Wireless Impact on Structured Cabling Systems

Bob Kenny, Vice President & General Manager,C i ti & El t i P d t G l C blCommunication & Electronic Products, General Cable

Introduction

• Fact: Copper cabling utilized for desktop connections has been on the ldecline since 2006

• Fact: The available bandwidth per wireless user in a typical office environment is fast approaching—and in some cases, surpassing—100 Mbpspp g , p g p

• Fact: The move towards copper-based Gigabit switches with PoE and PoE+ capability have paved the way for even higher bandwidth wireless devices

• Fact: Although wireless connections are not completely devoid of wire, a wireless solution uses far less Category Cable than a standard desktop copper based infrastructure

In time, will Wi-Fi challenge (or perhaps negate) the need for a traditional desktop wired infrastructure?

Backgroundg• The following presentation will discuss the past, present and future as it pertains

to copper and wireless trends and decision points

• Throughout the following slides, a 200+ participant study done by Cabling Installation & Maintenance will be referred to regarding the trend towards

i i i h i lWi-Fi in the commercial space – Survey included over 100 respondents who consider themselves key decision makers

within their organization regarding infrastructure and wireless deployment

Copper InfrastructureppCopper Cable Volume Trends:

After peaking in 2006, the deployment of 4 pair copper infrastructure has been on the decline due to various factors including PoE, adequate installed base capability, and commercial building trends

Copper InfrastructureppArchitectural Billings Index (ABI):

In fact, the ABI, an indicator of future commercial construction, has been a strong leading indicator of the wire and cable industry

Copper InfrastructureppMix:

Within the decline of Category Cabling are embedded classic growth cycles with Cat 5e in the “later cycle,” Cat 6 in the “mid cycle” and Cat 6A in the “growth” cycle

Copper InfrastructureppInstalled Base:

• Category Cables have been the dominant choice to the desktop for over 20 years. This has created a significant installed base across a variety of infrastructure platforms

• As expected, our survey showed well over 50% of respondents as having an installed based dominated by Category 5e (Category 6 was secondan installed based dominated by Category 5e (Category 6 was second with close to 30% of respondents identifying this as their main infrastructure employed)

• Only nine respondents identified fiber as their desktop infrastructure choice while two indicated they were still using coax

Wireless Infrastructure802.11 are a family of IEEE standards that extend the common wired Ethernet local network standard into the wireless domain

Wireless Device Volume Trends:

• 11b (1999) - Slow SpeedUsing DSSS and the 2.4 GHz band, 802.11b boosted speed to 11 Mbps while retaining slower DSSS modes to accommodate weak signals. Was the first major wireless local network standard, and many laptops were retrofitted with 11b network

Wireless Devices (often referred to as “Wi-Fi”) have been steadily growing in b th l d b d idth i th adapters. Later, 11b was built into laptop motherboards

• 11a (1999) - Medium SpeedUsing orthogonal FDM (OFDM), 802.11a transmits up to 54 Mbps. It uses the 5 GHz band and is not backward compatible with the slower 11b

both volume and bandwidth since the mid-90s

• 11g (2003) - Medium SpeedUsing orthogonal FDM (OFDM) transmission, 11g increased speed from 11 to 54 Mbps. Both 11b and 11g use the 2.4 GHz band and are compatible, which is why equipment is often designated as 802.11b/g

• 11n (2009) - Highest SpeedThe 802.11n standard uses multiple antennas for speeds of 300 Mbps and more. Since 11n can operate in both spectrum bands, it is compatible with previous 11b/g and 11a standards

• 11ac (2012) – Fastest Speed802.11ac operates in the 5 GHz band and, using multiple antennas and depending on the number of antennas, can achieve data rates well into the gigabit range (sales will begin to impact the enterprise environment in early 2013)

Wireless InfrastructureMix:

Within the 802.11 family, there are also trends based on technology, with 802.11n still in growth mode while 802.11ac heads towards the next evolution in the wireless platform

Wireless InfrastructureInstalled Base:

Similar to Category Cables, the installed base reflects the amount of time each technology has been on the market. The survey question doesn’t take into account the “amount” of each device in use, but it shows the tendency not to discard devices that are still operational (regardless of speed)

With that said, the trend towards higher wireless bandwidth technologies (such as 802 11n) is clear(such as 802.11n) is clear

Switch PortsAnother important area of discussion is regarding switch port sales. • The move in the mid 2000s towards managed switches capable of PoE• The move in the mid 2000s towards managed switches capable of PoE

pulled along the upgrade to Gigabit speeds (as shown in below chart). • The move from 100 Mbps to Gigabit was certainly not driven by end

b d id h d d I i ll hi d i d d huser bandwidth demands. Ironically, this upgrade in speed paved the way for 802.11n and 802.11ac devices, which would be severely limited had switch speeds remained at 100 Mbps

“Switching” GearsgSo, for the end user, how much bandwidth is enough?

