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connections Autumn 2014 New faces Introducing the new arrivals SignalTEK CT Easy data cable transmission testing New branding Introducing the new look LanTEK® update Manufacturing news EMEA Edition Proof of Performance The IDEAL Story “An IDEAL product will provide a value greater than the price paid for it. Service is a part of the product.” J. Walter Becker Founder of IDEAL The history of IDEAL Industries, Electrical and Networks Divisions. 1916 : The IDEAL business is born. J. Walter Becker, developed the first commutator dresser stones, dramatically reducing the time required for maintaining electric motors. 1926 : IDEAL Industries in Sycamore, USA forever changed the electrical industry with the introduction of twist-on Wire-Nut® Wire Connectors, which to this day have saved electricians countless work hours by eliminating the time-consuming solder and tape splicing method. 1992 : IDEAL Industries based in Sycamore, USA setup a new European operation and logistics centre based in Warrington, UK. Selling the unique precision wire processing tools for the Military and Aerospace industries as well as electrical test and measurement products for electrical contractors. The business grew rapidly across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) due to products like Custom StripMaster®, the only precision wire processing tool of its time and Yellow 77 wire pulling lubricant. 2 www.idealnwd.com 2001 : The LAN tester division of Acterna (formally Wavetek) based in San Diego, USA was acquired by IDEAL Industries. Offering a broad range of electronic test instruments with a primary focus on application specific instruments for testing voice, video and data networks. After 1993 they launched the first hand held Cat 5 cable certifier (LANTech 100). Since then we have developed many market firsts including; first tester for Class F/FA , first dedicated tester for Cat 6A ; first to include a tone generator and colour screen; first to have an autotest button on the remote to save time. The LanTEK® II series of cable certifiers continues to be one of our most successful products today. 2004 : Trend Communications based in Maidenhead, UK was founded in 1965 and was acquired by IDEAL Industries in 2004. Trend was recognised worldwide as a leader of hand held test equipment in ATM, xDSL, SDH/Sonet, Gigabit Ethernet, and IP testing. They were market leader for ISDN testers throughout the World with the Aurora product range. Other products included Tempest that provided secure telecommunications for the Military. 2010 : Trend Communications was merged with IDEAL Industries and rebranded IDEAL Industries Networks Division (now IDEAL Networks Division). As a consequence of this merger a new European R&D Centre was created in the UK. They are focused on developing the next generation of electronic test equipment including LAN/WAN testers. 2014 : Today we support our selected distributors and customers through our sales and technical support offices in Warrington, UK; Paris, France; Munich, Germany and Sycamore, USA. A conveyor belt of new products is now developed by our facilities in USA, Asia and the R&D Centre based in Stokenchurch, UK. Products are shipped across EMEA from our logistics centre in Warrington. To best serve our customers the business has two divisions; IDEAL Electrical and IDEAL Networks. These divisions therefore have the focus to ensure new products are application focused easy to use and affordable as well as providing quality support and service. Global locations Headquarters Sycamore, Illinois, USA Development Centre Stokenchurch, UK Logistic Centre, Sales/Technical Support UK, Warrington, UK Sales/Technical Support France Bievres, France Sales/Technical Support DACH Ismaning, Germany connections Autumn 2014 3 Editor’s intro Welcome to the first issue of “Connections”. Our goal is to keep our customers and distributors informed of developments in the cable installation & testing industry. Since we want this newsletter to be as relevant as possible to your requirements, we would love to hear what you think. Tim Widdershoven, Marketing Manager [email protected] 4 www.idealnwd.com IDEAL Networks welcomes new faces Paul Walsh joined IDEAL Networks in December 2013 as General Manager. Tim Widdershoven joined IDEAL Networks in March 2014 as Marketing Manager. Paul was previously with ITW (Illinois Tool Works) for 15 years and was General Manager of ITW Industry offering market leading brands in the construction industry. Tim was with ITW for 15 years and Marketing Manager of ITW Industry. Paul has proven leadership skills and experience including, managing the merger of 5 acquisitions into a new business platform, was