed by the technical bodies of IEC (including the subcommittees of ISO/IEC JTC 1),
CENELEC and study groups of ITU-T.
A number of ICT, BCT and CCCB applications have been analysed to determine the requirements for a
generic cabling (see EN 50173-1:2007, Annex F) and to specify the minimum performance of channels given
in Clause 6. These requirements, together with the logical and physical models described in Clauses 4 and 5,
have been used to develop the transmission requirements for cabling components and to stipulate their
arrangement into generic cabling systems.

– 7 – EN 50173-4:2007
Figure 1 and Table 1 show the schematic and contextual relationships between the standards produced by
TC 215 for information technology cabling, namely
1) this and other parts of the EN 50173 series;
2) application dependent cabling design (e.g. EN 50098 series);
3) installation (EN 50174 series);
4) testing of installed cabling (EN 50346);
5) equipotential bonding requirements (EN 50310).
Figure 2 indicates the multi-layer approach specified in this standard in order to deliver ICT, BCT and CCCB
applications within homes.
ENEN 500 50098-98-1:1: CCuuststomomerer pr prememiisseses EENN 50173-50173-2:2: I Innffoorrmmatatiion ton teecchnolhnology -ogy -
cablcabliing fng foorr i innffoorrmmatatiion on tteecchhnnoollogy -ogy - GGenereneriicc c cablabliing ng -- OOffffiicce pre prememiisseses
IISSDDNN basi basicc accesaccesss
ENEN 50173-50173-3:3: I Innffoorrmmatatiion ton teechnolchnologyogy - -
EENN 50098-50098-2:2: C Cuuststomomerer pr prememiisses es GGenereneriicc cabl cabliing ng -- IIndustndustrriiaall prprememiisseses
ENEN 50173- 50173-1:1: I Innffoorrmmatatiion on tteechnolchnologyogy --
cablcabliing fng foorr i innffoorrmmatatiion on tteechnolchnology -ogy -
ENEN 50173- 50173-4:4: IInnffoorrmmatatiion ton teechnolchnology ogy -- GGenereneriicc cabl cabliing ng -- GGenereneralal r requiequirreemmententss
2048 2048 kbikbitt//ss I ISSDDNN pr priimmararyy ac access and cess and
GGenereneriicc c cablabliing -ng - HHomomeses
lleaseased led liine netne netwwoorrkk i inntteerrffacacee
ENEN 50173- 50173-5:5: IInnffoorrmmatatiion ton teechnolchnology ogy --
GGenereneriicc cabl cabliing -ng - DDatata a centcentrreess
ENEN 50174- 50174-1:1: IInnffoorrmmaattiion ton teechchnolnology ogy --
CCablabliing ing innssttalalllaattiion on -- SSpecpeciiffiiccatatiion and on and
qualqualiittyy assur assuranceance
EENN 50174-50174-2:2: I Innffoorrmmatatiion ton teecchnolhnology -ogy - ENEN 50310: 50310: Appl Appliiccatatiion ofon of eqequiuipotpotententiiaall
CCablabliing ing innssttalalllaattiion on -- IInstnstaallllatatiion on bondibonding and ng and eareartthhiinngg iin buin buillddiings wngs wiitthh
plplannianning anng and prd practactiicesces iinnsiside de buibuillddiingsngs iinnffoorrmmatatiion ton teechnolchnology ogy equiequipmpmentent
EENN 50174-50174-3:3: I Innffoorrmmatatiion ton teecchnolhnology -ogy -
CCablabliing ing innssttalalllaattiion on -- IInstnstaallllatatiion on
plplannianning anng and prd practactiicesces outoutsiside de buibuillddiingsngs
ENEN 50346:50346: I Innffoorrmmatatiion ton teechnolchnologyogy - -
CCablabliing ing innssttalalllaattiion on --
TestTestiing ofng of i innststalallled ed cablcabliinngg

NOTE For the purposes of the standards in the EN 50173 and EN 50174 series the term “information technology” includes ICT, BCT
and CCCB applications.
Figure 1 - Schematic relationship between the EN 50173 series and other relevant standards

