Our industry is laden with acronyms from AC Siemon MPTL(alternating current) to ZWP (zero water peak) and everything in between. The newest acronym making its mark on the structured cabling industry is MPTL. It stands for Modular Plug Terminated Link, which refers to terminating the equipment end of horizontal cable with a modular plug to connect directly into a device vs. terminating at an outlet and connecting the device with a patch cord.

You read about it first in Siemon's Standards Informant, but you need to know how the MPTL is used and its impact on the structured cabling industry, as it will affect the way we design a network. Channel implementations with an outlet and patch cord are always recommended for equipment connections because they offer more flexibility, support labeling and administration, and eliminate the need to remove long lengths of abandoned cabling should a device be moved. However, sometimes an alternate configuration is necessary, and this new acronym will help advance intelligent building and Siemon’s ConvergeIT initiatives as it provides a new means of connection for the growing number of devices that converge on a unified network infrastructure.

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Installing a plug (versus an outlet) on the end of a horizontal cable and plugging directly into an end device is not a new concept, as security camera installers have been doing this since IP cameras came into existence in the late 1990s. The problem is that connecting directly to the device with a plug negates the standards definition of a permanent link, which includes the horizontal cable from the patch panel in the Telecommunications Rooms (TR) to the Equipment Outlet (EO), as well as the definition of a channel, which includes the permanent link and the patch cords on both ends.

Because the MPTL is neither a link or a channel, the main issue is testing and certifying the cable segment?  ANSI/BICSI-005 Electronic Safety and Security (ESS) System Design and Implementation Best Practices followed by ANSI/BICSI-007 Information Communication Technology Design and Implementation Practices for Intelligent Buildings and Premises were the first standard documents to accept the MPTL method and referred to it as a “direct connection.” Their solution for testing this cable segment was to override the testing procedure with a “modified permanent link.”  However, since BICSI standards are primarily design and installation guides, they defer to TIA to provide direction on cable types including testing methodology, but TIA had not specifically addressed testing this connection method. Until recently. Continue reading

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