The ability to rapidly reorganize workspaces starts with a dynamic network architecture. Zone cabling introduces a new dimension of flexibility to organizational facilities with easy connection and reconnection of devices and hardware, from desktop computers to smart building systems and IoT devices.
Business Challenge
Businesses are demanding more of their buildings. Spaces need to adapt to changing requirements with a minimum of disruption to operations. Building services are being automated to optimize energy and space utilization. Smart devices are managing more and more services, from lighting to HVAC. Technology is advancing, and a network must adapt to change quickly and efficiently.
Solution Benefits
Zone cabling has established itself as a popular approach for open office environments, but its simple and flexible architecture holds benefits for many other workspaces and for the deployment of smart building technologies.
Improve flexibility
Fast, easy deployment of new devices via spare outlet capacity in the zone enclosure. Shorter cable runs are cheaper and less disruptive to install and change.
Ease of management
Reduced cable numbers and lengths means an architecture that is easy to manage, change or even overhaul.
Minimize disruption
Changes are isolated to localized zones and shorter cabling links, reducing labor and material costs and making troubleshooting far easier.
Smart infrastructure
With easy additions and alterations, zone cabling is the ideal cabling infrastructure for IoT and smart building applications.
PoE applications
Careful planning to minimize performance degradation and potential for heat buildup. Molex recommends multiple consolidation enclosures to control the size and heat of cable bundles.
Zone Enclosures
In-Ceiling Enclosure
Raised/Access Floor Enclosure
Zone Enclosure Related Products
Copper products
Fiber Products
DataGate Jack
ModLink Cassettes
Pre-Terminated Fiber Products
C6A Shielded Pre-Terminated Cable Assemblies
Passive Optical Network Solutions
Smart Building Solutions
What is zone cabling?
Traditional structured cabling often mean long single cable runs from the telecommunication room (TR) to each work area. Zone cabling changes this concept by running horizontal cables from patch panels in the TR to a zone enclosure, which is located under a floor or in a ceiling. The shorter copper or fiber lengths then run from the zone enclosure to each work area in that zone.
This provides for a highly flexible infrastructure, supporting rapid reorganization of work areas and equipment and simplify deployment of new devices and applications.
Ceiling or Floor
Zone enclosures are ideal for adding flexibility within an open-office architecture or data center environment, choosing between ceiling-mount or under-floor depends on the building design. A ceiling enclosure functionality will include; flush mounting with drop ceiling, fully hinged drop-down doors, active and passive options.
Passive vs Active
Active zone enclosures, normally tied to a ceiling grid, should be used when active equipment is included in the consolidation point (CP). Passive enclosures can be used in open-air environments or unfinished ceilings, where only passive cabling is used in the CP.
Smart buildings and zone cabling webinar
Global Pre & Post Technical Sales Manager, Christophe Hinet, RCDD, explains how to create a design and bill of materials for a smart building using active zone cabling and conventional cabling.