ANSI/TIA-4966-A: Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Educational Facilities
ANSI/TIA-4966-A “Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Educational Facilities” was developed by the TIA TR‑42.1 Premises Telecommunications Infrastructure Subcommittee and published in February, 2022.
Scope: This Standard provides specifications for the planning and installation of a structured cabling system for educational buildings and facilities. In addition to traditional LAN deployments, the structured cabling specified by this Standard is also intended to support a wide range of classroom layouts. Included are requirements for cabling, cabling topologies, and cabling distances, pathways and spaces (e.g., sizing and location), and other ancillary requirements. Guidance on selection of media and network design is provided and of particular importance to support the multitude of services and systems that can be found in educational buildings and spaces.
ANSI/TIA-4966-A-1 “Addendum 1, Balanced Single Twisted‑pair Cabling” published in March, 2023 and modifies TIA‑4966‑A to add single twisted‑pair cabling, as specified in TIA‑568.5, as a recognized media type.
Significant changes from the previous edition include:
- Generic terminology references updated to align with TIA-568.0-E
- Two category 6A or higher performing cabling runs for every wireless access point added as a requirement, with additional horizontal links recommended
- References updated to conform with the 2019 edition of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Standards Style Guide for Engineering Committees
- Content of TIA‑4966‑1 (updated references, new media types) incorporated
ANSI/TIA-4966-A Content:
- Environmental Compatibility
- Telecommunications Cabling System Structure
- Work Area
- Intelligent Building Systems Cabling
- Telecommunications Spaces
- Cabling Installation Requirements
- Grounding and Bonding
- Building Pathways
- Firestopping
- Installation Requirements
- Grounding and Bonding
- Administration
- Cabling Requirements
- Wireless Access Points
- Surveillance Cameras
- Education Devices
- Annex addressing Typical Classroom Layouts
ANSI/TIA-4966-A-1 Content:
- Modifications to ANSI/TIA-4966-A
ANSI/TIA-4966-A Significant Differences from TIA-568.0-E:
- Since the lifespan of educational buildings make the building core and shell susceptible to multiple changes not typically associated with commercial buildings, additional pathways should be placed in areas where the core and shell components of the facility are likely to re-main for extended periods of time
- It is recommended that all areas of an educational building have wireless coverage unless prohibited
ANSI/TIA-4966-A Wireless Access Point (WAP) Density for Places of Assembly:
Back to the FOTC TIA Standards Explorer