TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is concerned with a plug and a method for opening and/or checking a connection in a telecommunication network, especially in a telephone or data network,

BACKGROUND ART

Different telephone, data and other local network applications can be connected to the cabling solutions of buildings. General cabling can be used for making up both data and telephone networks, whereby a separate telephone cabling is necessarily not needed.

Usually, a telephone network consists of telephones, a subscriber network, telephone exchanges and connections between the exchanges. The simplest possible telephone network consists of two telephones and a transfer connection interconnecting them. In a network containing several telephones, the telephones are connected to each other in such a way that the telephones of a given area is connected to a common exchange to which there is only one connection is coming from each telephone.

Of economical construction-technical reasons of the network, the telephone and/or data connections are not constructed one by one but are bunched into a bundle or, in other words, cables which are branched when necessary, in reality, a subscriber network is built up of cables from the exchanges and of different cross-connection points to which the cables are terminated. The cables are not directly terminated to the exchange, but to a distribution frame. On one side of the distribution frame, there are the cables going to the subscribers via the cross-

connection points of the exchange and on the other side, there are the connections to the subscriber sites of the exchange, Each subscriber site has its own identification with which it is separated from other subscriber sites of a given exchange, Correspondingly, the desired subscriber number, or the telephone number of the client, can be connected to each subscriber site,

The most important functions of a telephone exchange is the connection of the subscribers to the telephone network, the connection of the exchange to other exchanges and the connection of calis between subscribers and other telephone exchanges.

Work stations, in other words computers or telephones, are connected, both in public networks and in telephone networks, to plug contacts in the walls of the interiors or apartments of the buildings with work station or telephone cables.

Telephone traffic and Ethernet-data traffic can run in the same cable.

Cable types used in Ethernet networks are for example the coaxial cable, the unprotected twin cable, the protected twin cable and ^' the cable containing several copper wires.

The unprotected twin cable is like the telephone cable but has a different structure and consists of four pairs of wires twisted together in order to improve the network signal,

The twin cable is divided into five classes or categories of which the three highest classes are nowadays used:

CAT 3, being used in older networks with a speed of 10 mbit/s CAT 4, being the twin cable of Token Ring networks with a speed of 16 mbit/s

CAT 5, being the cable of quite new Ethernet networks (with a speed of at least 100 rnbit/s)

CAT 6, being the cable of new Ethernet networks (with a speed of at least 1 000 mbit/s)

Al! modern general cabling is usually made by CAT 5 or CAT 6 cables because of the low price and the easy extendability.

In the protected twin cable, there is a metal folio twisted between the wires protecting the cable from electrical and magnetic disturbances. The protected cable is worth being used in such important places with respect to the function of the network, wherein disturbances might take place or if the cable has to be drawn through places of disturbance, An unprotected cable is more common in convential networks and usually its properties are sufficient for home use.

The telephone cable is a twisted twin cable of copper corresponding to the so called CAT-3 (Category 3) requirements and in practice it can forward 10Base-T Ethernet-traffic over a distance of 100m with a speed of 10Mbit/s. CAT-5 (Category 5) is a good quality twisted twin cable forwarding 100Mbit/s. A CAT quality classified local network cable has usually 4 wire pairs, whereas the Ethernet technique needs two pairs of wires,

Ethernet is the most commonly used local network technique of the world. There are different versions of Ethernet techniques forwarding data with different speeds. The original 1QBase-T Ethernet technique forwards 10Mbit/s in a cable of telephone wire level, the newer Fast Ethernet (100Base-TX) forwards 100Mbit/s, but requires a CAT-5 cable of better quality, HomePNA is a slower version of the Ethernet technique (1 Mbit/s), working together in a telephone cable pair simultaneously with the telephone and is meant for home use.

Connection solutions based on subscriber lines or on twin cables of telecommunication networks or of telephone networks are nowadays modem connections and ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) connections and solutions based on xDSL-techniques (Digital Subscriber Line).

A common modem connection is built up of an analog subscriber line with a speed of 56 kbit/s. A modem connection is suitable for slow data transfer, so it is at least quite well suitable for the main part of modern internet applications and of course for call transfer.

The ISDN connection is built up via a digital subscriber line. The connection has two 64 kbit/s channels available and one 16 kbit/ε channel for signal giving. ISDN is suitable for slow data transfer, cail transfer, transfer of moving pictures of low level and for use of visual telephones. The DSL techniques are substituting the ^' ISDN technique.

