Network Communications News (NCN) June 2016 | Page 17
choosing the right LAN
Local hero
F E AT U R E
A PoE switch delivers power along the same
Ethernet cable as data is transferred.
The use of wireless devices in the office might be increasing, but the local area network (LAN) is still
the heart of your wired and wireless communications infrastructure, and without it nothing is possible.
Tony Kelsall at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) explains that in order to choose the right LAN you
need to understand both the business needs and what network technology can offer.
I
t’s not unusual to see some confusion
concerning the terminology used
by suppliers when talking about
networks and Ethernet LAN switches,
but the key concepts and principles
are actually pretty straight forward.
When considering an update,
expansion or even a totally new LAN for
a business, there are six core ideas you
will need to understand to make the right
choice for the business’ needs.
1. Getting connected with
the right cable category
Before we even get to the switch, we
need to look at how we will connect our
IP devices. Servers, printers, computers,
Wi-Fi access points, IP cameras, IP
phones and internet routers all need to
connect to the LAN network. Without
this, IP devices will not be able to
connect with each other – either inside
or outside of the business.
Each of these devices will connect
to the LAN via an Ethernet cable. Since
1991 there have been four generations
of copper cable, each with higher
throughput and improved performance Category 5, 5e, 6 and 6A.
Category 5 Ethernet cable was
the first to enable interconnectivity
for IP telephony, but today’s cable
infrastructure is often at least Category
6. With Category 6A, the business will be
better positioned to support current and
future needs and will be able to sustain
those bandwidth-intensive applications.
2. The switch at the
heart of the matter
The switch is the heart of the network
and connects all IP devices. Ethernet
LAN switches are typically designed to
be set up in a standard ‘stack’ format.
With a standardised height and width, it
makes it possi