ANSWERS
INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING
Josh Bryant, PE; CDM Smith; Boston
Everything you need to know about telecom design Integrating multiple technologies supports high-speed and secure communication across local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs).
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controleng.com KEYWORDS: System integration, telecommunications ONLINE www.controleng.com/ industrial-networking CONSIDER THIS Control system network enclosures may be improved by considering telecommunication design.
FIGURE 1: There are many similarities in the design of control system network cabinets and telecommunications cabinets. Control system network cabinets can utilize many telecommunications design concepts to protect and improve the capabilities of the control system. Images courtesy: CDM Smith
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n our increasingly connected world, smart technology is everywhere, meaning telecom design is more important than ever. Most new devices have a communication or data collection component. Telecom design should be included in most modern engineering projects. Telecommunications design provides reliable, scalable and secure data transmission. The applications range from industrial buildings to largescale campuses. Understanding the basics of telecommunications design can provide engineers with the knowledge they need to improve their designs by ensuring they include a communication infrastructure that will meet the requirements of the current application as well as tomorrow’s communication needs. One important application of telecommunications design is control system design. Technology advances have vastly expanded the performance capabilities of control systems; but these systems rely on their communication networks. To keep up with these advances, the telecommunications network must also evolve. Consider how key telecommunications topics can improve control system design.
What is telecom design? At its core, telecommunications design is the planning of systems that transmit information over distances via electrical or optical signals. Such infrastructure can transmit data from many different sources and systems, including voice and data, electronic security and building management systems. The success of any communication system is measured by its speed, reliability, capacity and scalability. Telecommunications design is governed by several different industry standards. Key industry standards to be aware of are those published by Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI). The BICSI guidelines are considered the control engineering — www.controleng.com
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