The DSL connections are fast digital subscriber connections realized via the copper twin cable of the telephone network. The are several DSL techniques (which also are called xDSL techniques) examples of which are the ADSL (Assymetric Digital Subscriber Line), HDSL (High Data Rate Digital Subscriber Line), VDSL (Very High Data Rate Digital Subscriber Line) and SLDSL (Single Line Digital Subscriber Line). The DSL technique enables a speed of several megabits per second. Many different standards are used, most of which are national.

With a ADSL connection, the length of the digital subscriber line can be 2,5-5,5 km depending on desired speed. Typical speeds are in the range of 1 ,5-8 Mbit/s when information is received by a user and 9,6 kbit/s-1 ,5 Mbit/s when information is sent from a user. ADSL is suitable for forwarding fast data and moving pictures of high level but in some services also for forwarding slow and fast data and for moving pictures of low level,

Both the HDSL connection and the SDSL connection are symmetric (the same transfer speed in both directions) and the speeds are in the range of 1 ,5 - 2,3 Mbit/s. The length of a HDSL subscriber line can be ca 3,5 - 6,5 km and the length of a SDSL connection 7 km. The service is suitable for forwarding slow and fast data and moving pictures of low level.

The VDSL-connection is realized with the twin cable, the length of which can be, depending on desired speed, in the range of 0,1 - 1 ,5 km. The speeds of a VDSL-connection can be 10-55 Mbit/s. The connection is suitable for fast data transfer and is also sufficient for distribution applications such as TV-programs and bidirectional transfer of moving pictures.

When sending traffic via a modem connection and via an ISDN-connection, the connection of the user to the telecommunication/internet network goes through the telephone network. Only the subscriber line of the telephone network is used in the DSL-connections and the data transfer service of the telecommunication network/internet network should extend ali the way to the closest subscriber exchange. The modem connections and the ISDN connections can thus be used also when the broadband basic network does not yet extend to the subscriber exchange of the user, On the other hand, the DSL connections do not load the narrow band telephone network which along with the increased use of internet is used more and more.

A broadband connection is a fast fixed internet subscription. The ADSL broadband connections are performed by using existing telephone cables. A telephone cable has to be drawn to the house, but any active telephone subscription is not needed, A broadband connection does not disturb the use of a fixed telephone. A broadband connection is suitable for people using much internet or for people requiring fast data transfer connections.

The network of the house company is a network using some local network technique through which internet services are forwarded to the people living in the house. The network can equally well be in a city rent house or other real- estate company, In the cabling, the connection is brought to the cross-connection point of the house with a iocai cable, from which cross-connection point it is connected by means of distribution cabiing to the floorwise cross-connection points of the floors.

The connection from the service provider to the end user shall be continuous going first from the service provider via the so called subscriber line to the distribution of the cross-connection point of the house. In the cross-connection point of the house, the connection from the service provider goes first to the distribution frame of the network operator from which it goes through the distribution of the house company to each household. A household with two telephone numbers has two connections. The connection continues via the cross-connection of the house connection to each household with a connection called distribution connection. The cable of the distribution connection is called a distribution pair.

When forming a new connection, the installer has to visit the apartment in order to define which distribution pair at the cross-connection point of the house company corresponds to a given plug contact of the apartment so that the right distribution pair could be connected to the distribution network.

In order to form the connection, the installer usually gets information from the network operator about the connection points from the exchanges all the way to the cross-connection point of the house. In the cross-connection point of the house, the installer studies/tooks at the documentation of the internal network. Sometimes the distribution pairs are documented so clearly that the installer can, on the basis of the documentation) connect the connection to the right distribution

pair, Sometimes there is no documentation or the documentation is so erroneous so that the pair going to the right apartment only can be found by testing.

If the right distribution pair can not be found, the installer has to visit the 5 apartment and connect the sender part of a wire search device to the plug contact (in other words to the distribution pair to be found), The signal sent by the sender is listened for by means of a capacitive or induktive antenna connected to the receiver at the cross-connection point of the house. After having installed the sender part, the installer thus goes back to the cross-connection point of the

I O house and finds the connected distribution pair with the antenna part of the search device, The antenna finds the magnetic field supplied to the target with the sender or formed by the alternating current in that or the etectrical field caused by the voltage. When the right distribution pair has been found, the connection from the network operator is connected to that,

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It is very difficult to find the right distribution pair with the known methods and it is time consuming as the functioning of the connection has to be tested on sit© at the plug contact. The installer aiways has to agree with the client about the time to visit the client in order to test the connection and the functioning of that, If there 0 are many customers in a broad area, considerable amount of time is used for this.

