This document standardizes requirements for residential telecommunications cabling. These requirements are based on the facilities that are necessary for existing and emerging telecommunications services. Cabling specifications for voice, video, data, home automation, multimedia, security, audio, HVAC are made available. The standard is for new construction, additions, and remodeled single and multi-tenant residential buildings.

Grades of Residential Cabling:

• Grade 1 – provides a generic cabling system for telephone, satellite, CATV and data services. Grade 1 specifies a minimum of one twisted pair cable and associated connecting hardware (Category 3, Category 5 is recommended) and one coaxial cable (75 ohm) configured in a star topology.

• Grade 2- provides a generic cabling system for basic, advanced, and multimedia services. Grade 2 specifies a minimum of two 4-pair UTP cable and associated connecting hardware (Category 5, Category 5e recommended), two coaxial cables (75 ohm), and an optional 2-pair optical fiber cable all configured in a star topology.

Recognized Backbone Cables for Multi-tenant/Campus Infrastructure:

• 100Ω Twisted Pair Balanced Cabling

• 62.5/125μm multi-mode optical fiber

• 50/125μm multi-mode optical fiber

• Single-mode optical fiber

• Hard-line coaxial

• RG 6 and RG 11 type coaxial

A star topology should be configured for twisted pair and optical fiber backbone cabling. Coaxial backbone cables can be configured in a star or bus topology.