responsible for a sizeable manufacturing operation and multinational software development teams. Paul is now responsible for IDEAL Networks operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Outside of work Paul is married with one son, lives in the East of England and enjoys scuba diving and marine reefs. Tim was an integral part of the new product development team and was responsible for launching innovative new products using all forms of communications including, web, social media, exhibitions, PR, direct mail and email campaigns. Two product launches were short listed for the “Excellence in Marketing Awards” by the Timber Trade Journal. Since joining IDEAL Networks, Tim has coordinated the launch of the new SignalTEK CT data transmission tester and the new VDV II series of cable testers. Tim’s next challenges include launching a new web site and working closely with customers to feed new product requirements to the European product development team at Stokenchurch, England. Outside of work Tim is married with a son and daughter, lives in Cornwall and enjoys surf ski paddling in the sea during his spare time. Proof of Performance! IDEAL NETWORKS launches its new data cable transmission tester, SignalTEK CT, designed with installers and network owners in mind who need to prove that copper cabling has been installed correctly and is capable of supporting Gigabit Ethernet applications to the international standard IEEE802.3ab. SignalTEK CT is a new generation of tester that is a cost-effective alternative to LAN cable certification. It carries out two primary tests via its Autotest function; a wiremap test and a data transmission test. The wiremap test displays crossed pairs, opens, shorts and split pairs, whilst the data transmission test performs at 1000Mbit/s, providing 100% load on that link from both sides. This offers users a clear reading if the link really can support the desired Ethernet speed. These tests perform to the IEEE802.3ab standard by measuring if all the frames arrive at the other end of the cable. This is achieved by having two handsets which also allows for one person testing. The Pass/Fail results are displayed on the screen and can be saved to a USB memory stick for import into PC for later report generation. It is a cost-effective way for installers and network owners to generate PDF test reports that prove a professional job has been carried out thereby reducing the risk of call backs. Historically contractors installing data cabling or carrying out moves, adds or changes to an existing network have used a cable certifier to guarantee compliance to international cabling standards such as ISO/IEC 11801. However, it has long been known, that this level of testing is not always required. Installing networks for smaller business premises or residential properties often just requires proof that the copper cabling has been installed correctly and can support the Gigabit Ethernet applications that are intended to be run over the network. The data cable transmission tester has been developed to essentially bridge the gap between verifiers and full-blown certifiers, enabling a more affordable method of testing installations, while ensuring the work is defect-free and documented to meet end-customer’s expectations of quality and reliability. “In today’s world data cable installers are looking for proof of performance. After thorough research we have developed an easy to use tester, that is rugged, durable and delivers proof confirming that the installed links run at Gigabit Ethernet transmission rates”, says Andreas Bregler, European Business Unit Manager, LAN Installation. SignalTEK CT comes in a kit with display and remote unit as well as rechargeable batteries, patch cables, power supply, multi-lingual manual and carry case. SignalTEK CT is part of the transmission tester series including SignalTEK II and SignalTEK II FO. For more information, please call 01925 44 44 46 or visit our website signaltekct.com connections Autumn 2014 5 IDEAL Networks New Identity Challenges facing network cabling installers and why choosing the right test equipment is more important than ever For years low voltage installers and integrators have heard the warnings that ‘digital IP integration’ is coming and they need to prepare for the changes that will come with it. The time has finally arrived when nearly every low voltage system in the commercial space is either changing to IP or integrating IP into existing analogue systems. Download this white paper to understand what types of systems are affected, what does IP actually mean and what do installers need to know to be prepared for this paradigm. Download White Paper 6 www.idealnwd.com IDEAL Networks has introduced a new