Comnet Ethernet

Extended Ethernet Ethernet Transmission over Coaxial or UTP cable By Iain Deuchars Ethernet over non-standard Copper Cabling As the security and surveillance market continues its shift towards IP based technology, the ability for integrators and installers to utilise different cabled transmission mediums gains significance. Within Ethernet networking, the structured cabling standards offer twisted pair cabling up to a distance of one hundred meters between active devices and then optical fibre for distances up to the limitations of the optical technology. While these rules work well for the standard office location, the market can find itself in different physical environments and facing different challenges. A large number of IP CCTV installations will be migrations from analogue solutions where coaxial cable was used and in other cases, due to the nature and location of CCTV systems, twisted pair beyond one hundred meters and low grade cable such as telephone CAT3 cable could be the preferred or possibly the only solution available. In an environment such as this you need to have a scope of transmission solutions that cover all the possible copper mediums and at the same time support the requirements of modern IP systems such as Power over Ethernet (PoE). In the transmission arena different technologies exist that enable Ethernet signals to be sent over non-standard cable or extended distances over standard twisted pair cable. The technologies will have different performance criteria and it is these coupled with the medium type that dictates the product selection. ComNet has a range of different technologies available but this document shall focus on its Copperline range.