THE OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

5 The object of this invention is a solution with which the right distribution pair can be found without the need for the installer to visit the apartment at the plug contact,

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The plug of the invention combines the wires coming from a cross-connection point of a telecommunication network to a piug contact. The plug is foreseen with a resistance situated between the wires to be combined.

In the method of the invention, the functionality of the connection between the cross-connection point of a house and a house building is checked and/or this connection is opened in a telecommunication network. The telecommunication network has a terminal strip in the cross-connection point of the house to lead the telecommunication distributed by the network operator to different spaces of the house buiiding. The telecommunication network also has a cable connection between the cross-connection point of the house and the house building, which connection consists of distribution pairs between the cross-connection point of the house and the house building and which goes to the different spaces of the house building, Tho terminal strip of the cross-connection point of the house has connectors to each distribution pair. The telecommunication network also comprises a plug contact installed in the space of the house building. The wires of the distribution cable which form the connection and which shall be combined are in the plug contact, in the method, the plug is placed in that contact of the space of the desired house building that is desired to work, which plug combines the wires of the plug contact. The plug is foreseen with a resistance to be placed between the wires. The resistance of the connection of the house building and some space of the house building is measured from the connector of some distribution pair of the terminal strip of the cross-connection point of the house. The measurement is repeated in some other place than the already tested connector until such a connector is found wherein the resistance reading corresponds to the sum of the normal resistance of the connection and the resistance in the plug.

Then it is known which distribution pair should be connected to the distribution network from the terminal strip of the network operator,

The preferable embodiments of the invention have the characteristics of the sub- 5 claims.

The cable connections of the telecommunication network comprises for example a house cable between the telephone operator and the cross-connection point of the house, a distribution cable in the cross-connection point of the house IO between the network operator and the terminal strips of the house building (for example so called Krone strips) and a cable connection between the cross- connection point of the house and the house building.

The copper distribution cable connection between the cross-connection point of ) 5 the house and the house building consists of several distribution pairs going to the different spaces, for example apartments, whereby there are connectors in the terminal strip of the cross-connection point of the house to each distribution pair.

0 The connection of the different plug contacts to each other of each space, such as an apartment, is arranged by parallel coupling or series coupling.

The telecommunication network is preferably a telephone network or a data network, such as an Ethernet network- The cable connection is for example 5 made with one of the following: a coaxial cable, an unprotected or a protected twin cable, such as CAT3, CAT4, CAT5 or CAT6, or a cable containing several copper wires and the connection is for example ISDN or xDSL, such as ADSL, HDSL, SDSL and/or VDSL.

0 When the plug of the invention is used in a teiephone network it is a three pin plug combing the two upper wires of the copper twin cable of the plug contact.

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Used in given Ethernet networks, wherein cables containing several wires are used, it can combine the two middle wires of the copper cable in the plug contact,

In the method of the invention, a plug is placed in the plug contact wanted to work in the apartment, which combines the wires coming to the piug contact and which is foreseen with a resistance between the wires. Thereafter, a resistance is measured from some connector(s) (the one that is assumed to be the right one) of the distribution pair of the cross-connection point of the house in order to find the right distribution pair.

Distribution pairs going to the different apartments and different piug contacts can be in different use. In some plug contacts, there maybe is not anything connected, whereby the ends of the copper wires of the distribution pair do not end anywhere and the distribution pair does not form any loop, which is a condition for that a resistance can be measured. Such a distribution pair does not given any resistance reading in the measuring device. In some plug contacts, there might for example be a telephone or an ADSU device connected. Neither does such a distribution pair give any resistance reading in the measuring device, The ends of the distribution pair of some plug contact might be shortcut. Such a distribution pair gives a given normal specific resistance of the cable of the distribution pair. The specific resistance of a copper wire (distribution pair) is approximately 0,2 ohm/m, whereby for example 200 m copper causes a resistance of ca 40 ohm, which is observed in the distribution pair. A distribution pair, in which there is a plug of the invention connected to the plug contact, gives a resistance reading clearly deviating from a normal situation because a resistance of for example 1 kohm has been added to the plug contact.

