Case Study

New Fiber Optic Cabling Gets School Network Up to Speed

A private day school serving pre-K through 12th grade reached out to KTS for help with its communications infrastructure. The campus is segmented around Cambridge, MA with the Lower and Middle School campuses a short walk from Harvard Square and the High School nearby on the banks of the Charles River.

There were two phases to the project:

Phase I:

The school had upgraded network equipment to support 10GB. But they had not upgraded their fiber backbone. The existing OM1 multimode fiber optic cable that supported the campus for well over 20 years only supported 1GB. While the installed network equipment could support faster speeds, the communications infrastructure cabling in place supporting the equipment could not. The benefits of the upgraded network equipment would only be achieved by having the backbone cabling upgraded to support 10GB.

KTS reviewed their existing network and requirements and recommended an upgrade to single mode fiber to support their growing needs.

Phase II:

The school’s administrative offices had been moved into a recently acquired, former private home near the main campus. The private home was not connected to the school’s network, leaving the administrators with no connectivity to the school’s network.

The Work

Phase I:

Upgrading the communications infrastructure fiber optic cabling involved a hub and spoke plan that brought the new single mode fiber optic cable from the main building to all the other buildings on the campus. KTS, in conjunction with the school’s facilities department, researched and identified the locations of the conduits. Once the conduits were identified, KTS installed the new single mode fiber optic cable across the campus as well as to the newly purchased building.

Phase II:

Getting the new administration building connected to the network began with bringing the single mode fiber optic cable to the building. Then, the indoor work involved running Cat 6A cabling to the work locations/desktops as well as installing wireless access points throughout the three-story building to secure reliable connectivity to the school’s network.

Challenges

KTS needed to follow all of the school’s Covid-19 protocols while working on the project. Additionally, the project had a tight timeline; the initial contact was early December, and the work needed to be completed by mid-January.

Phase I:

KTS needed the assistance of the school’s facilities department to identify where the cabling conduits were located. These had been installed many years ago, and the locations were not well documented.

Phase II:

Installing the cabling in what had been a residential building presented some interesting challenges. Unlike commercial buildings, there were no drop ceilings where cabling could be run. KTS prides itself on leaving little to no trace of our work, so we needed to be creative in finding existing routes for the cabling, i.e., areas where other wiring or pipes were already in the space. We were fortunate that the home had previously had a state-of-the-art entertainment system, so the home had an IT closet which we were able to repurpose for the necessary rack, patch panels and termination hardware.

Benefits/Impact

Phase I:

The single mode fiber optic cable was designed and installed so it is not spliced in manholes (to reach other locations), which avoids possible degradation over time. The single mode fiber optic cable will meet or exceed any network upgrades for many years to come. As of today, there is not an equipment manufacturer who manufactures any network equipment that exceeds the bandwidth on single mode fiber optic cable. It also will support growing demands for speed, as it can support speeds of infinity at this time, making single mode fiber optic cable a solid investment.

Phase II:

The administrative offices are now fully connected to the school’s main 10GB network.

Both phases were completed within the tight timeframe while the school was closed for its holiday break.