Anthony
Below is a chart showing the average speed needed to do certain tasks. You can use this to gauge what kind of structured cabling you will require for your business to run efficiently.
| Task | Number of users/devices | Ideal speed |
| Online browsing, email usage and research | 1-2 | 5 Mbps |
| Downloading large files, business communication like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and basic business Wi-Fi use | 3-5 | 25 Mbps |
| Videoconferencing and streaming, numerous point-of-sale transactions and frequent file-sharing | 5-10 | 75 Mbps |
| Video conferencing, frequent cloud computing and data backups | 10-15 | 150 Mbps |
| Seamless streaming, conferencing and server hosting | 15-20 | 250 Mbps |
| Multiple servers hosted, heavy online backups and constant cloud-based computing | 20-30 | 500 Mbps |
| Extreme speed operations with zero interruptions | 30+ | 1,000 Mbps (1GB) |
Ensuring my network is uninterrupted
When designing a structured cabling system, it is essential that there are failsafe’s built in. This can be achieved multiple ways. As previously mentioned, using diverse routes for backbone cabling, ensuring if an accident did occur and damage a fibre, there wouldn’t be a connection loss as the other fibre would still be working. Another great option is to install a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) in each of your comms rooms. This ensures that if there was a power failure, your network would stay powered until either a) everything has been backed up, or b) the mains power issue has been resolved.
With this information above and knowledge of what your business requirements are, it is possible to design a whole structured cabling system with your every need fulfilled. By investing in a good network infrastructure you will be futureproofing your company ensuring it can evolve and adapt to the modern technological climate, quickly and efficiently.
Anthony
Adam
Adam
