Fundamentals of Voice and Date Cabling
Tentative Outline

Target Audience:
Academy Students

Prerequisites: Students should have a Reading Age Level (RAL) of 13, basic computer literacy and awareness of the Internet. Prior experience with cabling and connectivity for any type of voice or data networks is desired but not required.

Course Description: The Fundamentals of Voice and Data Cabling Course is designed for students interested in the physical aspects of voice and data network cabling and installation. The course focuses on cabling issues related to data and voice connections and provides an understanding of the industry and its worldwide standards, types of media and cabling, physical and logical networks, as well as signal transmission. Students will develop skills in reading network design documentation, part list set up and purchase, pulling and mounting cable, cable management, choosing wiring closets and patch panel installation and termination as well as installing jacks and cable testing. This hands-on, lab-oriented course stresses documentation, design, and installation issues, as well as laboratory safety, on-the-job safety, and working effectively in group environments. This course will help prepare students for the BICSI Registered Certified Installer, Level 1.

Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will have an understanding of:

• The cabling industry and its job market as well as US and international standards and worldwide standards organizations.
• Basic networking concepts and topologies, as well as the OSI model and the main functions of each layer of the model.
• Signal transmission, basics of electrical and optical transmission theory, basic wireless systems theory, as well as the causes and effects of signal degradation.
• Schematics of copper cabling in the form of twisted-pair and shielded twisted-pair, as well as the respective standards and coaxial cable schematics.
• Fiber optics usage in cabling, different modes of fiber optics and implications of dispersion and attenuation.
• Essential lab safety principles, local, national and international safety and code of conduct for installers, tools of the trade and professional behavior and demeanor.
• Structured cabling system basics, the difference between equipment rooms, telecommunications rooms, wiring closets, main distribution facilities and intermediate distribution as well as different types of cabling.
• Cabling installation phases such as presales and sales process phases, documentation processes, software tools, network design, parts lists and purchases.
• Rough-in phase elements, installation upgrades and retrofits.
• Trim-out phase tasks, the importance of cable management and copper and fiber optic media termination.
• The finish phase, cable testing and cable certification.
• Cabling project completion and customer support.
• Emerging networking technologies.

Lab Requirements:
The lab equipment is offered in the form of two kits listed below.

	Total Retail Price
Core Kit	$7,380.09
Local Materials	$2,157.68
Panduit will be providing Academies with a 30-35% discount off the retail price listed above.

 

	Description	When to Buy
Core Kit	Provides the essential equipment and consumables that are necessary to complete the FVDC Curriculum and Course Project Labs. These items are typically a one-time expense, or items that would not need to be ordered for each class. This kit does not include the lab wall set up, general tools.	If your Academy offers the FVDC curriculum, you will at minimum need to buy this kit.
Local Materials	Local Materials Lists all general tools and hand tools that are used in the labs and final course project. It also includes all of the tools that are not specific to network cabling. In addition, some items on this list are necessary to set up the lab wall. The list will be accompanied by an instructional video showing how to create the lab wall set up.	This list includes items that are best purchased locally rather than ordered as a kit. Your Academy may already have some of the equipment and consumables listed here.

Certification Alignment:
The curriculum is aligned with the BICSI Registered Certified Installer, Level 1 objectives.

Course Overview:
This course has been designed for 70 contact hours: approximately 40 hours will be designated to lab activities and 30 hours will be spent on curriculum content.

Sections:
I. Industry and Networking Overview

1. Cabling Industry and Standards

1. Signals and Wires
2. Copper Media
3. Fiber Optic Media
4. Introduction to Networking

1. Standards
2. Structured Cabling Basics
3. Tools of the Trade

1. Cabling Presales/ Sales Phase
2. Cabling Rough-In Phase
3. Cabling Trim Out Phase
4. Cabling Finish Phase
5. Cabling Customer Support Phase

1. Emerging Cabling Technologies

I. Industry and Networking Overview

1. Cabling Industry and Standards

1.1 Introduction to Cabling
1.2 The Cabling Job Market
1.3 National and Local Safety Codes and Standards (9.2)
1.4 International Safety and Code of Conduct (9.2)
1.5 Basic Lab Safety Principles Safety and Code of Conduct

