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Reference Guide To Fiber Optics |
| Topic: Study Guide For The FOA CPCT Exam | Table of Contents: The FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics |
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Reference Guide To Fiber Optics |
| Topic: Study Guide For The FOA CPCT Exam | Table of Contents: The FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics |
Study Guide For The FOA Certified Premises Cabling Technician (CPCT) Exam Using The FOA Online Reference Guide To Fiber Optics Objective: To provide anyone preparing for the FOA CPCT certification exam a study guide to using The FOA Online Reference Guide to Fiber Optics to study for the CPCT exam. It is also useful for CFOTs wanting a course on all aspects of premises cabling. Note: All links to other web pages will open in a new window to prevent you losing your place on this page. Remember to close those pages once you have read them! The FOA CPCT exam is a closed book, “proctored”* exam covering advanced fiber optic knowledge based on Data, Voice and Video Cabling, 3rd Edition, The Fiber Optic Technicians Manual, 3rd Edition, The FOA Online Reference Guide and the FOA Installation Tech Bulletins. You will need to apply to take the exam and designate a proctor for the testing. This guide will help you study for the CPCT exam using The FOA Online Reference Guide and other online resources on the FOA website. Preparing For The CPCT Exam We assume you have already gained a good background in cabling and fiber optics from FOA’s online reference guide or the textbook, especially Uncle Ted’s Guide To VDV Cabling (http://www.vdvworks.com/UncleTed/index.html) and Lennie Lightwave’s Guide To Fiber Optics (www.LennieLightwave.com). We also assume you have practical knowledge and skills in actual cabling installation. Structured cabling began as telephone twisted pair cabling, but was adapted first to digital phone systems (digital PBX) as they replaced analog (POTS) systems and then to 10 Mb/s Ethernet as a cheaper alternative to coax cable. By the late 1980s, unshielded twisted pair cable became the media of choice for the rapidly expanding Ethernet market, while fiber optics was developed during the 1990s as a network media for high-speed backbones and high-reliability and secure networks. Wireless developed in the late 1990s to allow mobile connections for the PC and has become the connection of choice for users who want mobility. Structured cabling has changed such that practically every medium to large office network incorporates all three media, not only for computer communications and phone, but video conferencing and allowing the migration of phone to VoIP (voice over IP networks.) Security systems, including CCTV and access, use structured cabling. Even homes are being built with structured cabling to support Internet connections, phones and multimedia – audio and TV. The goal of FOA-approved training and certification is to ensure the student gains proper knowledge of the technology and application of structured cabling and develops skills in installation technology. Thus, the FOA has set standards for training that allow learning the essential knowledge and developing sufficient skills to be successful in the workplace. Below is a summary of what the FOA expects as knowledge for the CPCT certification in the form of explanations of the importance of each section of the Online Reference Guide and chapter of the textbook. Use these summaries to ensure you learn the important information. Studying For the CPCT Exam Each section or chapter of Data Voice and Video Cabling has review questions. Questions similar to these are used in the FOA CPCT certification exam. You should answer all the questions in preparation for the certification exam. Studying by answering them and finding the answers in the book is good preparation for the certification test. Online: Overview of Premises Cabling and Standards DVVC: Chapter 1, 4. Structured cabling is the term used for standardized cabling systems that can support both data and voice signals. It is used in most commercial installations today. Structured cabling is all about standards. Manufacturers get together, under the auspices of the TIA in the US and IEC or ISO worldwide, and agree upon the specifications for structured cabling. This chapter introduces the standards, cabling types and components covered by those standards and specifications for applications. Since standards are the “heart” of structured cabling, this chapter is important to the student who must learn the standards and the jargon. Online: Jargon DVVC: Entire Book Nothing is more important than understanding the jargon - the language - of a technology. This section, plus the glossary, will help understand the unique terms used in cabling. Online: UTP Cables DVVC: Chapter 7. Network Cabling Network cabling is generally synonymous with structured cabling. Today’s networks are usually connected with Cat 5/5e/6/6A UTP cable and terminated in standard 8 pin modular connectors. This section goes through the requirements of cables for LANs, installing procedures and other issues like the NEC. At the end of the chapter, photos of a real installation in a major office building gives the reader a view of what a proper installation looks like. Online: Terminations , UTP Termination (Tutorial) DVVC: Chapter 10. Wiring Termination Practices This section serves two purposes. It shows the proper way to terminate UTP cables for best performance and it serves as a hands-on lab guide for the student to follow when practicing termination, testing and troubleshooting. Termination creates 90% of all the problems with installations, with cable damage during pulling representing most of the rest. One needs to understand termination procedures and should have hands-on experience on punchdowns (both 66 and 110), jacks and plugs (although most patchcords are factory-terminated so few installers