Here is a summary of a network replacement project that we just completed. This customer makes custom cabinets for homes here in Oklahoma. They have experienced exceptional growth during the pandemic as people travel less and invest more in their homes. They had an antiquated network infrastructure that consisted of a Dell SonicWall firewall, several un-managed Netgear switches, several EnGenius and Linksys APs and no power protection. They also had an ancient NEC key system with the LCD displays on most of the analog phones non-functional. They had most of their network equipment installed in a cabinet in the filthy manufacturing area, where they are running many saws and sanders. Needless to say, their is saw dust and cobwebs everywhere in this area. We installed a new APC 13U cabinet for the MDF in the air-conditioned office area of the company and installed all new Category 6 cabling, patch panels, wall plates and jumpers. We installed an MX67 firewall and MS120-48FP switch in the MDF. Their is an APC SMT1000RM2U UPS with Smart Connect cloud monitoring to power protect the network equipment in the cabinet from Oklahoma's sometimes violent thunderstorms. We installed a new APC 6U wall mount cabinet for the IDF. We installed an MS120-24P switch and an APC Short Depth 500 VA Lithium Ion UPS with Smart Connect in the IDF cabinet. There are 2 one gigabit cables in an LACP Trunk between the MDF and the IDF switches. We installed 4 MR36 APs in the office and warehouse areas to provide WIFI6 coverage throughout the entire facility. We installed a new Cisco WebEx Calling system with 8800 series phones and ported the phone numbers over to it. We connected a Cisco ATA191 with an analog port to a Viking Electronics RAD-1A and PA-30 paging amplifier and installed three new 300AE paging horns for clear paging capability throughout the warehouse area. The synchronous 50 megabit internet connection is provided by AT&T fiber. Before the network replacement, even with the reliable fiber internet, the internet connectivity would waiver frequently. Now it is perfect. Spotty to no WIFI coverage is now excellent throughout the facility. Garbled phone conversations and paging are now crystal clear. The customer went from having little to no visibility or alerting into the functioning of the network and phone system to complete visibility with real-time monitoring and alerts. This is what a modern network and phone infrastructure can look like 21 years into the 21st Century.
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