2016: The Year of Ubiquitous LAN

We’re just hours away from 2016 – and before the New Year starts, we want to make a prediction: This upcoming year will be the year of “ubiquitous LAN.” The promise of what we’re calling “LAN 2.0” – the pervasiveness of LANs – means that enterprise IT systems will be using a common infrastructure, can be centrally managed and can be much more efficient.

In a recent blog post, we introduced the idea of the ubiquitous LAN bringing traditionally separate, standalone building systems together under one network. But we didn’t talk about cabling requirements as part of the LAN. The LAN’s underlying structured cabling infrastructure is just as vital as its Ethernet network, so here’s what you should know about LAN cabling.

Cabling is the Key

The idea of bringing voice, data, wireless, AV, security and building management systems together on one network sounds great: it’s more efficient, offers consolidated management and it’s cost effective. But achieving a LAN 2.0 environment isn’t possible without the proper cabling infrastructure to support it.

Data rates continue to climb, with file transfers involving high-definition streaming video, 4K content and high-resolution graphics. More devices connect to the network every day: wireless access points, IP surveillance cameras, digital signage, display screens, medical imaging equipment, etc.

Cabling will make or break your LAN, which is why a high-performance LAN cabling system is crucial to ensure reliable support of:

• Fast transmission rates. The faster you can get signals from point A to point B, the happier everyone will be. The cable, connectors and other components need to be able to permit high transfer speeds with minimal signal degradation. We can expect a significant increase in average data rate per user or device in the next five years – well into the gigabit range.
  
  
• Large traffic levels. The more devices you add to the network, the higher the total network traffic will be. The cabling system should support a positive network experience without downtime or lost productivity.
  
  
• The number of devices on your network will probably never go down – it will only increase. As your organization grows and higher-end systems are added, the cabling system should support these advancements without costly add-ons, upgrades or even replacement.
  
  
• Power delivery. New devices with higher power are joining the network, and it’s often inconvenient or impossible to supply power to them separately. The cabling system should be able topass electrical power along with data through a single cable to provide data connection and electrical power.

Belden offers complete cabling solutions to support the mission-critical needs of local area networks and their emerging application demands. To learn more about our predictions for the ubiquitous LAN, call 800.BELDEN.1 or visit www.belden.com.