Question by Col Blake: network infrastructure?
i have 4 buildings within 2 city blocks of each other..each has its own internal network but would like to communicate with the other buildings..one building needs to hold video conference with the building next door..also one building is a warehouse with at least 45 forklifts running all day every day…what kind of media would i use in each building and why…what kind of media would i use to connect the buildings and why…thanks in advance
Best answer:
Answer by Zack C
VPN will be your friend, or you could just have a T1 or so ran…
Add your own answer in the comments!
the multiple building can be connected using vpn connections for interbuilding connectivity cat 5 or 6 cable is fine but with forklifts maybe a wireless solution may be installed as long as the cables will not get run over a wired internal network.
Depending on distance, I’d use multimode or single-mode fiber-optic cable between the buildings. Multimode is fine for short distances(<2km), and with a two-block radius, it will probably be fine. Single-mode fiber-optic cable is better-quality, is more expensive, and is used for longer runs.
Within the buildings, I’d use cat-6 plenum ethernet cable. Plenum cable is supposed to be more fire-retardant, and is meant for use in crawl spaces and in walls.
Cat-6 cable is good for runs up to 100 meters, so if you have any in-building runs near that distance or longer, you may want to look into fiber-optic cable.
I would consult a professional in your area to get more-specific advice for your situation.
If you have only have 2 block of seperation I would check with your ISP to see if they could just create a network segment / or direct link with their equipment. If you have the ability or access to a conduit that runs between the buildings you could run a fiber line. If that’s the case, you would need a ton of fiber cable and network switches with fiber interfaces. Otherwise, you can try wireless if you have a decent line of sight to the other buildings, but many high bandwidth application like video confrencing don’t run effecient on wireless.
If none of these are an option I would suggest basic Cisco routers that support site-to-site VPN