Behind the ceiling tiles
When a new office opens, hundreds of metres of cable run above the ceiling and under the floor. Nobody sees them.
If one is cut, bent too far or labelled wrongly, a whole floor can lose its connection. Someone has to find that one cable.
Good cabling work is careful, safe and well recorded. This lesson is about the reasoning. You will practise the hands-on parts on site with a trained person.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can describe the jobs, roles and skills of a person who installs data cable.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Network | computers and devices joined so they can share data |
| Copper cable | a cable that carries data as electrical signals |
| Fibre cable | a cable that carries data as pulses of light |
| Terminate | fit a connector or socket to the end of a cable |
| Certify | test a cable and record that it meets the standard |
| Cabinet | a locked cupboard or frame that holds the cable equipment |
| Rack | a metal frame that holds equipment in a tidy stack |
| Cable route map | a plan showing the path each cable takes |
| Asset register | a list of the equipment a firm owns |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter: what you already know
Have a go
Starter: what you already know
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
The jobs of a cabling team
A team installs, terminates, tests and certifies copper and fibre cable. It maintains cabling and finds, locates and repairs faults.
It installs cabinets, fixtures and racks, and physical protection such as trunking. It carries out risk assessments, works to the law, and keeps the records. It keeps systems available and performing well.
The records a cabling team keeps
| Record | What it holds | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Cable route map | Where each cable runs | Faults are found fast, and nobody drills through a cable |
| Testing documents | Results for each cable | Proves each cable works |
| Acceptance documents | The customer signs that work is done | Shows the job meets the plan |
| Asset register | Every cabinet, rack and device | The firm knows what it owns |
| Maintenance log | Every repair and check | Shows the history of each fault |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check: cabling jobs
Have a go
Check: cabling jobs
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.