actually do plugs.) Online: Design, New T-568-C Nomenclature DVVC: Chapters 4, 7 The model for premises cabling standards was AT&T’s design guidelines for premises communications cabling developed originally from a 1982 survey of 79 businesses located in New York, California, Florida and Arkansas involving over 10,000 cable runs. At the time, cabling was used mainly for telephones to wiring closets and PBXes, but it established a baseline for cable length requirements for commercial customers that was used in creating TIA-568. This section shows how structured cabling has evolved into today's premises cabling. Online: Networks DVVC: Chapter 2. The Technology of Communications All communications use some transmission media which can be copper or fiber optic cabling or wireless. Understanding how to install cable requires an understanding of how the cabling works and how it is used for communication. This chapter has an overview of how telephones, CATV and CCTV and local area networks (LANs) work and how the cables they use carry signals. Online: UTP Installation VHO 66 Block, 110 Block, Jacks, Plugs DVVC: UTP Cabling can be installed in many ways, under floors or above ceilings in cable trays, inside conduit, in J-hooks attached to walls or roof supports, inside walls, even inside special cable trays in modular furniture. Installations need to be tailored to the property being cabled, the equipment being connected and local building codes, making generalizations about installations difficult. Online: UTP Testing DVVC: Chapter 9: Voice, Data and Video Wire Testing Testing the cable after installation for proper wiring and performance is required by all knowledgeable users, so the installer must learn what needs to be tested, how to interpret failures and troubleshooting to repair them. Testing is used as the basis for explaining wiring options and performance criteria, so this chapter is about more than just testing. It provides background for understanding all the connection and performance issues on cabling. Online: Wireless Chapter 8: Cabling For Wireless Networks Wireless networks for connecting computers have become more popular because they allow “roaming” as well as networks without cabling. But wireless networks are never wireless. Most use structured cabling to connect remote antennas, but some use coax cables. Wireless networks have unique requirements of their own, including coverage of areas served, power and security. The student should understand what is required for wireless networks and installing wireless access points, including site surveys, installing cables to access points and providing power locally or by POE (power over Ethernet.) Online: Fiber Optics in Premises Cabling DVVC : Part III Fiber Optics, Chapter 11-15 This chapter covers an overview of where and how fiber is used in premises networks. It is intended to provide perspective on the applications and future of fiber optics. The majority of large corporate cabling networks use fiber optic backbones, most military and government nets are fiber and most security cameras in public places are connected over fiber. You should understand where and how fiber is used. While this section covers the basic material needed for the CPCT exam, we recommend you also review the Basics in the FOA Online Reference Guide. Online: Coax Cable VHO Coax Termination DVVC: Chapter 6. Video System Installation Video traditionally has used coax cable for its higher frequency performance, which enhances video transmission quality. Performance of video systems on coax cable depends on proper cable installation. This chapter discusses both CCTV and CATV cabling and how it is used. While many companies are now pushing UTP cabling for video and most public surveillance cameras use fiber optics, coax is still widely used for CCTV and CATV. Cabling installers must know how coax works, how to pull the cable and terminate it. Online: Glossary DVVC: Appendix A This is a comprehensive listing of definitions of frequently encountered terms and acronyms. References For National Electrical Code (NEC) Many sections and chapters of the book reference the NEC. NFPA has also published an excellent reference book that covers all aspects of the NEC as related to low voltage or fiber optic cabling. Limited Energy Systems, Noel Williams, published by NFPA, 2002. The writers of the NEC (National Electrical Code) provide this book as a guide to limited energy systems, including structured cabling. All classes should have a copy available for reference and students contracting structured cabling installations are advised to have a copy available at all times. The Mike Holt website, http://www.mikeholt.com/, is an excellent reference also. Additional Reference Materials This section is a “work in process” where we will be updating and adding additional information regularly. Some topics are included without links while work continues on those topics. Reference Usage Studying the sections under Fiber Optics, The Basics, reading supplemental materials relevant to your interests and work and correctly answering the section quizzes will prepare you for the CPCT exam. As a CFOT, you have unlimited access to this website. Feel free to use the CFOT refresher course at any time or access it from the field when you need a quick reference on a process or procedure or just to help educate others (such as contractors discussing procedures or standards with their customers.) If you have a web-enabled device like a cell phone, most of the site has been designed to be viewable from one those devices.  Applying For The CPCT Certification Exam If you have a CFOT and at least one year of field experience or have taken an advanced course from an FOA-Approved school, you can take the FOA CPCT exam. See the CPCT information page for more directions. Table of Contents: The FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optics |
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