Based on the installed base, and the latest trends in switch port sales, the average user has an incredible amount of bandwidth available when “plugging in” to the network

“Switching” GearsWith the latest trends and advances towards 802.11n and 802.11ac,

i l h d j i i il bl b d id h

g

wireless has made major gains in available bandwidth per user –fast approaching 100 Mbps!

“Switching” GearsThe survey seems to match up fairly well to the data, as over a third of all respondents are between 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps connection speed p p p p(of course, realizing that end user experience does not always match theoretical availability!)

“Switching” Gears

How much is enough? Back to the survey…

“Switching” Gears

With the advent of 802.11n, and the upcoming 802.11ac, clearly b d d h f b l bl d l dbandwidth is fast becoming available to provide a solid user experience

So, does this align with end user plans?

“Switching” GearsConsider the fact that less than 2% of our surveyed audience is using a wireless platform today (and nearly 40% of all respondents say they would p y ( y p y y“never” use a 100% wireless platform)

Obviously, bandwidth is not the only concern…

“Switching” Gears• Security questions driving the wireless folks in the audience crazy right

now?? We understand things have come a LONG way…but perception is g y p preality in our business

• And of course, concerns around distance are more of a reality that can b ith d l tbe overcome with proper deployment

• Plus QOS and Quality of Connection – Destined to always be a factor with a wireless platform compared to “plugging in”p p p gg g

“Switching” Gears• With all that said, it is clear the data is pointing towards a trend. Wireless is

getting faster, more secure, and a desired option for many employees who connect to their network

• However, there seems to be strong resistance to becoming totally reliant on wireless access. In fact, it is not uncommon for offices to have 2-4 drops perwireless access. In fact, it is not uncommon for offices to have 2 4 drops per user in an enterprise environment

“Switching” Gears

We also must mention the PoE factor…• A safe reliable way to transmit power to devices such as phones, cameras,

monitors, access points, etc…Power over Ethernet has added an independent dimension for the continuation of the desktop connection

• So, in the same way that the computer was supposed to eliminate paper, it seems both wireless and PoE have not yet brought forth the promise of “one drop” offices

The Ultimate Effect

This then poses the following question…If wireless is having little negative effect on the use of wire – and POE could actually be considered a “protector” of the wired infrastructure – why has wire steadily been on the decline over the past five to six years?

The Ultimate Effect

Actually, it is interesting to see the ff h d lsame effect in switches and wireless

deployment – not necessarily a decline, but a flatteningg

The Ultimate Effect

The answer is more straightforward…having to do with the need for a forklift upgrade versus the ability to lever an installed base—evolution versus revolution wins just about every time

Notice below the high amount of 802.11b and 802.11g still in use

The Ultimate Effect

The same can be said about copper cable – even more so

• Category 5e is alive and well in the LAN infrastructure! Even though Cat 6 has outsold Cat 5e for the past three years, clearly, Cat 5e is fit for purposefor purpose

• Whether it is Gigabit Hardwire or Gigabit Wireless, in most cases the infrastructure can be levered WITHOUT an upgrade of your cabling

The Ultimate Effect

Ironically, the resiliency of Cat 5e has shaped the future, including:

1) The ability to drive DC power to the desktop (and everything that comes with it))

2) Being able to deploy wireless capability just about anywhere in the premise

3) R i t f ti i f t t i l di fib ( l d3) Resistance of competing infrastructure including fiber (glass and plastic), coax, and even higher grade copper cabling such as 10 Gig

4) BICSI5) A 20+ year installed base that has provided more than enough

bandwidth for every application that has made its way ever sinceever since

A Different View

1) Technology will continue to lever the installed base in areas difficult to redeploy 2) Applications have more than enough room to grow, as the individual uses only

a fraction of the bandwidth available at any given time3) The advent of 802.11n and 802.11ac will actually add to the amount of wire

installed

The bottom line…Technology has only just begun to lever what Category Cabling can provide! Not only will Category Cable continue to resist decline, it could actually grow in years to come

Thank You!!!Thank You!!!