ACRS is a partner in the Registered Cabler Website (RCWS) Consortium with fellow registrars and the ICAA (International Copper Association Australia). After the success at last year’s shows, the RCWS will again, this year have a stand in two events – Security show in Melbourne 25 – 27 July and the Integrate show in Sydney from 22-24 August.
The 2018 Security Exhibition & Conference is returning to the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre in just 4 weeks, from the 25-27 July 2018.
This year’s event is already shaping as the biggest ever! With over 300 brands from 20+ countries on the Exhibition floor, the all-new
Security Seminar Theatre, Drone Zone, networking events and much more.
New in 2018 is the Security Seminar Theatre which will host a number of industry specific security sessions addressing data storage, licensing and regulations, biometrics developments, lock picking and many more key industry issues and technological advancements, all delivered by industry specialists.
As an exclusive offer to Cablers Association members, you can now secure a Seminar Theatre Day pass for only $20 – including a lunch voucher.
To secure this offer just use the code ‘CABLER20’ when you register online
|
The importance of having your home cabled by a professional registered cabler – Are your skills up to date?
If someone needs a new phone, internet or security cabling in their home or business they must make sure they hire a professional registered cabler who will perform this complicated work properly:
· Cabling providers must be appropriately registered and be able to produce a current registration identification card on request.
· Cabling providers must be able to produce a signed document (TCA1) stating that the work complies with the relevant industry cabling standard.
· Cabling providers must be able to demonstrate that the installed cabling is fit for its purpose-for example, internet connectivity.
Consumers will also benefit from new competency requirements that were mandated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (the ACMA) on1 July 2014 for cabling providers who install specialised cabling in customer homes. The changes follow industry concerns that some cabling providers lack the necessary skills to perform this specialised cabling work in a changing technological environment.
The additional competency requirements for specialised cabling, such as broadband (internet), structured, optical fibre and co-axial cabling that is used to deploy enhanced services to end users. Existing cabling providers who install these specialised cables, but who have not already attained the additional competencies, will need to complete the relevant competency courses to upskill.
These competencies form the basis for training programs developed by industry skills councils and delivered by recognised training
organisations.
If you have not completed the relevant competencies, please contact your NECA training centre who will offer you expert advice in selecting the relevant course that suits your needs or click here for a full list ofregistered training organisations Australia wide.
NECA Training NSW 02 9188 4424
NECA Education & Careers VIC 03 9381 1922
NECA CET Joondalup WA 08 9233 5000
NECA CET Jandakot WA 08 6595 6600
Lead in Cables clarification from the ACMA
The question of registered cablers working on carriers network infrastructure (which includes the lead-in cables) has been asked quite often. The text below is the response the ACMA provides to registered cablers in relation to this matter.
Only employees of a carrier, or a contractor working on behalf of a carrier, may legally install/maintain/repair a carriers network infrastructure.
Holding a cabling registration does not entitle a person to undertake any work on a carriers network infrastructure. A registered cabler may only undertake such work if they have written permission from the carrier authorising them to do so.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) mandated wiring rules AS/CA S009:2013 – Installation requirements for Customer Cabling (Wiring rules), which apply to a registered cabler, has the following to say on interfering with a carriers network;
5.13 Tampering or interference with a carrier facility
A carrier’s lead-in cabling or network boundary facilities shall not be moved, removed or altered without the prior written authorisation of the carrier.
Note: If a carrier publishes a document authorising cabling providers to alter its facilities, for the purpose of this clause such a document will be taken to be the prior written authorisation of the carrier as long as any terms and conditions set out in the document are adhered to by the cabling provider.
Registered cablers are permitted to undertake some alterations to Telstra’s network infrastructure as detailed in the following Telstra document – this document constitutes Telstra’s ” prior written authorisation” however, it only applies to Telstra’s network.