corporate identity that has been carefully developed to represent the brand values of the business. The previous name IDEAL Industries Networks has been simplified to IDEAL Networks so it is easier to say and remember. The new logo and corporate theme has been designed to have a modern professional look that strives to highlight their core values – innovation, easy to use, affordable and focused around the customer. “Proof of Performance” has been chosen as the strap line. The new identify will be used across all areas of marketing communications including packaging where the boxes have been completely redesigned to give a better customer experience. The new logos and style guide are available on the “Sales Information Database (SID)”. Distributors can access this database for everything they need to support their sales activities including product launch plans, PR, brochures, images, datasheets and pricing. If you require a login for this database please email [email protected]. IDEAL Networks expands research and development with new European cable certifier team IDEAL Networks’ European R&D operations at Stokenchurch, UK have been expanded to include all product development for the LanTEK® and FiberTEK® family of cable certifiers. IDEAL Networks’ European R&D operations at Stokenchurch, UK VDV II SignalTEK II LanTEK® II NaviTEK II LanXPLORER voice, data and video cable verifier cable and network transmission tester LAN cable certifier network troubleshooter in-line network tester IDEAL Networks have been developing LAN & WAN network testers in the UK since 1965 including products for cable installers, IT managers and telecommunications professionals. This expertise plus a significant investment since 2010 has resulted in a new range of ergonomic testers that are easy to understand, application focused and affordable. The range includes the VDV II cable verifier, SignalTEK II transmission tester, NaviTEK II and LanXPLORER network troubleshooters plus the Unipro Gbis & MGig1 WAN performance testers. All of these testers have been developed by the UK team in the past four years. Due to the success of this new range of network testers created at Stokenchurch the decision was made in 2013 to move the LanTEK® development centre from San Diego, USA to Stokenchurch. This investment demonstrates IDEAL Networks’ long term commitment to research and development in Europe. The move has involved recruiting additional engineers and the creation of a dedicated RF development laboratory. State-of-the-art RF simulation and mathematical modelling software have also been added to the comprehensive technical capabilities of the enlarged development centre. Alongside the RF lab more engineers are being recruited to strengthen further the team’s existing capabilities in hardware design, FPGA development and software engineering. Simon Harrison, General Manager of Product Solutions joined IDEAL in 2010. He commented: “Our aim is always to create simple products that help our customers to do their jobs more easily and efficiently. These very significant investments by IDEAL will allow us to build on the success of the LanTEK® series with next-generation products that continue to meet the changing needs of our customers into the future.” Simon Harrison General Manager simon.harrison@ idealnwd.com Operations expanded to include all product development for the LanTEK® and FiberTEK® family of cable certifiers. Proof of Performance connections Autumn 2014 7 testimonial NEXT Communications have been trading for over 25 years based in Southampton with a sole focus on the B2B telecommunications market, with unrivalled links to business and manufacturers. NEXT Communications provide comprehensive solutions and complete support from day one. Professional robust testing of their data installation work is demanded from every client and having the right tool for the job is an absolute must. When NEXT Communications set out to purchase new data cable test equipment they were presented with a plethora of different options that ranged massively in price, performance and features. When looking at their requirements for test equipment, data transmission testing and real world cable performance ranked highly on their list as cable manufacturer warranties are not something they are focussed on. Rather proving that an installation works and providing their customers documentation that says so. Mark Goulding commented: “SignalTEK CT has dropped our test time from 30 seconds per cable to 15 seconds per cable which has really increased our efficiency. The PDF reports that are produced look professional and prove we have done a good job on site, combined with costing only a quarter of the certifiers we were looking at, we are really happy about our decision to purchase a SignalTEK CT.” SignalTEK CT is the new Data Cable Transmission Tester from IDEAL Networks. For more information please visit www.signaltekct.com or call 01925 44 44 46. 