ROANOKE, VA—With more and more guests bringing multiple devices and their own content during their hotel stays, more pressure is being put on hotel networks to perform well.
“Travelers will not return to certain hotels that do not have the connectivity or bandwidth to support their needs,” said Stephen Porach, PE, RCDD, manager, business development–enterprise solutions, Optical Cable Corporation. “As the amount of data and file sizes increase, as well as the need for real-time video, the need for increased bandwidth becomes critical. These increased bandwidth capabilities are driving the need for innovative cabling technologies that are able to ensure reliable performance and faster data rates. Hotels that do not provide this most basic need—and are not looking at what the next evolution in technology will bring—will not be able to keep up with those who do.”
One solution some hotels are utilizing is to abandon traditional copper-based networks in favor of passive optical LAN (POL) technology. Composed of point-to-multipoint fiber conducted through unpowered splitters, POLs enable simultaneous services like data, VoIP, video, building security and management services, as well as connection to wireless devices.
Porach noted that POL technology offers both cost-cutting features and a future-proof architecture. “Hotels cannot afford the downtime associated with rewiring in order to provide greater bandwidth to their guests. Empty rooms means lost revenue. Passive optical LAN systems utilize single-mode, fiber-optic cable. Single-mode, fiber-optic cable provides the greatest bandwidth compared to any other communications medium available on the market today,” he said. “Although I don’t like to use the term future-proof, optical LANs provide the most future-proof architecture at a very economical cost, compared to a traditional network infrastructure. This minimizes the need for future cabling upgrades that may impact vacancy rates.”
Porach noted that many hotels, particularly older ones, have limited pathways and conduit space but, since passive optical LANs only require a single strand of fiber for each standard room and can support phone, data and video services, they take up less space. “Other structured cabling solutions necessitate more cables and/or electronics to support the services now required in a modern hotel room. Existing pathways may not accommodate these additional cable requirements,” he said. “In addition, passive optical LANs have been shown to be a much more inexpensive solution—both in capital and operational costs—saving the hotel operator both up-front and year-over-year costs.”
According to the company, POL technology also eliminates investments in wiring closets and associated electronics, as well as climate-control costs associated with other solutions. Additionally, according to the company, POLs are more secure than legacy Ethernet networks, since they do not emit electromagnetic signals that can be intercepted, and are also non-flammable and require no EMI or FRI shielding.
According to the company, industry suppliers project that—in the not-too-distant future—somewhere between 10% and 30% of the population of conventional LAN architecture will move toward POL, and the typical POL network will serve 200-plus users. Though Porach noted that it’s hard to tell how quickly the adoption rate would be within the hotel industry, he noted, “We have seen a significant increase in project opportunities involving POL within the hospitality industry. Typically, once we have an opportunity to present the benefits of passive optical LAN systems to the customer, including the technological and cost benefits, the customer realizes it is the best investment decision for his or her communications infrastructure.”
—Nicole Carlino