Table 1 - Contextual relationship between EN 50173 series and other standards relevant for information
technology cabling systems
Specification phase Installation phase Operation phase
Building design Generic cabling
phase design phase
EN 50310 EN 50173 series EN 50174-1 EN 50174-1
except
EN 50173-4
5.2: Common bonding 4: Structure 4 Requirements for 5: Requirements for
network (CBN) within installers premises owners
5: Channel
a building
performance 5: Requirements for
6.3: AC distribution premises owners
7: Cable requirements
system and bonding
of the protective
8: Connecting
conductor (TN-S)
hardware
requirements
9: Requirements for
cords and jumpers
A: Link performance
limits
Planning phase
and
EN 50173-4 EN 50174-2 EN 50174-2
4 and 5: Structure 5: Requirements for 4: Requirements for
planning installations installers of
6: Channel
of information information
performance
technology cabling technology cabling
8: Cable requirements
6: Segregation of 6: Segregation of
metallic information metallic information
9: Connecting
technology and mains technology and mains
hardware
power cabling power cabling
requirements
7: Additional
10: Requirements for
considerations
cords and jumpers
A: Link performance
limits
and and
EN 50174-3 EN 50174-3
and and
(for equipotential (for equipotential
bonding) bonding)
EN 50310 EN 50310
5.2: Common bonding 5.2: Common bonding
network (CBN) within network (CBN) within
a building a building
6.3: AC distribution 6.3: AC distribution
system and bonding system and bonding
of the protective of the protective
conductor (TN-S) conductor (TN-S)
and
EN 50346
4: General
requirements
5: Test parameters for
balanced cabling
6: Test parameters for
optical fibre cabling
– 9 – EN 50173-4:2007
CO CO
CCCB applications ACP
CO CO
CO
CO
SHD
BCT applications
BO
ICT applications
TO
CO CO CO
CO
ACP
CO
BEF
ICT/BCT/CCCB
MATO
applications
HD
External network
Figure 2 – Schematic of generic cabling within homes

1 Scope and conformance
1.1 Scope
This European Standard specifies generic cabling in homes, installed to support one or more of the following
groups of applications and based upon balanced and coaxial cabling as appropriate:
1) Information and Communications Technologies (ICT);
2) Broadcast and Communications Technologies (BCT);
3) Commands, Controls and Communications in Buildings (CCCB).
A home may contain one or more buildings or may be within a building that contains more than one home.
This European Standard is based upon and references the requirements of EN 50173-1. In addition to the
requirements of EN 50173-1, this European Standard specifies the following aspects of generic home
cabling:
a) structure and topology;
b) minimum configuration;
1)
c) performance requirements for permanent links and channels ;
d) density and location of connection points;
e) interfaces to application-specific equipment and external networks;
f) coexistence with other building services.
Safety (electrical safety and protection, optical power, fire, etc.) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
requirements are outside the scope of this European Standard and are covered by other standards and
regulations. However, information given in this European Standard may be of assistance in meeting these
standards and regulations.
NOTE 1 National regulations and local codes may preclude carrying certain services on the cabling specified in this standard.
NOTE 2 Test requirements in this standard are for system designers.
NOTE 3 The installation tests should be decided between supplier and customer or according to the relevant installation guide.
NOTE 4 Audio/video applications are traditionally supported by application-specific cabling implemented with cabling systems based
on EN 50083 (see Annex D). Such cabling systems may co-exist with generic cabling specified by this European Standard.
1.2 Conformance
For a cabling system to conform to this European Standard:
a) the cabling shall support ICT applications;
b) the structure and configuration of cabling in support of ICT and BCT applications shall conform to the
requirements of Clause 4;
c) the structure and configuration of cabling in support of CCCB applications shall conform to the
requirements of Clause 5;
d) the interfaces to the cabling at the Multi-Application Telecommunications Outlet (MATO),
Telecommunications Outlet (TO) and the Broadcast Outlet (BO) shall conform to the requirements of
Clause 9 with respect to mating interfaces and performance;
e) connecting hardware at other places in the cabling structure shall meet the performance requirements
specified in Clause 9;
———————
1)
This term, as defined in EN 50173-1, refers to the passive cabling between the interfaces described in Clauses 4 and 5. Differing
definitions of the term “channel” as given in other standards are not applicable in this European Standard.