8 www.idealnwd.com SignalTEK CT Data Cable Transmission Tester HOW TO ADD YOUR LOGO TO YOUR REPORTS SignalTEK CT is a truly customisable Data Cable Performance Tester. One of its many unique features is generating PDF reports documenting completed cable installations directly on the tester without the need for a PC. However unlike other testers customers can include their logo on the reports with these simple steps. STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 Create your logo on a PC in .png (Portable Network Graphics) format and copy it to a USB memory stick. Please note the logo should be called “logo. png” and the maximum number of pixels is 250 x 160. Put the USB stick in the top slot of the SignalTEK CT. Select the following options on the tester using the F1 & F3 Keys. Export PDF report from SignalTEK CT as normal but now with your company logo in the report heading. 1. Setup 2. System 3. Owner 4. Setup 5. F1 & F3 keys plus arrow keys for easy navigation More than just a wiremapper! IDEAL NETWORKS launches its new innovative range of Voice, Data and Video cable testers that answer the challenges of today’s network installer. After thorough industry research Ideal Networks launches a new innovative range of VDV’s that have a range of features to match all levels of network installation or maintenance whether new build or MACs (moves, adds and changes). Top of the range, VDV II Pro, is the next generation of voice, data and video cable testing, that easily discovers where cable damage is located identifying the distance to opens and shorts. It also displays important network connectivity information such as instant Power over Ethernet (PoE) discovery and Ethernet service detection without the need for a PC. VDV II is also smart enough to know if it has been plugged into an outlet where potentially damaging voltages are present. Its ability to protect itself from damage will certainly come as welcome news to the thousands of installers who have inadvertently “fried” testers in the past. Designed to keep productivity high and operational costs low, the new range responds to the needs of any network installer or maintenance technician. Its ability to quickly check the integrity of virtually any cable found in a domestic or commercial voice, data or video installation, including telephone wiring, data network cabling and video/security alarm wiring makes it the must-have tester. Just plug in the tester and the clear bright screen displays wiring configuration with comprehensive details on faults such as opens, shorts, crossovers and split pairs. Both the VDV II Pro and VDV II Plus models display the length of cable – a very useful feature so you know how much is left in the box and how much has been installed. The basic version is a useful replacement of most versions of old style LED testers that were unable to test for split pairs and came with no voltage protection. “In today’s world cable installers need to work more efficiently. We have listened to our customers and developed a range of innovative, durable and simple to use cable testers, that will save the user time and increase their productivity”, says Andreas Bregler, European Business Unit Manager, LAN Installation: “It became apparent that cabling was often replaced rather than tested to identify the problem. With the improved range of VDV II’s, problems can quickly and easily be located, thereby saving time and money”. The VDV II comes with an integrated RJ-11/ RJ-12 (voice), RJ45 (data) and F-Type Connector (video) interface directly on the top of the unit, reducing the time needed when switching between voice, data and video cable testing and eliminates the possibility of having to replace lost adapters. In addition to the main unit, the VDV II has a detachable remote with RJ-11/12, RJ-45 and F-Connector interfaces that store securely in the main unit’s base for ready availability and fast cable testing. The unit has the capacity to support up to 24 remotes enabling users to test one patch panel in one go. VDV II is available in 3 models to serve a variety of applications. For more information, please call 01925 44 44 46 or visit our website www.vdvii.com. Andreas Bregler European Business Unit Manager, LAN Installation connections Autumn 2014 9 Cat 8 cabling and 40 Gbit/s over twisted pair - big targets and many open questions “Cable installers have no legal standing for Cat 8 promises” Konstantin Hüdepohl Product Manager LAN Installation, is a member of several DKE standards committees