When the installer measures a reading deviating from some normal situation he knows that it is question about the right distribution pair. This reading that deviates from a normal reading is 50 ohm + 1 kohm, if the specific resistance is

50 ohm and the resistance in the plug of the invention is 1 kohtn, which is a suitable commercial resistance.

The method of the invention is, thanks to the new plug, very cost effective both in time and economically because the installer finds the right distribution pair by measuring the resistance from the cross-connection point of the house if a plug of the invention has been put in the plug contact of the distribution pair and he does not need to visit the apartment at all,

In the following, the invention is illustrated by means of figures by referring to examples. The intention is not to restrict the invention to the details of those.

In the example, a typical solution for a house company is presented. In the invention, the house company can be an apartment house company, whereby one or several distribution pairs goes to each apartment or other space of the apartment house, such as to the cellar, storage or other such thing or even to a separate building in the garden. The house company can also be a company consisting of for example row houses or family houses and naturally it does not need to be a house company because the essentially thing in the invention is that several distribution pairs go from the so called cross-connection point of the house to plug contacts situated in different places, which distribution pairs are identified by means of the invention, Other examples are for example companies, office buildings etc, In this text, such a building is called "a house building" to which distribution pairs go from a cross-connection point of a house and a "space of a house building" is a space, for example an apartment, having a plug contact in which the plug of the invention is placed.

FIGURES

Figure 1 presents such an environment in a telecommunication network in which the invention is used.

Figure 2 presents another such an environment in a telecommunication network wherein the invention is used.

Figure 3 is a flow scheme of the method of the invention. 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention can be used in connection with an environment of figure 1 , in which it is assumed that a house company consists of different house buildings having

] () apartments, such as for example an apartment 7a, The house company is connected to a telecommunication network in such a way that a cabte connection 3 comes from a network operator 1 , such as from a telephone operator, to the cross-connection point 2 of the house, This cable connection 3 has all necessary separate twin cables to the different spaces of the house building, such as to

15 apartments 7a. Electricity lead via the subscriber line is lead from the cross- connection point 2 of the house via the terminal strip 4 of the network operator further via the terminal strip 5 of the house company to the different apartments 7a. The cross-connection point 2 of the house can be situated in a different building or in some house building belonging to the company. The 0 telecommunication network thus comprises a subscriber line connection 3 between a telephone operator 1 and the cross-connection point 2 of the house and a distribution connection 6 in the cross-connection point of the house between the terminal strip 4 of the network operator and the terminal strip 5 of the house company. 5

The terminal strip 5 (can be for example a so called Krone strip) cross-connection point 2 of the house in the telecommunication network distributes the tele traffic of the network operator to the different spaces of the house building (not shown) such as to apartment 7a with cable connections 8a between the cross-connection 0 point 2 of the house and the house building, which connections 8a consist of distribution pairs 8a going to the different spaces 7a of the house building

between the cross-connection point 2 of the house and the house building. The terminal strip 5 of the cross-connection point 2 of the house has connections 18a1 , 18a2 to each distribution pair 8a,

There are plug contacts 9a1 , 9a2, 9a3 installed in the space 7a of the house building having the wires 13, 14 to be combined ending to the plug contact of the distribution cable 8a forming the connection.

Figure 1 presents only one apartment 7a and the distribution pair 8a leading to its plug contacts 9a1 , 9a2 and 9a3. Corresponding distribution pairs go to the other apartments (not presented) and they have their own plug contacts,

Thus, the house company owns the terminal strip 5 and the network operator owns the terminal strip 4, whereby the house company owns the connection from the cross-connection point of the house to the plug contact. The distribution pair of the cross-connection point of the house is that copper wife that goes to the house, for example the distribution pair 8a, and it ends to the apartment 7a. Thereafter, the interna! network part of the house begins. Thus, the distribution pair goes from the terminal strip 5 to the apartment 7a or 7b. Thereafter the distribution pairs are in a so called box, which can contain for example several distribution pairs. Of those distribution pairs, e.g. only one is connected to each plug contact in the apartment,

Reference number 11 describes the plug of the invention. It can be placed in any plug contact 9a1 , 9a2, 9a3 in the method of the invention one at a time. In figure 1 , only one plug contact is enlarged (see the broken lines).