– 11 – EN 50173-4:2007
f) the performance of channels shall conform to the requirements of Clause 6. This shall be achieved by
one of the following:
- a channel design and implementation ensuring that the prescribed channel performance Class of
Clause 6 is met;
- attachment of appropriate components to a link design meeting the prescribed performance Class of
Annex A. Channel performance shall be assured where a channel is created by adding more than
one cord to either end of a link meeting the requirements of Annex A;
- using the reference implementations of Clause 7 and compatible cabling components conforming to
the requirements of Clauses 8, 9 and 10 based upon a statistical approach of performance modelling.
g) local regulations concerning safety shall be met.
In addition the following requirements of the EN 50174 series of standards shall be met:
h) installation specification and quality planning to address:
- the test parameters to be measured;
- the sampling levels to be applied;
- the treatment of channels or links which fail to meet requirements or for which test results lie within
the relevant measurement accuracy;
i) administration;
j) installation.
Test methods to verify conformance with the channel and link requirements of Clause 6 and Annex A
respectively are specified in EN 50346. Neither this standard nor EN 50174-1 specifies the test and sampling
levels to be adopted.
Specifications marked "ffs" (for further study) in this standard as well as in EN 50173-1 are preliminary and
are not required for conformance to this European Standard.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 50083-7, Cable networks for television signals, sound signals and interactive services - Part 7: System
performance
NOTE EN 50083-7 will be superseded by EN 60728-1 (in preparation).
EN 50173-1:2007, Information technology – Generic cabling systems – Part 1: General requirements
EN 50174-1, Information technology – Cabling installation – Part 1: Specification and quality assurance
EN 50174-2, Information technology – Cabling installation – Part 2: Installation planning and practices inside
buildings
EN 50174-3, Information technology – Cabling installation – Part 3: Installation planning and practices outside
buildings
EN 60603-7-7, Connectors for electronic equipment – Part 7-7: Detail specification for 8-way, shielded, free
and fixed connectors, for data transmission with frequencies up to 600 MHz (IEC 60603-7-7:2006)

EN 61076-3-104, Connectors for electronic equipment – Product requirements - Part 3-104: Detail
specification for 8-way, shielded free and fixed connectors, for data transmissions with frequencies up to
1 000 MHz (IEC 61076-3-104:2006)
EN 61076-3-106:2006, Connectors for electronic equipment - Product requirements - Part 3-106: Rectangular
connectors - Detail specification for protective housings for use with 8-way shielded and unshielded
connectors for industrial environments incorporating the IEC 60603-7 series interface
(IEC 61076-3-106:2006)
EN 61169-2, Radio-frequency connectors – Part 2: Sectional specification – Radio frequency coaxial
connectors of type 9,52 (IEC 61169-2:2001)
EN 61169-24, Radio-frequency connectors – Part 24: Sectional specification – Radio frequency coaxial
connectors with screw coupling, typically for use in 75 ohm cable distribution systems (type F)
(IEC 61169-24:2001)
3 Definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
For the purposes of this European Standard, the following definitions apply in addition to those of
EN 50173-1.
3.1.1
application outlet
a point at which equipment is connected to the generic cabling in support of ICT and/or BCT application
3.1.2
area connection point (ACP)
a point at which CCCB coverage area cabling is connected to area feeder cabling
3.1.3
area feeder cable
CCCB cable connecting the home distributor (or secondary home distributor, if present) to the area connection point
3.1.4
broadcast outlet (BO)
fixed connecting device where the BCT home cable terminates
NOTE The broadcast outlet provides an interface to the terminal equipment cabling for BCT applications
3.1.5
connector sharing
the ability of a connector to simultaneously accept multiple plugs in one socket such as 4 one-pair plugs in
one 4 pair socket while maintaining the required performance; this may also be achieved by means of an
external adapter
3.1.6
coverage area
area served by an area connection point
3.1.7
home
a physical structure used as a dwelling place, such as a house or an apartment
NOTE This may be an individual building, part of a larger building or more than one building.
3.1.8
home distributor (HD)
the distributor within a home where cables terminate

