Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Surface Mounts
What do you do when you cannot mount the outlet jack inside a hollow wall? You
can use an outlet box that is specially designed for mounting on the surface of a
wall. These mountings are called
surface mount
boxes and come in two varieties,
self-contained and surface adapter boxes.
The self-contained surface-mount outlet contains one or more connector jacks
for the type of telecommunications or LAN service you are installing. These boxes
are often called
biscuit blocks
because of their appearance. A typical surface box,
shown in Fig. 6.4, contains two modular jacks, one that may be used for data and
one for phone. The TIA-568-C standard calls for two circuit links to each worksta-
tion, but leaves the use of the links up to the user. Both should be fully wired, 8-
position (RJ style) modular jacks (or appropriate fiber-optic jacks) to satisfy the
standard, although you may wish to make one a 6-position (RJ-11 style) jack if your
telephone system calls for that. This is particularly appropriate if you choose to
totally separate the telephone and data wiring, as discussed earlier.
Self-contained outlet boxes are appropriate for solid walls, modular furniture,
and other difficult-to-reach areas. Care should be taken to protect the wire with a
surface raceway if it is exposed. Providing strain relief to the cable is a significant
problem with these boxes. Standard practice is to tightly secure the cable at the
point of entry to the box, with a tie-wrap or a knot in the cable. This would obvi-
FIGURE 6.4
A typical surface box containing two modular jacks, one that may be used for data and one for
phone. (Courtesy of Leviton Telecom.)
