Cross Connect

Cross Connect: Imagine you have an office that you need to wire up for voice and data. So you wire every desk with a bunch or wires. You punch one end of the wires into various plugs at the desk. You punch the other onto some form of punchdown block, for example a 66-block. That punchdown block may be in a closet on the same floor or it may be down in the basement. Then you bring the wires in from your telecom suppliers. The T-1s, the ATM, the FR, the local lines, the analog lines, the digital lines, etc. You punch them down on another punchdown block. Now you have two sets of blocks - one for those going to the office and those coming in from the outside world. You now have to join them in a process known as "cross-connecting" in the telecom world. You simply run wires from one punchdown device to the other. The reason you use cross-connect wires rather than just punching down an incoming phone line, for example, directly to your phone system is that moves, adds and changes would, over time, horribly confuse things, screw connections up, and eventually become a total mess. It's easier to simply have all the changes accomplished through the cross-connect wires and wiring. Follow the short wires. It's easy to see what's connected to what and provides for labeling, documentation, etc. In short, cross-connect is a connection scheme between cabling runs, subsystems, and equipment using patch cords or jumpers that attach to connecting hardware on each end. Cross-connection is the attachment of one wire to another usually by anchoring each wire to a connecting block and then placing a third wire between them so that an electrical connection is made. The TIA/EIA-568-A standard specifies that cross-connect cables (also called patch cords) are to be made out of stranded cable.

Cross Connect Equipment: Distribution system equipment used to terminate and administer communication circuits. In a wire cross connect, jumper wires or patch cords are used to make circuit connections. In an optical cross connect, fiber path cords are used. The cross connect is located in an equipment room, riser closet or satellite closet.

Cross Connect Field: Wire terminations grouped to provide cross connect capability the groups are identified by color-coded sections of blackboards mounted on the wall in equipment rooms, riser closets, or satellite closets, or by designation strips placed on the wiring block or unit. The color coding identifies the type of circuit that terminates at the field.