– 13 – EN 50173-4:2007
3.1.9
multi-application Telecommunications outlet (MATO)
grouping of telecommunications outlets and broadcast outlets, which may include one or several interfaces
NOTE A MATO may also include control outlets
3.1.10
pathway
facility dedicated to the placement of cable or area reserved for the placement of cable
3.1.11
remote power feeding
the supply of power different from mains power to application-specific equipment via cabling specified by this
standard
3.1.12
secondary home distributor (SHD)
an optional distributor used to provide additional infrastructure flexibility and / or allocate transmission
equipment between the home distributor and coverage areas (e. g. for homes with multiple floors)
3.1.13
telecommunications outlet (TO)
fixed connecting device where the ICT home cable terminates
NOTE The telecommunications outlet provides an interface to the terminal equipment cabling for ICT applications
3.1.14
terminal equipment
equipment (e.g. telephone handset) that provides user access to an application at an application outlet
3.1.15
terminal equipment cabling
cord and other devices connecting the telecommunications outlet or broadcast outlet to the terminal
equipment
3.1.16
transmission equipment
active and passive equipment used to distribute applications from distributors to other distributors and to
outlets
3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of this European Standard the following abbreviations apply in addition to those of
EN 50173-1.
ACP Area Connection Point
BEF Building Entrance Facility
BO Broadcast Outlet
CATV Community Antenna Television
CCTV Closed Circuit TV
CO Control Outlet
ENI External Network Interface
ffs for further study
HBES Home and Building Electronic System
HD Home Distributor
MATO Multi-application Telecommunications outlet

PS Power source
SHD Secondary Home Distributor
TE Terminal equipment
TO Telecommunications Outlet
TV Television
4 Structure of the generic cabling system to support ICT and/or BCT applications in
homes
4.1 General
This Clause identifies the functional elements of generic cabling to support ICT and/or BCT applications,
describes how they are connected together to form subsystems and identifies the interfaces at which
application-specific components are connected to the generic cabling infrastructure. Channels, created by
connecting application-specific cabling components to the generic cabling, are used to support ICT and/or
BCT applications. Applications listed in EN 50173-1:2007, Annex F, are supported by connecting active
equipment at the external network interfaces, application outlets and the distributors.
NOTE The channels specified in Clause 6 do not support the simultaneous transmission of multiple applications, of the same or
different application Classes, within a cable or at an interface to the generic cabling. The sharing of components by applications (to, for
example, maximise the capacity of cable management systems) may require additional performance requirements and/or supplier
instructions to be applied. These requirements are outside the scope of this standard.
4.2 Functional elements
The functional elements of generic cabling are as follows:
a) home distributor (HD);
b) home cable;
c) secondary home distributor (SHD);
d) secondary home cable;
e) application outlet (MATO, TO or BO).
NOTE The SHD and secondary home cable are optional functional elements.
The type and number of functional elements used depends upon the type of premises and the application
group(s) served. It is possible to combine multiple functional elements into a single element.
4.3 General structure and hierarchy for ICT and BCT cabling
Generic cabling systems to support ICT and/or BCT applications contain a maximum of two types of cabling
subsystems: the home cabling subsystem and the secondary home cabling subsystem as shown in Figure 3.
The composition of the subsystems is described in 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. The functional elements of the cabling
subsystems are connected to form a hierarchical structure as in Figure 4. Conformance to this standard does
not require the presence of the secondary home cabling subsystem.
The distributors and the application outlets provide the means for configuring the cabling to support
topologies in addition to those implemented by the installed cables.
Connection to application-specific equipment at the distributors generally adopts an interconnect approach
(see EN 50173-1). Cabling designs that adopt a direct connection to the equipment at the distributors may be
implemented in order to achieve the desired transmission performance but serve to restrict the flexibility of
the infrastructure and are non-conformant with the requirements of this clause. Passive connections between
cabling subsystems adopt either a cross-connect approach, by way of either patch cords or jumpers, or an
interconnect approach.
– 15 – EN 50173-4:2007
Passive connections between the home cabling subsystem and the network access cabling at the HD are
generally achieved using a cross-connect approach.
a) Structure with home distributor
HD
EQP C C C
TO/BO
C C C
Network Home
access cabling
cabling subsystem
Generic cabling system
b) Structure with home distributor and secondary home distributor
HD SHD
EQP C C C C C
TO/BO
C C C C C
Network Home Secondary home
access cabling cabling
cabling subsystem subsystem
Generic cabling system
NOTE The dotted elements represent the boundaries of functional elements and not the enclosure that contains the functional
elements.
Figure 3 - Structure of the generic cabling system in homes
HD HD
Home Home
cabling subsystem cabling subsystem
SHD SHD
Secondary home
cabling subsystem
TO/BO TO/BO MATO TO/BO TO/BO TO/BO MATO TO/BO TO/BO

