Return loss is the ratio of signal power injected from a source compared to the amount that is returned or reflected back toward the source. It is a critical performance parameter in both copper twisted pair and fiber optic cabling systems, because it can interfere with the transmitted signal and can contribute to an increase in the measured insertion loss (the amount of power that a that a signal loses as it travels along a cable link).
STL unveiled its new 180-micron optical fiber at the FTTH Conference in Madrid. The 180-micron G657 A2 fiber offers both bend insensitivity and backwards compatibility to ease deployment. The company asserts the slimmer fiber will enable network operators to deploy more fiber in limited duct space, which will reduce costs and deployment times.
At the 2022 BICSI Fall Conference took place in late September, Cabling Installation & Maintenance announced recipients of this year’s Cabling Innovators Awards. The awards program recognizes organizations and people who drive the information and communications technology (ICT) industry forward. It awards ingenuity and innovation wherever it is found in the value chain of cabling-system specification, design, installation, and administration.
Smart buildings provide a framework that can capitalize on digital innovation. But when designing a hotel to be a smart and sustainable building, there are so many moving pieces to consider that it could be a logistical nightmare. Add that the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it would seem like a nearly impossible feat to bring in the newest technologies while keeping the old charm. The recently opened Hotel Marcel in New Haven, CT, found the secret ingredients for designing and implementing the most advanced digital systems resulting in minimizing electricity use from the grid and incorporating new direct current (DC) technologies and Power over Ethernet (PoE) to as many applications as possible. But the design and installation challenges made the path to completion a long and winding road.
In today’s hyperconnected world, companies need a way to scale and analyze data faster, cheaper and better. The only way to do that is to move out of the cloud and on to the edge of the network, where most of the future data will be generated, analyzed and processed.
While smart building technologies are vital to improving building efficiency, the actual technology products deployed throughout a smart building are mostly made up of fossil fuel derivatives and mined from non-renewable resources—from the IoT devices to the networks that connect them. That inherently makes it unfeasible for most of these products to be considered low-carbon construction materials. Even so, there are ways to reduce their impact.
The fourth Industrial Revolution is a way of describing the blurring of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. It’s a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, IoT, 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other technologies. In the podcast, CI&M asks Patel to address how this thesis expands the outlook for ICT technicians on the ground integrating Industry 4.0 and A.I. systems technologies in plant manufacturing, but also now within commercial enterprise and smart building sites.
The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) has announced a call for Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations that will be hosted at the association’s Fiber Connect 2023 conference in Orlando from August 20-23. Focused on “what fiber disrupts next,” as solicited by FBA, the PoCs will “focus on how fiber broadband enables markets and communities to create innovation and disruption, change market dynamics, and push the boundaries of what is possible.” Each PoC must demonstrate the benefits fiber brings to markets, industries, and/or communities as a fundamental enabler of disruption, growth, and potential. To submit a PoC, download the complete PoC Showcase instructions here and the PoC Submission Form & Agreement here. PoC submissions are due April 30, 2023.
Over the next five years, an unprecedented era of building fiber networks will take place around the world, with passive optical networks (PON) making up a large portion of that construction. As networks are deployed in more places, and in more diverse and sometimes difficult-to-reach environments, the need to make sure the highest-quality optical components are within that network only increases. As operators look to lower operational costs to deploy, manage, and maintain network builds, PON components will be pushed out further into the fiber network.
Power over Ethernet technology has evolved to be a key part of wireless LAN architectures, IoT and enterprise networks
