What is telecommunications network trunking, and why is it necessary?
What types are there and how are they installed?
In the last decades, the development of telecommunications has had exponential growth, hence the number of channels of communication networks has had to increase to satisfy the needs of the population.
What Is Meant by Trunking in Networking? What’s Its Purpose?
The channeling of communication networks is a civil work of linear layout that is formed with a set of pieces that are located under the surface of terrain and that house and support the cables and the rest of the components of the communication networks.
The gutters are a practical tool to avoid exposing the cables to the elements. They are manufactured in different shapes, sizes, and materials (plastic, metal, PVC, or galvanized structures).
There is also a large number of accessories to allow adequate fastening of the cable assembly inside the ducts. Among the accessories, there are the joints, elbows, corners, entrances, and exits, also the dividing walls and unions.
Having said this, and although the most common thing was to place these pipes below the surface, today there are some alternatives to consider if necessary.
Different Network Cabling Trunking Types
To adapt to the circumstances of each client, several types of pipes will be very useful for the installation of communication networks.
Choosing the right one will depend on factors such as characteristics of the building or construction, aesthetics, and economic cost, among others.
Therefore, technicians must know everything about each type, including the advantages and disadvantages, as well as their installation methods.
- Underground channeling: To decide what type of underground channeling to use, the following aspects must be considered:
- Type of soil and its maintenance.
- System flexibility.
- Channel capacity.
According to these parameters, we can choose between several models such as the underfloor channeling covered by flooring that is installed on the concrete before proceeding with the flooring and the flush-ground channeling similar to the previous one but is visible at the same level as the ground.
- Channeling under raised floor: There are two variants of this type of channeling:
- False floor with panels: Leveling supports are fixed to the concrete floor structure on which false floor plates rest.
- Hollow floor: In this system, the set of panels is replaced by a more robust false floor, which can go on leveling supports or directly to the floor through support points made of the same material as the structure.
- False floor with panels: Leveling supports are fixed to the concrete floor structure on which false floor plates rest.
- Ceiling channeling: it is anchored to the ceiling with fixings that support it.
- Channeling in the technical ceiling: there is a false ceiling that hides both the channeling and the rest of the ceiling installation.
The aerial canalization must clear obstacles and go through irregular route routes.
If the surface where you want to fix the support cannot be drilled, it is convenient to do it with staples. The installation using staples must guarantee that the support will support the weight of the trays with their cables.
- Surface channeling: Surface channeling has two purposes: 1) Conduct cable sections from a trunk to specific distribution areas and 2) Conduct a small number of cables to the endpoints of the work areas.
- Wall channeling: It can be done in a hollow wall (with a chamber) or a solid wall, making a clearing or taking advantage of the ramifications of the electrical installation.
It must be taken into account that the network cabling must be independent of the electrical cabling to avoid interference, so the same channeling must not be used for both routes if there is no physical separation between them.
- Plant distributor: The entity of the plant distributor will depend, to a large extent, on the magnitude of the plant network. In the simplest networks, the plant distributor is a distribution cabinet that can even be located in an office.
In more complex networks, the plant distributor comes to occupy an entire room, called the telecommunications room.
Depending on the type of assembly required and the ground conditions, one type or another of channeling will be used.
How to Install Network Cabling Trunking
Layout planning is the first phase of effective network installation.
Existing cable runs should be identified and it should be noted that long cable runs require long-radius conduits for bends.
The entry points for the runs must be kept accessible, to allow the installation, inspection, and maintenance of the cables.
Another issue to plan is the length of the laying (worry that the pipeline has inspection points approximately every 12 m) and the number of 90-degree bends within the pipeline, not exceeding 30m in length or more than two of these curves without there being a registration box.
In routes through areas with restricted access, other types of conduits that are more flexible in terms of handling and extension of the cable can be used, such as open trays suspended from the ceiling.
Once the plans are completely clear… The rest is a little more intuitive.
But don’t underestimate this job, for whatever reason, so many companies hire expert technicians like the ones at LayerLogix to plan and install network cabling trunking, even more so in larger and more complex networks.