Similarly, registered cablers are permitted to undertake some alterations to the NBN’s network infrastructure as detailed in the following nbn document – this document constitutes NBN’s “prior written authorisation”
however, it only applies to NBN’s network.
Has Your Registration LAPSED?
Do not panic.
Call the friendly team at ACRS on 1300 667771 who will be pleased to assist you in reinstating your registration.
Stay up to date
If you have been absent from the cabling industry for any significant length of time, please ensure you are familiar with the current requirements for cablers as outlined in the CPRs including the current version of the Installation Requirements for Customer Cabling (Wiring Rules). This is available from Communications Alliance. (http://www.commsalliance.com.au/?a=2884).
Your 2018 end of financial year “Super” reminders!
With another end of financial year just around the corner, it is important to once again note some timely tips to help you meet your end of financial year business requirements, as well as prepare yourself for the financial year ahead. Here is an outlined of what to consider as the end of financial year fast approaches, to help you and your business.
click here To find out more about how NESS Super can help you and your business.
AS/CA S009:2013 INSTALLATION REQUIREMENTS FOR CUSTOMER CABLING (WIRING RULES) AS/CA S009:2013 (.pdf, 2161 KB)
This Standard applies to the installation and maintenance of fixed or concealed cabling or equipment that is connected, or is intended to be connected, to a telecommunications network, including any cord or cordage, or that part of any cord or cordage, that is connected as fixed or concealed cabling.
This Standard does not apply to-
- any electrical power cabling whose primary function is the distribution of AC mains supply, and which is connected to an AC mains supply, but which may also carry telecommunications signals as a secondary function as long as the telecommunications signals originate from the power network or are injected into the power cabling via a compliant interface device;
- any cabling used for the connection or distribution of broadcasting services, as defined in the Broadcasting Services Act 1992, that are supplied to the end-user by means of transmission through free air to a receiving radio, television or satellite antenna whether or not such cabling is connected to receiving equipment that is connected to a carrier’s or carriage service provider’s telecommunications network (e.g. via an Ethernet port); and
- any cabling on the carrier’s side of the network boundary whether or not such cabling is located in customer premises, e.g. lead-in cabling.
This Standard comes into force as of 1 July 2013. Until that date AS/ACIF S009:2006 remains in force. AS/ACIF S009:2006 can be downloaded here.
Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA Australia) has released two new Good Practice Guides covering service penetrations and fire resistance. These guides provide detailed advice for Cablers working with service penetrations, who are required by their clients to adhere to passive fire protection requirements. They are also intended for building owners/managers, building structural and services engineers, designers and consultants, builders, trade service contractors, fire protection companies and other stakeholders with an interest in fire protection.
The Good Practice Guides
1/ GPG-06 Fire Resistance
This document provides guidance and information on the general requirements for fire-resisting construction under Volume 1 of the Building Code of Australia and why such fire resistance is required.
This introductory guide is the first part of a series of passive fire protection guides developed by FPA Australia and covers the fundamentals of passive fire protection. Future guides will focus on specific fire protection systems, equipment and items.
This guide explains:
· What fire resistance is;
· What fire-resistance level (FRL) and fire-resisting building element is;
· What a fire compartment is and why it is important;
· What the general BCA Volume 1 requirements for fire-resistant building construction are;
· How you determine the FRL of a fire-resisting building element;
· What the evidence of suitability and documentation requirements are; and
· Who is responsible for ensuring that fire-resisting construction is compliant.
2/ GPG-07 Protection of openings for service penetrations in fire resisting building elements
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance and information on:
· The requirements of Clause C3.15 of Volume 1 of the BCA for the protection of openings for service penetrations in fire-resisting building elements;
· Why such protection is required; and
· What options exist to comply with the requirements of the BCA.
To assist all stakeholders involved in the protection of openings for service penetrations in fire-resisting building elements, this guide explains:
• What the BCA Volume 1 requirements are for fire-resisting building elements and protection of openings for service penetrations in these elements;
• What the key components of protection methods are and how they work;
• Documentation requirements including evidence of suitability and service penetration and protect method registers;
• The steps for protecting openings for service penetrations in fire-resisting building elements; and
• Some key changes to the requirements and some common misconceptions (see Appendices).