II. Media and Transmission Practices

2. Signals and Wires

2.1 Signal Transmission
2.2 Basics of Electrical Theory (7.1)
2.3 Electronic Characteristics of Cables (4.1)
2.4 Basics of Optical Theory (7.4)
2.5 Basic Wireless Systems Theory
2.6 Signals on Networks
2.7 High-Bandwidth and Backbone Signals
2.8 Signal Degradation (17.1)

3. Copper Media

3.1 Overview
3.2 Twisted-Pair (5.1)
3.3 Twisted-Pair Cable Fundamentals (7.3)
3.4 Other Twisted-Pair Configurations
3.5 Standards
3.6 Coaxial Cable
3.7 Outside Plant Cables

4.1 Fiber Optics (5.5)
4.2 Modes (5.5)
4.3 Dispersion (17.2)
4.4 Attenuation (Insertion Loss) (17.2)

5.1 Networking Overview
5.2 Network Topologies
5.3 OSI Model Overview
5.4 Physical Layer Functions
5.5 Data Link Layer Functions
5.6 Network Layer Functions
5.7 Transport Layer Functions
5.8 Application, Presentation and Session Layer Functions

III. Installation Theory

6. Standards

6.1 Introduction to Cabling Standards
6.2 Worldwide Standards Organizations
6.3 US Standards
6.4 Local US Codes
6.5 Canadian Standards
6.6 Japanese Standards
6.7 Australian and New Zealand Standards
6.8 European Standards

7.1 What is a Structured Cabling System?
7.2 Building Entrances (2.1)
7.3 Equipment Rooms (ER) and Telecommunication Rooms (TR) (11.2)
7.4 The Main Distribution Facility (MDF) or Main Cross Connect (MC) (2.2)
7.5 The Intermediate Distribution Facility (IDF) or Telecommunications Room (TR) (2.2)
7.6 Cross-Connects - Main (MC), Vertical or Intermediate (IC), Horizontal (HC) (2.3)
7.7 Work-Area Cabling (11.4)
7.8 Patch Cords (6.2)
7.9 Other Premises Distribution Systems

8.1 Tools of the Trade (12.1)
8.2 Tool Usage and Material Handling
8.3 Professionalism

IV. Practical Installation

9. Cabling Presales/ Sales Phase

9.1 Overview
9.2 Request-for-Proposals
9.3 Pre Bid Meeting and Bid Creation (10.3)
9.4 Requirements Gathering
9.5 Labor Cost Calculation (19.1)
9.6 Material and Labor Issues
9.7 Contract Development (19.1), Negotiations and Planning
9.8 Communication and Conflict Resolution
9.9 Software Tools
9.10 Icons and Symbols
9.11 Types of Design Documents

10.1 Rough-In Phase Overview
10.2 Rough-In Support Tools
10.3 Horizontal Cable Installation (2.1,12.1)
10.4 Vertical Cable Installation (2.1)
10.5 Roughing-In of other Cabling Types
10.6 Firestops (13.1)
10.7 Upgrades and Retrofits (19.4)

11.1 Trim Out Phase Overview (14.1)
11.2 Cable Management (11.3)
11.3 Terminating Copper Media (6.1)
11.4 Fiber Optic Termination (16.2)
11.5 Fiber Optic Connectors (16.2)
11.6 Fiber Optic Splicing (overview) (15.2)
11.7 Additional Technical Information
11.8 Patch Panels
11.9 Upgrades and Retrofits (19.4)

12.1 Finish Phase Overview
12.2 Cable Testing (19.2)
12.3 Cable Troubleshooting
12.4 Cable Certification (19.2)

13.1 Cabling Project Completion Overview
13.2 Customer support (10.1)
13.3 Customer Support Job Functions (19.1)
13.4 Customer Support Materials (19.1)
13.5 Determining Upgrade Opportunities (19.4)

V. Future of Cabling

14. Emerging Cabling Technologies

14.1 Emerging Cabling Technology Overview (19.4)
14.2 High-Speed Internet Access
14.3 Residential Cabling
14.4 Wireless Networking and Cabling
14.5 Voice over IP Technologies

adapted from a page on Cisco Networking Academy