Design a building's structured cabling on scaled floor plans, with every run length taken from the route the cable follows and every run checked against the permanent link and channel limits.
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Walkthrough
Each copper run shows its permanent link and channel lengths against their limits, the headroom, the governing limit, the loop resistance and the BASE-T applications it will carry.
Every run is coloured on the plan by its result, so the parts of a building where runs fail are easy to see.
Structural problems such as uncabled outlets, missing or double booked ports, runs changing level without a riser and powered devices with no PoE source are listed for you to fix.
Export the cable schedule, the port and patching matrix and the equipment list as CSV files.
Project library with saved designs.
Overview
A structured cabling design depends on how long each run is. Inside the limits the link passes; beyond them it fails certification and a cable has to be pulled again. That length is set by the route through the building, which a spreadsheet cannot know before anyone has walked it.
The Structured Cabling Designer puts the design on the floor plan. You import a plan for each level and set its scale, then place racks, distributors, patch panels, switches, consolidation points, outlets and end devices at real positions. Cable runs follow waypoints and pathways the way the cable will actually go, and each length is built from the routed distance, the riser height between levels, a service loop at each end and a slack allowance. A length measured on site can replace the derived figure.
Each copper run is then checked against the permanent link and channel limits using the same length model as the Structured Cabling Channel Planner, de-rated for temperature and the declared cord budget. The designer also checks loop resistance, application support, capacity and outlet provisioning, and it exports the cable schedule, port matrix and equipment list. It is a design tool and does not replace field certification.
Run lengths come from the geometry you draw. Each length is broken down into routed distance, riser height, service loops and slack, so the parts add up to the total and can be checked. A measured length replaces the derived figure and drops the allowances, because a tape measurement already includes them.
Every copper run is checked against both limits, de-rated for the hottest pathway it passes through and traded against the declared cord budget. The result shows the headroom and names the governing limit, so it is clear what would need to change.
The channel pair loop resistance is calculated at the conductor gauge and temperature of each run and checked against the 25 ohm limit. Each run also lists the BASE-T applications it will carry, and a run that is within length but cannot carry the speed its device needs is failed.
The length model is shared with the Structured Cabling Channel Planner, so the two tools always agree about the same run. The Channel Planner suits a single run; the designer handles every run in a building.
The designer counts rack units, patch panel and switch ports at each distributor against the spare policy you set, and reports uplink oversubscription for each access switch. Outlet provisioning is measured over the work areas you draw, at a density you choose.
Switches, IP cameras, access control hardware and optical cable can come from the noIM₃ component catalogue alongside a library of generic planning parts. Each part is marked as datasheet, derived or generic, so it is clear where every figure comes from.
A run on an unscaled level, a run whose media cannot be resolved, and an optical run are reported as unable to be checked rather than passed. Validation also lists structural problems such as missing ports, double booked ports, runs changing level without a riser and powered devices with no PoE source.
The cable schedule, port and patching matrix and equipment list are each exported as CSV from the same design. Projects save in the browser and to your account, and can be exported to a file and imported again.
Inputs and outputs
Inputs 11
Outputs 11
Use cases
The Channel Planner checks one run with a length you type in, and it remains the right tool for a single run. The designer works out every run in a building from a floor plan, including where each run goes and how long it is. Both tools use the same length model, so they always agree about the same run.
From the route you draw. The horizontal length follows the waypoints and pathways, so a run around a core or along a tray is measured along its path rather than in a straight line. A run between levels adds the difference in floor elevation, and a service loop at each end plus a slack allowance cover dressing and termination.
It replaces the derived figure, and the slack and service loops are dropped rather than added on top. A tape measurement already includes them, so adding an allowance would count them twice. The run is marked as measured.
Yes. The channel pair loop resistance is checked against the 25 ohm limit at the conductor gauge and temperature of each run, and each run is checked for the BASE-T speed its device needs. Propagation delay and delay skew are not checked in the designer; the Channel Planner covers them for a single run.
It means the designer could not evaluate the run, so it does not report a result. Common causes are a level with no scale set, media that cannot be resolved to a part, and optical fibre, which is limited by loss rather than length. These runs are counted separately from passes.
No. Optical runs are placed, routed, scheduled and given a derived length like any other run, but no optical loss budget is calculated, so they are reported as unable to be checked.
No. Identifiers follow the designer's own readable convention, combining the level, component and port. If the site has an existing identifier scheme, follow that.
No. Certification is a frequency swept measurement of the installed cable with a field tester. The designer is a design tool that checks lengths, de-rating, loop resistance and application support, and it does not replace a field tester or a registered cabler.
Related
Included in the 14-day Pro trial on every new account. No credit card.