a) Structure with home distributor b) Structure with home distributor and secondary home distributor
Figure 4 - Hierarchical structure of a generic cabling system in support of ICT and BCT applications

4.4 Cabling subsystems for ICT and BCT applications
4.4.1 Home cabling subsystem
The home cabling subsystem extends from the HD to the application outlet.
When an SHD is used, the home cabling subsystem extends from the HD to the secondary home cabling
subsystem. The subsystem includes:
a) the home cables;
b) the mechanical termination of the home cables at the SHD or application outlet as appropriate;
c) the mechanical termination of the home cables together with associated patch cords and/or jumpers at
the HD;
d) the MATO, TO or BO (where a SHD is not used).
Although equipment cords are used to connect the transmission equipment to the home cabling subsystem,
they are not considered part of the home cabling subsystem because they are application-specific.
The home cabling subsystem does not include the interface to the network access cabling at the HD.
4.4.2 Secondary home cabling subsystem
The secondary home cabling subsystem extends from a SHD to the application outlet.
The subsystem includes:
a) the secondary home cables;
b) the mechanical termination of the secondary home cables at the MATO, TO or BO;
c) the mechanical termination of the secondary home cables together with associated patch cords and/or
jumpers at the SHD;
d) the MATO, TO or BO.
Although equipment cords are used to connect the transmission equipment to the secondary home cabling
subsystem, they are not considered part of the secondary home cabling subsystem because they are
application-specific.
4.5 Accommodation of functional elements
4.5.1 Home Distributor
Each home shall be served by a single HD.
The HD shall be located in a designated area with adequate access, space and environmental conditions to
house the cabling and the transmission equipment and to enable management of the cabling connections.
The transmission equipment may be active, passive or both. Outlets for mains power shall be located close to
the HD.
See EN 50174 series for additional requirements.
4.5.2 Secondary Home Distributor
Where used, SHDs shall be located in a designated area with adequate access, space and environmental
conditions to house the cabling, the transmission equipment and to enable management of the cabling
connections. SHDs shall be provided with access to the mains power required for the application-specific
equipment.
– 17 – EN 50173-4:2007
Other requirements for the accommodation of SHDs should be based upon the general recommendations of
EN 50174-1 for other distributors.
4.6 Interfaces
4.6.1 Equipment interfaces and test interfaces
Equipment interfaces to generic cabling are located at distributors and application outlets. Test interfaces to
cabling are located at the ends of each subsystem.
Figure 5 shows the potential equipment interfaces and potential test interfaces within the generic cabling
system.
Transmission and terminal equipment are generally connected to the equipment interface using an equipment
cord.
a)a) HHoommee c caablbliinng sg suubsbsyysstteemm
EIEI EIEI
HDHD
EQEQPP CC CC CC CC TETE
TOTO//BBOO
TITI TITI TTII
TITI
b)b)
SSeeccondondararyy home c home cablabling ing s subsubsyysstetemm
EIEI EIEI
SHSHDD
EQEQPP CC CC CC CC TETE
TOTO//BBOO
TITI TITI TTII
TITI
c)c)
HHoomeme ca cabblinlingg su subbssyysstteemm SSeeccoondandarryy h hoome cme cablinablingg
susubbssyysstteemm
EIEI EIEI
EIEI EIEI
SHDSHD
HDHD
EQEQPP CC CC CC CC CC CC TETE
xyxy
TITI TITI TITI TITI TITI TTII
NOTE 1 The dotted elements represent the boundaries of functional elements and not the enclosure that contains the functional
elements.
NOTE 2 For BCT-C applications (see Clause 6) the test interface is defined according to EN 61169-1.
NOTE 3 The channels created in Figure 5c) are not supported by the reference implementations of Clause 7 unless lengths x and y
exceed 15 m.
Figure 5 - Equipment and test interfaces in support of ICT and BCT applications

