Why Hotels Should Be Using a Structured Cabling Approach
Structured cabling systems are a comprehensive and organized approach to cabling infrastructure that enables seamless communication and connectivity throughout a network. This approach is rapidly replacing traditional point-to-point cabling systems due to its numerous benefits and advantages.
Hotels need to ensure that there is sufficient bandwidth to accommodate the demands of travelers and a structured cabling approach supports this. Structured cabling systems offer greater reliability and uptime, helping to ensure that hotels can provide guests with the high-quality experience they expect.
Structured cabling systems offer numerous advantages that can help to enhance the hotel experience for guests and the overall business operations. By adopting a structured cabling approach, hotels can improve their network performance, increase efficiency and productivity, reduce costs, and adapt to the changing advancement in communication technology.
What is Structured Cabling Used For?
Hotel Wi-Fi
Structured cabling supports some critical services that both hotels and guests rely on, such as Wi-Fi service. Hotel Wi-Fi is one of the most important amenities for guests and the quality of the hotel’s Wi-Fi can have an impact on which hotels guests decide to book. In order to ensure reliable service and the functioning of critical systems, hotels must ensure that the Wi-Fi infrastructure is in place that is capable of supporting these demands and a structured cabling system makes this possible.
DAS Systems
Structured cabling is also essential in allowing first responders access to emergency radio signals in critical areas of a building during an emergency. Public Safety DAS (Distributed Antenna Systems) is a public safety communication system that allows first responders to maintain wireless communication within buildings. It is a legal obligation and building owners must ensure that DAS systems can transmit and receive emergency frequencies in all areas, including parking garages, elevators, and stairwells.
IoT Technology & CCTV Technology
IoT technology is in high demand by guests and structured cabling supports this technology and enables smart room features, such as control of lighting, the thermostat, the window shades, and the in-room entertainment, that can all be controlled by smartphones or other smart devices. Structured cabling also supports your hotel’s security needs by connecting all your security systems and supports surveillance equipment and CCTV technology.
Meet Structured Cabling Industry Standards
Structured cabling systems are designed to meet industry standards and regulations, which ensures that cabling systems are installed and maintained in a way that meets or exceeds the requirements for performance and reliability. Structured cabling encompasses all the cabling that runs throughout your property and there are specific standards that govern the structured cabling installation in your building.
The American Telecommunications Industry Associations (TIA) and The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) are two entities that issue standards that provides guidance for all aspects of structured cabling installations. The International Standards Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) releases manufacturing and testing standards that cover commercial communications.
The Building Industry Consulting Services International (BICSI) provides guidance on the installation of telecommunications and information communication technology (ICT). BICSI standards gives property owners guidance on installation practices that meet the National Electrical Code requirements (NEC) and the National Fire Protection Association code requirements (NFPA). BICSI standards provides minimum requirements and procedures for the installation of infrastructure that supports telecommunication and ICT, that are used for voice, data and video data applications.
Key Advantages of a Structured Cabling Approach
Structured cabling design provides greater flexibility, scalability, and ease of use compared to traditional point-to-point cabling systems. Structured cabling systems are designed to support multiple types of data and voice communication, including voice over internet protocol (VoIP), video conferencing, and other high-bandwidth applications that hotels utilize. This makes it an ideal solution for hotels, as there is an increase in demand for bandwidth. Structured cabling systems offer numerous benefits and advantages that can help hotels improve their network performance, increase efficiency and productivity, reduce costs, and enhance the overall business operations.
Improve Network Performance
One of the key advantages to a structured cabling approach is the ability to improve network performance. Structured cabling systems offer numerous benefits over traditional cabling systems, such as improved bandwidth capacity, better data transmission speeds, and greater scalability. These benefits help to optimize network performance and ensure that hotels can meet the demands of guests.
Less Downtime
A well-designed structured cabling system also helps to increase efficiency and productivity in the workplace. By adopting a structured cabling approach, hotels and other businesses can eliminate the clutter and confusion associated with traditional cabling systems. A well-designed structured cabling system offers greater ease of use, with clear labeling, and a straightforward design that makes maintenance and upgrades simpler and more efficient. This leads to a reduction in downtime, which helps to increase productivity and reduce costs for hotels.
Cost Savings
Another significant advantage of structured cabling systems is their cost savings. By using a structured cabling approach, hotels can reduce the need for additional cabling infrastructure, which helps to minimize installation costs and reduce ongoing maintenance and repair costs.
Greater Scalability
Structured cabling systems offer greater flexibility and scalability, enabling businesses to easily upgrade their network infrastructure as their needs evolve. This helps to reduce the need for costly network replacements and ensures that businesses can adapt to changing technological requirements.
Network Manageability
When it comes to maintenance and upgrades, structured cabling systems offer greater ease of use and efficiency compared to traditional cabling systems. The structured cabling design allows for easy identification and isolation of problems, reducing downtime and maintenance costs. Additionally, structured cabling systems offer greater scalability, enabling businesses to easily add or remove network components without having to overhaul the entire network infrastructure.