ETL/ITS

Who is ITS/ETL?

Intertek Testing Services (ITS) is the largest certification and testing organization in the world, with more than 2 million annual inspections, certifications, and tests worldwide and is an OSHA-accredited, nationally recognized testing laboratory. Last year's earning were reported at more than $600 million.

ETL is part of the performance division of ITS specializing in testing and/or administration of third-party certification programs. ETL is nationally recognized in the structured-cabling industry for its "ETL Cable Verification Program." You will typically notice the mark of "ETL Verified" on the outer jacket of high-performance LAN cables.

What is a field verification partner (FVP)?

To implement this program cost effectively and provide local services to you anywhere in the country, the ITS/ETL field verification program is made up of a team, strategically chosen as highly qualified independent firms in the structured-cabling industry. These firms are staffed with Registered Communications Distribution Designers (RCDDs), independent to the cabling installation and manufacturing process.

Why have your structured-cabling system independently verified?

Cabling contractors typically have concurrent installations. In this fast-paced industry, cabling contractors are continuously put under tremendous pressure from numerous concurrent jobs. You don't want to have your job put anywhere else but the top of the list for skilled labor and quality workmanship. By having an ITS/ETL Field Verification Partner to institute the program of independent verification at your installation site, you will be surprised how fast your job moves to the top of that contractor's priority list. The quality of workmanship increases dramatically because the contractor is aware that an expert in structured-cabling systems, independent of the installation team, is inspecting, testing, and reporting on the work.

Having an ITS/ETL Field Verification Partner on your side provides the assurance that an independent, experienced team will be verifying the installation for compliance to the TIA/EIA-568-B standard. When you specify in your request for proposal (RFP) that an "ITS/ETL field verification partner will independently verify the installation for compliance to the TIA/EIA-568-B standard," you can be sure that there will be a thought-out response to your proposal from the installation contractor. They will be aware at the bidding stage that an ITS/ETL Field Verification Partner will be verifying the installation for compliance.

Do you know if your cabling system will work with Gigabit Ethernet?

Will you have to re-certify your Structured Cabling System? Typically end-users get their structured-cabling system certified from the installation contractor who installed the job. This is usually incorporated into the cost of installation. To keep cost down, but still be within the TIA/EIA-568-B standard, the contractor will test the installed cabling by using the autotest function for a basic Cat5 link configuration which only test four parameters: NEXT, Attenuation, Wire Map, and Length.

Gigabit Ethernet requires additional parameters including: Return Loss, ELFEXT, and Delay Skew, which are only available from more expensive Level II testers. Category 6 systems require even more stringent testing from Level IIe testers. If problems occur due to the inability of your cabling system to comply with Gigabit Ethernet (see Gigabit Ethernet below) you will be prepared to react before implementation.

Is your installation physically compliant to TIA/EIA-568-B standard?

There are thousands of structured-cabling systems installed each year that do not adhere to the TIA/EIA-568-B (or even the older 568-A) installation and performance standards. Although this lack of compliance may not cause immediate concern at the time of installation and, most of the time, is over-looked, future ramifications of a poorly installed structured-cabling system can be devastating on high-speed transmission over the life-cycle of your network. Here are some examples:

UTP category 5 cables, exceeding more than .5", untwist in terminated spaces.

The horizontal cables have been spliced in the ceiling because the cables were too short to terminate on connecting hardware.

Poor quality patch cords that are not 568-B channel qualified are used.

Cable jacket abrasion – a sign that the cable could be damaged and a failure could result if the cable is moved.

Unused fiber connectors having polarity reversal and not having protected covers applied to them, subjecting connectors to environmental contaminants.

Do you know if all cable links have been tested and examined thoroughly upon certification?
Just because you have had the installation contractor supply you a basic-link report does not mean that all cables have been tested 100%. For the most part, contractors do not intentionally miss cabled locations to save a few dollars on testing, but mistakes frequently occur. They are especially prevalent in pre-wired locations that are not required to be plugged in at the time of occupancy, or are in inaccessible areas at the time the testing occurred.

This is why it is so important to have an outside independent source performing the certification of your structured-cabling system. Taking time to examine each individual test report by an RCDD, as well, cross-referencing each test report to assure the installed location on current floor plans matches with each outlet number, can ensure accuracy. After an examination of all the test reports, the contractor corrects all locations in question.

Independent verification has numerous benefits:

Increases the probability that your Structured Cabling System project will be at the top of the cabling contractor's list for quality workmanship and allocated resources.
Assures a more thorough, though-out response to the Request for Proposal and installed SCS project from the awarded contractor, even when the end user is subjected to the "low bid" requirements.
Testing above typical auto test functions to ensure more headroom and better quality links and channels.
Ensures a thorough examination of test reports by an RCDD.
Determines whether older Category 5 cabling links are capable of running higher speed applications such as Gigabit Ethernet.
Ensures that all copper and fiber pre-wired locations are labeled correctly and will operate properly when they are eventually brought on-line.
Provides a third-party proof of performance for cabling system warranty issues.
Reduces the chance of litigation.
Provide a third-party proof of performance for litigated issues.

Data Communications
Industry observers say up to 20% of the existing Category 5 cabling runs may not support high-speed traffic. Most of difficulties encountered so far are caused by cabling that was improperly installed and connected.

LAN Times
Experts say that less than one-fifth of all Category 5 installations in the United States adhere to TIA termination guidelines.

The performance of the cable you've specified has been independently verified. And the performance of the connecting hardware you've specified has been independently verified. But how can you be sure you've eliminated the element of human error in your installed cabling system?

If you find this question difficult to answer, Intertek Testing Services (ITS) can provide you with the data to answer this question confidently. ITS now offers independent, ETL-Verification of Installed Cabling Systems. "We designed this service to give end-users confidence that their cabling system was properly installed and that it performs as specified. It gives them the option to have someone, independent of the installer, ensure that the installation is proper. The TIA and ISO technical committees have put numerous hours into developing requirements of how a cabling system should be installed and how it should perform. We feel that end users should have an independent method determining whether or not their cabling system was installed to meet those standards," states Don Nicholson, Industry Manager for Communication Products at ITS.

The ITS On-Site Verification Process includes the following procedures:

Testing Channel/Links/Runs:
Basic UTP Horizontal Link (copper/fiber) - TIA/EIA-568-B
Backbone Cabling Fiber Optics - TIA/EIA-568-B
Patch Cords (copper/fiber) - TIA/EIA-568-B

Visual Inspection:
UTP Jacket Removal
UTP Cat. 5 Untwisting Requirements
UTP Bending Radius
Tie Wrap Securing
Fiber Optic Slack Requirements
Protective Cover for Fiber Connectors
Independently Verified Cable and Connecting Hardware were Utilized - TIA/EIA-568-B