OIT Public Knowledge - History of NC State University Wiring Standard

Prior to 1993

In the late 1980s, NC State Computing Center and Telecommunications realized the need to have one common standard for the intrabuilding communications wiring infrastructure installed in university buildings.
In 1990, they developed the NCSU Uniform Wiring Plan (1.1).
The standard consisted of the following basic components:
- One common outlet for every dorm room, classroom, lab, office, etc.
- A four-cable bundle connecting each outlet to a telecom room. This bundle consisted of the following:
  - One Category 3 cable for voice.
  - One Category 4 cable for data.
  - One RG58 coax cable for data.
  - One RG6 coax cable for video.
- An enclosed raceway and conduit system to house these horizontal cables.
- Telecom rooms are located strategically throughout each building.
- A riser cabling system consists of a variety of twisted pair and coax voice, data, and video cables to interconnect the telecom rooms.
Buildings wired prior to 1993 were wired to the 1990 standard.

In 1994, the 1990 standard was revised (version 1.2) to accommodate the development of Category 5 data cabling and devices.
Buildings wired from 1993 to 1999 were wired in accordance with the 1994 revision.
Three additional outlet types were added later to accommodate specific applications that the original outlet cable bundle had not addressed:
- Dorm Outlet (one CAT 3, two CAT 5, and one RG6).
- Quad CAT 5 outlet. (Four CAT 5).
- Fiber outlet (one four-strand multi-mode fiber).

In early 1999, the 1994 standard was revised (version 1.3) to align with the new UNC system-wide baselines.
This interim standard was used in 1999 until the Category 6 base standard was approved.
Only two types of outlets were defined by this standard:
- Interim University Wiring Standard outlet (three CAT 5 and one blank).
- Fiber outlet (one four-strand multi-mode fiber).