Just after a bit of info i cant seem to find online. Ive been asked by a contracts manager if i have the correct qualifications for installing extra low voltage cabling (mainly cat5) plus the termination of the cables at either end. I have installed and terminated these cables for the past 10 years and this is the first time anyone has asked if i have the right quals to install them. Im fully qualified spark, so does this cover the installation and termination of these cables or is there a sperate qualification for this. (another money making scheme)?
installing extra low voltage (qualifications)
- Thread starter garlicbread
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There is a City and Guilds 3666 qualification for communication cables, not sure if you have to have it or not to be installing them.
An interesting question - I too have installed such data cabling for <cough> years but have no qualifications. I'm not aware of any qualifications specific to doing them - though several manufacturers have their own schemes (pay your dosh, do the course, call yourself certified by <x>).
EDIT: when I started, Cat3 was all the rage
As a secondary thing, if a qualified electrician offers to install data cabling, start asking questions. Some do know what they are doing, but my experience is that most haven't got a clue how to terminate them properly. In particular I often see then where the installer has made no attempt to maintain the twist and grouping up to the terminations - thus creating a huge impedance mismatch that would play havoc with signalling if used to the limit of what the cabling standard should support.
Few have even the most basic tools to test data cabling either. Even having a basic "light box" to tell you the wiring is correct would be a start, but it won't detect split pairs or poor signalling caused by such installation faults (or random inline joints with cheap-n-nasty connectors).
As an IT person, I can tell you that it soon ceases to be fun when you come to install some new equipment and eventually find out that the reason it isn't working is because of faults in the fixed wiring.
EDIT: when I started, Cat3 was all the rage
As a secondary thing, if a qualified electrician offers to install data cabling, start asking questions. Some do know what they are doing, but my experience is that most haven't got a clue how to terminate them properly. In particular I often see then where the installer has made no attempt to maintain the twist and grouping up to the terminations - thus creating a huge impedance mismatch that would play havoc with signalling if used to the limit of what the cabling standard should support.
Few have even the most basic tools to test data cabling either. Even having a basic "light box" to tell you the wiring is correct would be a start, but it won't detect split pairs or poor signalling caused by such installation faults (or random inline joints with cheap-n-nasty connectors).
As an IT person, I can tell you that it soon ceases to be fun when you come to install some new equipment and eventually find out that the reason it isn't working is because of faults in the fixed wiring.
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Installed (and tested) by an electrician.
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I took a course Access to HE in IT as I required resent learning before doing my degree.
As part of the course we did the Cisco Systems with all the stuff about dotted decimal etc. I would have considered that course would be training in IT and it included terminating cables.
However it was not until I did my degree that impedance and matching was covered and that was not an IT degree just Electrical and Electronic engineering.
In fact I learn more about terminating cables in the course for my Amateur Radio Exam than I did in the IT course.
So selecting appropriate qualifications would not be easy. We see this again and again where some one takes an exam on how to read a book and thinks that makes them an electrician. The level 3 label covers such a huge range of exams and courses it means nothing.
Even the other labels like "A" level I did maths and digital photography how they were both considered the same level I fail to see. For Maths you needed an "O" level or whatever the new name is to even start the course. For Photography no previous knowledge was required.
Many years ago I took delivery of a cherry picker and the delivery driver showed me how to use it let me try it for myself and filled in a certificate in the back of the instruction book to say I had been trained.
Years latter I was asked if I had a cherry picker licence to which I answered yes. After a few months I was asked to bring in the licence which I did and only at that point did I know there was a far more stringent system now in place. I have since got the new licence.
However the point is I had no idea the qualification I held had been superseded. So today when asked if I hold the required qualification my answer has to be I hold "xxxx" is that what you are referring to?
A simple yes or no is not really an answer as how can anyone know what the other person will considered as required.
Hands up who thinks that upgrading from C&G2381 to C&G2382 made them better electricians?
As part of the course we did the Cisco Systems with all the stuff about dotted decimal etc. I would have considered that course would be training in IT and it included terminating cables.
However it was not until I did my degree that impedance and matching was covered and that was not an IT degree just Electrical and Electronic engineering.
In fact I learn more about terminating cables in the course for my Amateur Radio Exam than I did in the IT course.
So selecting appropriate qualifications would not be easy. We see this again and again where some one takes an exam on how to read a book and thinks that makes them an electrician. The level 3 label covers such a huge range of exams and courses it means nothing.
Even the other labels like "A" level I did maths and digital photography how they were both considered the same level I fail to see. For Maths you needed an "O" level or whatever the new name is to even start the course. For Photography no previous knowledge was required.
Many years ago I took delivery of a cherry picker and the delivery driver showed me how to use it let me try it for myself and filled in a certificate in the back of the instruction book to say I had been trained.
Years latter I was asked if I had a cherry picker licence to which I answered yes. After a few months I was asked to bring in the licence which I did and only at that point did I know there was a far more stringent system now in place. I have since got the new licence.
However the point is I had no idea the qualification I held had been superseded. So today when asked if I hold the required qualification my answer has to be I hold "xxxx" is that what you are referring to?
A simple yes or no is not really an answer as how can anyone know what the other person will considered as required.
Hands up who thinks that upgrading from C&G2381 to C&G2382 made them better electricians?
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