and a delegate to several ISO/IEC standards committees 10 www.idealnetworks.net www.idealnwd.com Recently there has been wild speculation around the new expected standard for Cat 8-cabling at 40 Gbit/s. Measuring parameters as well as test equipment are already being touted as complete, but it is recommended to curb this excitement, as this standard for 40 Gbit/s-Ethernet cabling is currently being defined by the task-force groups of the organisations ISO and TIA. For 40 Gbit/s over Cat7A at lengths of 30 m, links have been installed for years that are capable of transferring at rates of 40Gbit/s. As far as the new Cat 8 is concerned it must be understood that these standards are still in a very early phase, but one point is already clear: All drafts are subject to restrictions of length, therefore Cat 8 for 40 Gbit/s is only appropriate for data centres. Cat 8 is unsuitable for far-reaching, generic residential and commercial telecommunications cabling, as a distance of 100m cannot be reached. Additionally the market already offers preconfigured fibre for 40 Gbit/s, so the question is which option is going to be the preferred choice of installers. Furthermore there are still quite a lot of open questions. This includes the thresholds set by ISO and TIA – for these we only have the first proposals in a Technical Report for channel thresholds. There is not even an IEC standardisation project in place for the compliance of the measurement accuracy up to 2000 MHz. For the time being new measurement parameters are in discussion and right now it is uncertain if they will be included in the final standard. E.g. Transvers Conversion Loss, Equal Level Transvers Conversion Loss and Single Wire Resistance. However, some of the “new” measurement parameters are not really new but already listed in IEC 61935-1 as parameters for laboratory testing methods. Whilst component standards encompass test procedures for these parameters in the laboratory, no standards for field testing like ISO 11801 Class E A or FA define a field testing certification method. Additionally certification tests in data centres are going to lose their importance, as these installations are being switched to pre terminated cables, due to ease and cost of installation. Pre-fabricated cables are certified by OEMs and are commonly not tested once installed. Where do field-test standards stand today? The current issue of the standard “IEC 61935-1” is version 3. This document provides the guidance for laboratory and field testing in reference to ISO 11801 and EN50173. This version establishes testing methods up to 600 MHz, but does not comprise of any field testing parameters above 600MHz. Currently IEC is working on version number 4 of the standard “IEC 61935-1”. This new version, although not yet ratified, will include testing methods up to 1000 MHz. Caution: This version, which is expected to be released at the end of 2014 does not define new frequency ranges or parameters. New test parameters and new frequency ranges for field testing can only be included in the next revision of IEC 61935-1. The new standard will only support Cat 8 field test equipment in a revision, which has not yet been scheduled. During the last IEC Measurement Standard Meeting in May 2014 the members concluded, that it is too early to kick-off a project for a further revision of the standard, as defined testing goals do not exist yet from either the TIA or ISO standards bodies.   MHz  and  ends  at  Class  FA  supporting  a  maximum  frequency  of  1,000  MHz.  The  TIA  568  standards  define  a  Category system ranging from Category 3 at 16 MHz to Category 6A at 500 MHz.   Today Cat 3 and Cat 5 have been removed from the TIA’s list of recommended cabling categories  which recommends a minimum of two Category 5e circuits in every workspace/outlet location.   There are TIA specifications for Cat 7 components (plugs and jacks) but not for complete links or  channels,  meaning  a  true  Category  7  system  cannot  be  installed  and  field  tested  to  a  TIA  standard. The ISO equivalent is Class F or FA at 600 and 1,000 MHz respectively; both use non‐ RJ45 connectors like Siemon’s TERA®, Bel Stewart’s ARJ45® or Kerpen’s EC7.        Siemon TERA  Bel Stewart ARJ45   SignalTEK®  CT Da ta Cable Tra nsmission T ester (P/N R Kerpen|Leoni EC7 Transmission  testers may deigned to ch  be  eck the  performance  of only  passive/inac tive cabling l These are b inks.  est for electr ical  contractors o r cable  installation  companies.     156002)    The intent of both ISO and TIA is to create performance standards that are generic and are not specific to any  one  application.  