4.6.2 Channels and permanent links
4.6.2.1 Channel
For cabling to support ICT and/or BCT applications, the channel consists of the home cabling subsystem(s)
together with the equipment cord(s) as shown in Figure 6. See C.2 for the creation of BCT-C channels using
BCT-B cabling.
It is important that the cabling channel is designed to meet the required class of performance for the
applications that are to be run. For the purposes of testing, the channel excludes the connections at the
application-specific equipment.
The transmission performance of channels is detailed in Clause 6.
The creation of a channel between two application outlets via a passive cross-connection at a distributor is
allowed provided that the relevant channel performance of Clause 6 is met.
The maximum channel lengths for each application group are dependent upon the performance of the cable
and connecting hardware used (see Table 2 and Table 5 for maximum channel lengths using the reference
implementations of Clause 7).
Where the performance requirements of an application allow, longer channels may be formed by the passive
connection of cabling subsystems together with equipment cords where appropriate.
a)a)
PPeerrmmanentanent l liinnkk
HDHD
EQEQPP CC CC CC CC TETE
TOTO//BBOO
CChannelhannel
PPeerrmmanentanent l liinnkk PPeerrmmanentanent l liinnkk
b)b)
SHSHDD
HDHD
EQEQPP CC CC CC CC EQEQPP CC CC CC CC TETE
TOTO//BBOO
CChannelhannel CChannelhannel
PPeerrmmanentanent l liinnkk PPeerrmmanentanent l liinnkk
c)c)
HDHD SHSHDD
EQEQPP CC CC CC CC CC CC TETE
TOTO//BBOO
CChannhannelel
NOTE The channels of Figure 6c) are not supported by the reference implementations of Clause 7 unless both permanent link lengths
exceed 15 m.
Figure 6 - Channels and permanent links within the home
4.6.2.2 Permanent link
If there is no SHD, the permanent link consists of the home cable and the termination of that cable at the
application outlet and the HD as shown in Figure 6.

– 19 – EN 50173-4:2007
If there is an SHD, there are two permanent links. The first permanent link consists of the home cable and the
termination of that cable at the SHD and the HD; the second permanent link consists of the secondary home
cable and the termination of that cable at the application outlet and the SHD. These permanent links are also
shown in Figure 6. See Annex C for the creation of BCT-C channels using BCT-B cabling.
For the purposes of testing, the permanent link includes the connections at the ends of the installed cabling.
The transmission performance of permanent links is detailed in Annex A.
4.7 Dimensioning and configuring
4.7.1 Distributors
Each home shall be served by a single HD. The physical volume of the HD depends upon the complexity of
the infrastructure being served.
The design of distributors should ensure that the lengths of patch cords, jumpers and equipment cords are
minimised. The design l
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