EN 50173-4:2007

This standard specifies a generic cabling for three groups of applications in homes: Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), Broadcast and Communications Technologies (BCT), and Commands, Controls and Communications in Buildings (CCCB). It is intended to guide installations in new buildings or refurbishments, and also applies where cabling is installed to support only one or two of the three application groups listed above. A generic cabling infrastructure is specified based upon balanced cabling and / or coaxial cabling. ICT channels specified in this standard include optical fibre, but the wider use of fibre optical cabling in a home is for further study. The three groups of applications may also be supported by different types of cabling, which may be subject to other standards. For example, ISO/IEC 11801 specifies generic cabling for ICT applications in general for the office environment. While the cabling structure and reference implementations are matched to the home environment in this standard, the channel performances specified for ICT are identical to those specified in ISO/IEC 11801. Because this standard is designed to cover the three major groups, the cabling system may be installed prior to the selection of specific applications. The home may contain one or more buildings (e.g. farm) or may be within a building which contains more than one home (e.g. one home in a multi-dwelling building). The campus or backbone cabling connecting individual homes is built according to the relevant standard (for instance ISO/IEC 11801, IEC 60728). Generic cabling realised according to this standard: a) allows deployment of a wide range of applications without changes to the fixed cabling infrastructure; b) provides a platform to support moves, adds and changes of connectivity. This standard provides users with an application-independent generic cabling for applications run in homes, and a flexible cabling scheme such that changes are both easy and economical; it provides building professionals (for example, architects) with guidance for accommodating cabling before specific requirements are known, i.e. in the initial planning either for construction or refurbishment; and gives users, designers, and manufacturers of application-specific cabling systems advice on interfacing. It specifies relevant requirements for suppliers of cabling components and installers of cabling, and a distribution system for service providers' services. It supports current products and provides a basis for future product development in home electronic systems.