The  rationale  behind  generic  performance  standards  is  that  a  designer  or  installer  may  not  know what applications a network user is going to run over the cable system. Therefore the cable needs to be  designed and tested to allow for any application within a given frequency range. TIA and ISO specify a suite of  measurements  that  may  be  used  to  test  the  electrical  properties  of  LAN  cable,  ensuring  that  it  meets  the  performance requirements for Category 5e, 6 or 6A.   ID 1 Master RP S Fa n PWR RST 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 ACT 21T Ln k 23T ID1 ID2 GSM7328FS ID3 22T 23T ID4 Modu le 1 Mod ule 2 ID 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Master RPS 10 11 12 13 14 15 Fan PWR 16 17 18 19 20 RS T 21 22 23 24 ACT 21T Lnk 23T ID 1 ID 2 GSM7328FS ID 3 22T 23T ID 4 Module 1 Module 2 Cabling standards and applications Source: IDEAL INDUSTRIES GmbH Ethernet Speed Cabling Standard 1 Gbit/s Cat 5e/ Cat 6 ISO D / ISO E Max Frequency Accuracy Existing Standards : Solid lines 100MHz 250MHz Level Iie level III 10Gbit/s 10Gbit/s Cat 6A ISO EA ISO F 500MHz 600MHz level IIIE level IV 40Gbit/s 40Gbit/s Up to ~30m Up to ~30m Cat 7A ISO FA 1GHz level V Cat 8 Class I, II 2GHz (1.6) level VI No Standards yet : Dotted lines Grey background We can therefore not talk about “Cat 8 testing” today as the basic parameters do not yet exist. These basic parameters are the necessary parameters for laboratory and field testing for Cat 8 and subsequently the thresholds for all parameters in the lab and field. Only when these basics have been defined, can the IEC start a new project for a further standards revision, providing the guidelines for testing and accuracy. Right now the questions arising are: Is it possible to define a field testing method, which specifies the adequate accuracy in order to make sure that 40 Gbit/s will work properly? Which test specification will be necessary for field testing? Might it be possible to test with any cable or are specific cables and connectors required? Are the current “classical” test parameters from Class E or Class E A sufficient or will completely new parameters have to be defined? Thus, the target for testing ISO 11801 for Cat 8 is still quite obscure and our previous experience with Cat 6 and Cat 6 A has shown that first “drafts” can only give a vague direction and are very much subject to change. As it has always been the case in structured cabling, final standards are born through evolution. Conclusion: As long as the final standards for Cat 8 (the graphic left shows the current standards) for cabling and testing are not released, an installer not complying with the existing standards would have no legal standing for current promises they may be making in the event of a dispute. This means that installed cabling according to “today’s Cat 8 standard proposals” could possibly not achieve a transfer rate of 40 Gbit/s in the future. The installer would be liable for the installed cabling and in the event of a dispute be held responsible in court for damages because they didn’t carry out the job as per the current standards. This could be a risky and expensive business. It is better to wait until the standard has been defined and released and then decide your company strategy, network design and test equipment. Advanced Tr ansmission Testers can test thro ugh active  networks (th rough Ether net  switches) in  addition to  testing  passive cabl ing links. Th is  mode allows  the operator stress‐test t  to  he entire net work  by simulatin g the load  additional d evices or ser vices.  These are b est suited fo r  network ma nagers or  integrators  who install IP based system   s.  Measurements  such  as  NEXT,  Return  Loss,  Insertion  Loss,  Power  Sum  NEXT  and  others  are  carried  out  by  SignalTEK®  II FO Netw products called LAN cable certifiers. Certifiers operate by sweeping the cable over a range of frequencies making  ork Transm ission Teste precise measurements of very low signal levels. The level of precision provided by certifiers comes with a very  r (P/N R156   001)  high price tag often placing them out of reach of many installers, leaving cable systems untested.  LAN cabling  should be  Cable Certifiers such as the tested to a  that they a recognized re receiving LanTEK® II make analog   standard to  the perform provide   protect the this  servic ance they p measurements of a cable’s  e  but  at   installer an aid for. Cab communica high  cost  d prove to  le certifiers electrical characteristics to  tion system and  the networ  have  in mo complexity certifiers a dern comm k owner  determine its performance  .  