As the FPA Australia Board has recently decided to allow access to full copies of these documents to non-FPA Australia members pending their role in industry, non-members can request copies of Good Practice Guides from FPA Australia directly.
To obtain full copies of these documents email technical@fpaa.com.au advising what your interest in the document is in order to assist FPA Australia to identify how these guides are being used.
Halt and catch fire: The perils of cheap PoE
Dave Jeskey tells an interesting story about what happened when an LED lighting company operated a few of its products in a test chamber. The RJ45 plugs, used for making a connection to a Power over Ethernet cable, melted. The RJ45 plugs came from Sentinel Connector Systems where Jeskey is director of sales and marketing. When Sentinel tore down and examined the damaged units, the problem became obvious: Cheaply built RJ45 jacks into which Sentinel’s plugs fit.
“There were transformers built into the jacks that had been badly hand-wound rather than machine-wound. They had also substituted a cheaper ferrite core that was slightly conductive,” says Jeskey. The melting of the RJ45 plug (which had been designed to melt at 250°C, more than melting point of tin) had probably prevented the poorly made jack from causing a fire, he says. It let the conductors pull away and disconnect before the heat from bad connections caused more damage.
The near catastrophic failure of that RJ45 jack is a microcosm of the problems that will soon plague PoE installations. New specifications let PoE lines deliver up to 100 W using plugs, jacks and cabling that are similar to those for ordinary Ethernet. But small imperfections and corner-cutting on costs can make for big problems when that much power passes through the relatively small conductors of Ethernet connections.
Corner-cutting on PoE gear is particularly wide-spread among foreign suppliers Jeskey adds. One of the easiest places to cut corners is with gold plating. “The plating on a contact is supposed to be 50 µin. of 24-caret gold over a minimum of 50 µin. of pure nickel. We’ve studied over 70,000 part numbers and 94% of them failed to meet those minimum standards. I’ve seen parts using as little as 1.5 µin. of gold and even parts with a statement in the specification saying, ‘gold colour only.'”
It isn’t just scrimping on gold that is problematic. “RJ45 conductors have a surface smoothness specification. The proper way to realize it is to first electropolish the contacts, coat them with nickel, and then add the gold. Some foreign suppliers will just wire-brush the surface to make it smooth. The brushing creates ridges and valleys which make the connection less reliable,” says Jeskey.
Other problems arise because PoE connections are hot pluggable. Small sparks form when the plug disconnects from the jack. The sparks may cause problems even in well designed connections, he says. Cheap connections are even worse. “Jack contacts are supposed to be phosphor- bronze but some suppliers cheat with brass and other cheaper metals,” he adds. “When you create a spark, it alters the crystalline structure of the contact and eventually makes it brittle. Some equipment makers claim that spark isn’t a problem because it happens away from the data transmission lines. But a spark alters the whole contact, not just the area where it occurs.”
And it isn’t just PoE connections that are problematic. Ethernet cables can contain different wire sizes. “Some companies use 22 gauge wire, which is good if you have plugs and jacks able to handle it,” Jeskey says. “The best-selling cable contains 28-gauge wire. But some foreign suppliers are selling Ethernet cable with much thinner 30 and 32-gauge wire. That is dangerous.”
Source: https://www.powerelectronictips.com/halt-and-catch-fire-the-perils-of-cheap-poe/
Useful Links
ACRS www.acrs.com.au
nbn ™ www.nbnco.com.au
ACMA www.acma.gov.au
Dial before you dig www.1100.com.au
A2A and Network Boundary Issues www.telstra.com.au/smartcommunity/mybuilder.html
Communications Alliance www.commsalliance.com.au
Registered Cablers website www.registeredcablers.com.au