AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Justin W. Hobbs, RCDD, TECH, is a distinguished physical network architect and author with nearly three decades of extensive experience in both logical and physical networking, construction, contracting, and system ownership. His diverse career encompasses significant contributions across various sectors, including government, military, education, data centers, aviation, and healthcare. Throughout his career, Justin has excelled in a range of roles, from field technician and project manager to consultant, system owner, and subject matter expert. He leverages a deep understanding of real-world applications, published standards, and industry best practices to advocate for the awareness and acknowledgment of information transport systems (ITS), Layer 1, and holistic information and communications technology (ICT). Mr. Hobbs holds a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, complemented by several prestigious industry certifications from BICSI and AAAE. In recent times, he has rekindled his love of writing and has published three books with more to come. He resides in Denver, North Carolina, with his family. Justin can be contacted at jhobbs4007@gmail.com. WORKS CITED 1. Definitive Healthcare. (2025, January 15). What is the average number of beds in a U.S. hospital? https://www. definitivehc.com/resources/healthcare-insights/ us-hospitals-average-beds 2. Maleki Varnosfaderani, S., & Forouzanfar, M. (2024, March 29). The role of AI in hospitals and clinics: Transforming Healthcare in the 21st Century. Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/ PMC11047988/
3. Bruce, G. (2025, May 15). What makes a hospital room “intelligent”? - Becker’s Hospital Review: Healthcare News & Analysis. Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ healthcare-information-technology/innovation/ what-makes-a-hospital-room- intelligent/?origin=CIOE&utm_source=CIOE&utm_ medium=email&utm_content=newsletter&oly_enc_ id=2681D8178845C4W 4. Dyrda, L. (2025, June 12). Houston Methodist added or cameras - 1,510 more cases followed - Becker’s Hospital Review: Healthcare News & Analysis. Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis. https://www. beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information- technology/ houston-methodists-ors-now-run-like- airlines/?origin=BHRE&utm_source=BHRE&utm_ medium=email&utm_content=newsletter&oly_enc_ id=2681D8178845C4W 5. Hoover, J. (2018, January 2). Marriott Atlanta Marquis fiber-based network delivers high bandwidth, better security, smaller footprint and lower costs. Tellabs. https:// tellabs.com/ marriott-atlanta-marquis-fiber-based-network-delivers- high-bandwidth-better-security-smaller-footprint-and- lower-costs/ 6. FGI. (2022). 2.2-2. In Specific Requirements for General Hospitals (pp. 153–188).
Exploring Solutions that Support Extended Distances
By Todd Harpel
IOT EXPANSION NECESSITATES EXTENDED DISTANCE SUPPORT Educational institutions, healthcare organizations, and enterprise-level businesses face an increasingly common conundrum. More network-connected devices are in locations that may be hard to reach or are outside the footprint of the building and beyond the traditional capabilities of standards-based copper cabling. The benchmark for performance and interoperability remains at ~100 m (328 ft); however, many organizations often need to extend their connectivity beyond this standard distance. IoT-connected systems like occupancy sensors, smart thermostats, and air quality monitoring devices are being implemented throughout an organization’s facilities, and occasionally, these devices are located more than 100 m from the building’s telecommunications room (TR). More commonly, IP security cameras and Wi-Fi access points are placed on the exterior of facilities or in outdoor areas like athletic fields and parking lots where no remote enclosures exist and AC power is inaccessible. Attempts to connect these devices within a typical structured cabling framework are limited in success, as the overextension results in high error rates, poor performance, and frequent interruptions.
Installing some devices more than 100 m from a TR is sometimes unavoidable and, the time, effort, and capital required to build another TR functionally eliminates that option. Leaders want to know: is there a way to extend the distance of their structured cabling systems beyond the 100 m standard without sacrificing performance and quality? It is possible to do so, though not without careful consideration of transmission performance and the potential impacts of engineered solutions. This article will explore the situations in which it is possible to achieve extended distances with copper cable-based structured cabling, as well as the limitations of those channels over time. It will also examine a future- proofed approach to extended distances, pivoting away from short-term fixes into long-term, sustainable solutions. UNPACKING THE 100 M STANDARD The ANSI/TIA cabling standards were created to support IEEE BASE-T network transmission requirements, and predominantly Ethernet network requirements. Established from the earliest days of cabling standards, the 100m channel limit has remained a foundational principle for modern structured cabling. This distance allowed the cabling
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