The  penet  been used for more th s their only ercial build  tool  to pro ration  of  cabling in s an 20 years ings means  across a defined frequency  ve network Ethernet  ituations w  to  installers a into  nearly  cable perfo here  cablin certificatio nd integrat band. No data is    every  rmance. Ce g warrantie n. Transmis ors are no l rtifiers abso s are  involv sion t onger limite they  transm transmitted across the  lutely have ed or when d to  it  data  witho esters provide installe  a role in t  customers  ut  error,  rs with the esting data    cable.  more than a roa specify full  which  ultim  ability to t d for  TIA‐5 the d ately  68 or ISO‐1 est ca that  is  one‐f ata to follow is  what  the  bling  or act 1801  ourth  or   and transm network    less  than  equipment owner  desire ive networks ensuring ission teste a  certifier,   that  docum s.  rs tes   The  cablin t the  data r transmission ents the pe between  g  is  nothi ather than   testers  projects.  rformance  ng   the road. W allow  contr Both  are  of an insta standards t actors  to  ith a cost  valid  tests  llation, redu o provide i equip  more types,  they  cing time w nstallers th   crews  with  simply  meas asted by tr e confidenc     ansporting  ure  differ e that their ent  param certifiers   installation   eters  again  performs a st  different    s expected.         An Introduction to Transmission Testing in the LAN Environment Testing the performance of network cabling has evolved, providing installers with better tools to prove an installation meets their customer’s requirements and expectations. A new line of Transmission Testers from IDEAL Networks puts the capabilities of test tools once used exclusively by WAN engineers into the hands of LAN cable installers and system integrators. Download White Paper connections connectionsSummer Autumn 2014 11 THE NETWORKS REWARD Buy a LanTEK® II or SignalTEK® and receive a FREE gift. For full details of this end user offer and terms and conditions, visit: promo.idealnwd.com 12 www.idealnetworks.net www.idealnwd.com Distributors’ Lunch and Learn Exhibition highlights at Light + Building 2014 Light + Building Show is a bi-annual trade show held in Frankfurt, Germany for businesses involved in any way with construction in any environment. Originally conceived for electrical and lighting manufacturers the show has grown to include every area of technology including structured cabling and active networking. Over the six days of the show IDEAL Networks had the opportunity to meet with customers, partners and technology leaders. The show was a great platform to launch the new VDV II series, SignalTEK CT and the new IDEAL Networks branding. The VDV II was seen as a definite future purchase, mainly because customers had purchased similar products in the past that had turned out to be of poor quality. Larger installers with a large workforce looked at SignalTEK CT from a point of view of a lower cost alternative to equipping all of their teams with Certifiers. Traditional electricians also saw the potential of differentiating themselves against competitors that use standard wiremappers. The one feature that every user recognised as the most beneficial is the ability to generate reports directly on the tester without the need for a PC. Being able to provide documentation to their customers upon completion of work is highly desirable. The show was a great success with productive meetings and we look forward to supporting the event in 2016. Black Box Network Services based in Reading, UK have taken advantage of IDEAL Networks “lunch and learn” training to maximise their sales of the new SignalTEK CT cable transmission tester and the VDV II series of cable verifiers. Sales teams were broken down into two groups, each of which were able to spend 45 minutes watching short presentations on each product, followed by a Q&A session and with the odd sandwich eaten in between. Upon completion of the training Black Box Sales Director & Training Supervisor commented on the quality and relaxed training offered. It was the perfect format for their teams and gave them the basic understanding of the target markets, applications and value proposition. In addition to the training these product launches were supported with a compressive suite of marketing materials including PR, adverts, photos, web sites, brochures, HTML emails and product launch plans. Distributors can access all the marketing materials via the Sales Information Database (SID). To obtain a username and password please contact Tim.Widdershoven@idealnwd. com. connections IDEAL INDUSTRIES NETWORKS DIVISION Unit 3, Europa Court, Europa Boulevard, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 7TN, UK. Tel. +44 (0)1925 444 446 Fax. +44 (0)1925 445501 [email protected] www.idealnwd.com A subsidiary of IDEAL INDUSTRIES INC. © IDEAL Networks 2014 Proof of Performance