The piug 11 has a resistance 12. The plug 11 combines the upper wires of the plug contact of the apartment 7a, which are the wires 13,14 of the distribution cable 8a. Reference number 15 is the so called ground, with which nowadays the piug is separated from other kind of plugs in the network,

In the same house company, the connection of different plug contacts of each apartment 7a to each other is usually arranged in the same way, either by parallel coupiing, such as the plug contacts 9a 1 , 9a2, 9a3 of figure 1 , or by series coupling such as the plug contacts 1OaI ₁ 10a2, 10a3, 10a4 in figure 2,

It is assumed that the plug 11 of the invention has been sent to the owner of apartment 7a and instructions have been given to place it to that plug contact 9a2 in apartment 7a, wherein it is desired that the new connection, for example an ADSL connection, works, The owner of apartment 7a places the plug 11 distributed in accordance with the instructions in the desired plug contact, which in the figure is assumed to be 9a2,

The plug 11 combines the wires 13, 14 of the plug contact 9a2 with connections and it is foreseen with a resistance 12.

The installer then measures the resistance in, the connector 18a of some distribution pair forming the connection between the cross-connection point of the house and some space of the house building in the terminal strip 5 of the cross- connection point 2 of (or in some other connector, which have not been given any reference number in the figure). The resistance is measured with a general measuring device or with a resistance device in a previously Known way,

This operation is repeated in other connectors than in the already tested connectors until such a connector is found, wherein the resistance reading clearly differs from a normal specific resistance of a working connection, whereby the right distribution pair has been found. Thus, the right distribution pair is the one from which a value for both the specific resistance of copper and the resistance of the plug is found (for example 1000 ohm + 0,2 ohm x the length of the copper wire in meters, if the length is 30Om ₁ the resistance measured is 1000 ohm + 0 _T 2 x 300 ∞ 1060 ohm). The distance between the cross-connection point of the

house and the plug contact of course have an influence on the length of the copper wire used and the quality of the copper.

In some stage, the installer observes the right resistance reading from a 5 connector 18a1 , 18a2 of some distribution pair of the cross-connection point 2 of the house and finds the right distribution pair 8a.

This distribution pair is then connected to the terminal strip of the network operator to connect the apartment to the public network. H)

Figure 2 presents another such an environment in a telecommunication network, wherein the Invention is used.

Figure 2 correspondence to the figure 1 for other parts but the distribution pair 8b ] 5 from the cross-connection point of the house goes to the space 7b of the house building, the plug contacts 10a1 , 10a2, 10a3 and 10a4 of which are connected in series. The plug 11 of the invention is connected to the plug contact 10a4, which is enlarged in figure 2 (see the broken tines).

0 The right distribution pair in the environment of figure 2 is tested at the cross- connection point of the house in the same way as in figure 1 until the right distribution pair is found by measuring the resistance from that connector 18b1 , 18b2 wherein a reading other than that of the specific resistance is achieved and which reading corresponds to the sum of the specific resistance and the 5 resistance of plug 11.

in figure 3, the method of the invention is illustrated by means of a flow scheme.

The owner of the apartment places the plug of the invention sent to him in that 0 plug contact in the apartment where he desires to have a working connection, for

example an ADSL connection, in step 1 of figure 2, The plug combines the wires of the plug contact and it is foreseen with a resistance between the wires,

The installer then measures the resistance in the connector of some distribution 5 pair forming a connection between the cross-connection point of the house and some space of the house building at the terminal strip of the cross-connection point of the house in step 2.

If the resistance reading is 0 and any resistance can not be measured, the I O distribution pair in question has not been connected anywhere and it is not question about tha right distribution pair or if the resistance reading corresponds to the specific resistance of a working connection, in other words if it does not differ from a normal resistance of the connection, step 2 is repeated,

15 tf the resistance reading still does not differ from a normal resistance in the connection or if it is O ₁ step 2 is repeated again from a third place etc.

Step 2 is repeated in other connectors than in the already tested connectors until such connector is found, wherein the resistance reading of the connection of a 0 distribution pair of the connector clearly differs from a normal resistance of the connection, in other words if it is the sum of the specific resistance of the connection and the resistance added to the plug, it is stated in step 4 that the right distribution pair has been found and the connection to the apartment can be correctly connected. 5

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