CAFM & IT
Bridging building blackspots
A look at how Powerline Networking cures cable connectivity headaches, from Daniel
Rogoff MD of Power Ethernet. The recent influx of connected devices, such as tablets and smartphones, has seen access to data networks from any room move from a luxury to something that is both required and expected. Networks now play a vital role in efficient facilities management, from facilitating communication between air conditioning systems to digital signage, CCTV cameras and IP telephones – and extending older networks to match modern demands can become a significant challenge for both IT departments and building managers.
Original computer networking specifications in buildings concentrated on positioning Ethernet sockets near to users’ workstations, but new non-PC devices such as IP security cameras often require a connection at points not previously anticipated, such as outdoors, high on walls or in hallways.
Dedicated CAT5/6 Ethernet cabling will always provide the fastest and most secure network links, and in buildings with flexible cabling areas in ceilings and cabinets, additional runs and sockets can be added relatively easily – albeit with often high installation costs and limitations in maximum cable lengths (typically ninety metres). But in older buildings, built with only basic electric cabling in mind, extending a network can require significant work in breaking down thick walls to run further cable and redecorating afterwards. In period properties such as hotels, the running of new data cable is often restricted altogether due to listed building regulations, limiting cable runs to ugly
36 wall-mounted trunking.
Wireless networking (WiFi) has become a popular choice for consumers in home and social environments because it provides the freedom and convenience to access the network wherever there is coverage. Again, though, intrinsic problems with radio interference and issues operating through thick signal-degrading walls have meant WiFi is rarely robust enough to provide a realistic solution for businesses to rely on as a primary network.
Enter Powerline Networking, or Power Line Communication (PLC); arguably the most overlooked, yet most effective, way to quickly build or extend a computer network in a building. PLC technology intelligently transmits a data signal over a building’s active electric power cables, creating a computer network with all the reliability of data cabling yet without the need to lay a single new cable.
The technology suffered a rocky start when it first appeared on the consumer market in 2001, with lacklustre speeds, temperamental connections and poor device interoperability – leading it to be largely dismissed as a business- ready technology, aimed only at consumers frustrated with poor WiFi performance.
Ten years later, the technology has evolved significantly, and is now fully ratified by the IEEE as IEEE 1901. It has become an entirely viable networking option for industrial and commercial uses, with many applications (from security cameras
to zero-client desktop computers). PLC devices now come in various different formats, including temporary plug –in adaptors and replacement wall sockets from companies such as Power Ethernet, featuring numerous built-in Quality of Service (QoS) policies that enable better network performance.
By connecting one PLC device to a legacy switch via a patch cable, all PLC devices automatically and instantly connect to that network. This makes adding Ethernet connections in obscure locations, such as to connect an IP security camera high on a wall, an extremely simple task completed by any electrician without specialist networking knowledge.
PLC’s capabilities are apparent in their increasing application in other areas. Smart grid technology using PLC is at the top of the list of new standards now emerging from PLC’s original champion, the HomePlug Association, for example. PLC has grown from a technology best suited to solving small consumer connectivity challenges to offering mission-critical networking to any building with power sockets at a fraction of the cost of running new CAT5/6 cable, especially in challenging buildings. And as new standards such as HomePlug AV2, capable of offering up to 1Gbps speeds, arrive, PLC’s ability to solve real-world connectivity problems for facilities managers will only increase.
www.powerethernet.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
