The building you’re sitting in right now is a copper gold mine. It contains thousands of unused feet of Category 3 and Category 5 copper cabling that was previously used by the PBX phone system, fax lines, modems, and legacy telecom systems.
Now, it does nothing. But it should and could. You just have to put those wires to good use. What was once obsolete cabling now has new opportunities for modern uses. In fact, it’s ideal for low-bandwidth applications in smart buildings. Yes, everything old can be new again.
Opportunities to Use Legacy Voice Cabling
- Air quality monitors
- Door contacts
- Dry contact alarms
- Leak detectors
- Lighting controllers
- Low-bandwidth IoT devices
- Meter pulse readers
- Occupancy counters
- Smart relays
- Smart LED controllers
- Temperature sensors
Instead of paying to remove it or leaving it in place but unused, facility managers can work with IT infrastructure experts to put that wire to exceptional use.
Copper Repurposing and Building System Integration: Where to Get Started
Cat3 copper wires are running throughout a building. Especially if that facility has been around for a couple of decades. Phone systems lived on copper, and business ran on phones, so the cables are nearly omnipresent.
Best Places to Look for Copper Wires
- Above the ceiling
- IDF rooms
- Inside wall cavities
- Riser shafts
- Telecom closets
- Within conduit
A facility’s hidden copper wires are, in reality, a fully installed network that’s already paid for. It’s basically free infrastructure.
How to Improve Network Infrastructure By Giving Cat3 a Second Life
Modern or updated buildings feature distribution devices that are spread out everywhere. That hidden IT infrastructure is in all the places you want or need to connect devices physically. When you tap into the wires, you unlock opportunities to add sensors, controllers, monitors, lighting, and more to your automation, maintenance, or workflow solutions. Using existing copper wires can deliver your fastest and most affordable IT Infrastructure upgrade.
Why Copper Wire Still Works
Category 3 wire (copper wire) isn’t used or respected in today’s IT infrastructure because it can’t match the performance of gigabit Ethernet. But it doesn’t need to achieve that level of performance to still be of use. Many modern devices demand far fewer performance specifications. In fact, the smarter they get, the less bandwidth they often require. Sensor telemetry packets, for example, are tiny and can be transmitted great via copper wire. As does RS-485 communications, BAC/net MS/TP-style controls, low-speed IP bridges, and power-plus-data converters. In all of those cases and many more, Cat3 wire is all that is needed.
Popular Copper Wire Connected Devices
- Environmental monitoring (humidity/temp)
- Motion sensors
- Smart LED low-voltage controllers
- Water leak detectors
The Cost Savings of a Cat3 Structured Cabling System
Adding cabling, especially structured cabling, comes with a cost. Depending on the quantity, complexity, and type of wire, the cost can be significant. Using existing copper wire skips all of that. It nearly eliminates labor costs, avoids annoying ceiling access, doesn’t require permitting, and there is no patching and painting when you’re complete. Oftentimes, even documentation isn’t needed. It’s all in place, set, and ready to utilize. That means faster ROI for IT projects and easier project approval.
Re-using Copper Feels Good
Many companies have environmental scorings, rules, or expectations to meet. Re-using copper wiring fits into all of those cases.
When you reuse existing infrastructure like copper wires, it keeps it out of landfills. It also reduces demand for raw natural materials and the creation of vinyl coatings and plastic connectors. Existing cables are the greenest possible cables and serve as the ultimate IT department thrift.
Beyond the Wire
Even if the existing copper wire can’t be used for every application you plan, its existing routes can.
A Copper Network Likely Connects
- Basement to risers
- Ceiling zones to remote offices
- IDF to elevator machine room
- MDF to the mechanical room
- Telecom room to the rooftop
Using the routes can also create significant time and cost savings. In fact, in some applications, having established pathways will save you more than reusing the wire.
Checking Copper Wire Before Use
Copper, like any networking cable, can degrade/break, or otherwise fail. So don’t assume that just because you see copper wire, it is automatically usable. It likely is, but it’s best to inspect and verify. Look for potential issues by checking the cable’s condition, testing for continuity, checking for signs of water damage, verifying label accuracy, confirming fire code compliance, assessing distance limitations, checking for EMI interference, and evaluating termination quality.
Inspecting the state of your copper wire network isn’t difficult or time-consuming, making it a must before deploying devices onto it.
Suggested Steps for Evaluating Existing Cat3 Networks
- Audit closets and risers
- Tone and trace lines
- Certify usable runs
- Label everything
- Segment approved lines for smart use
- Document new purposes
The Hybrid Option or How To Choose Both
Using your facility’s existing Cat3 network doesn’t limit your networking options. It expands them. You don’t have to choose between old and new. The best course is often to use both in a hybrid solution. Take and use what works, adapt, modify, or add to it what comes up short. And for certain, use faster cables like Cat6 or fiber for high bandwidth demands.
Good Uses for Cat3
- Alarms
- Controls
- Sensors
- Telemetry
Good Uses for Cat6/Fiber
- Cameras
- Core backbone
- High-speed transmission
- High-density endpoints
- Wi-Fi
Using both options is the surest way to maximize network performance and ROI.
Ready to Future-Proof Your Facility for Smart Building Tech?
Tapping into a building’s existing Cat3/copper network for PBX and other telecom systems is a big part of future-proofing ongoing operations. Identifying and deploying the best approach to achieve it requires working with an expert. Matrix-NDI solves the challenges of your business operations by unlocking the full ROI of your technology investments. We design and install networks built for maximum speed and perfectly matched to bandwidth demands.
Why Work With Matrix-NDI?
We have on-staff Registered Communications Distribution Designers (RCDD), coast-to-coast service, and elite data networking partners, including Extreme Networks, Nile, and others. Ultimately, Matrix-NDI aligns your business with the devices, internet service, and software to achieve all technical objectives. We invite you to reach out with your needs and see how our expertise, partnerships, and national scale can be leveraged to solve them.
Contact Matrix-NDI to get started. Let’s build smarter, safer, more connected spaces — together.
