Ethernet extension using VDSL in hotels?

[BobY777]

Hello All:

I'm doing some planning for access point deployment at a few hotels.

One task is to get the ethernet up to the rooms where the access points will be located.

Do most hotel deployments use VDSL in order to extend the ethernet from the equipment room (where the ethernet originates), over the existing phones lines, up to the hotel rooms where the access points are?

It seems like this would be very cost effective as opposed to running CAT5 cabling. I figure running CAT5 could be almost impossible in some hotels. But the phone lines are already run and as such it would be so easy to put VDSL on those lines in order to extend the ethernet to where it is needed.

I have been looking at the Tut VDSL units. Ingram Micro distributes them. They seem pretty good. One company in Gatherdburg, MD called Patton recently stopped making a VDSL unit that seemed good though.

Since the phone lines naturally run into the hotel rooms, it seems much easier to put the access points in the rooms as opposed to trying to put the access points in the hallway of hotels, where its more difficult to extend the ethernet to.

I'd love to hear any thoughts on this. I'm just a newbie in this area and have a lot to learn about this access point and VDSL stuff.

Thank you much ahead of time for your help,

Bob Y

[shiggs]

You could use Cisco's LRE (Long Reach Ethernet) to connect over existing telephone wire. There are 24 port switches (for the head end) and small 1 port (CPE) devices to connect on each floor which would provide connectivty to the AP.

Also look at Ciscos BBSM (Broad Band Services Manager) product. This comes in an entry level product as well as a full blown product that can interface directly to the hotel's billing system -- automatically placing the carges on the customers bill.

Wayport, Boingo and other "3rd party" roaming is also supported by BBSM...

See CISCO575-LRE and WS-C2950ST-24-LRE Their cost is 145 and 4495 respectivly. There is also an C2950ST-8-LRE, only 8 ports for 1895. All prices are list price, expect to pay much less. The other nice thing you could do is offer Ethernet connectivity to other areas of the hotel, so the price of the 24 port unit may be absorbed by other wrap around services. Security cameras, Kiosks etc... Plus, you can rate limit if needed.... It's always nice to have such "tools" available if needed later on down the line.

Hope this helps!

[impartial]

BTW it's Building Broadband Service Manager ;-)

Cisco also makes a 4 port CPE (585) for more in-room fun: LAN parties, IP phones, Set Top Boxes, etc.

In smaller hotels (less than 100 rooms) you might find it cheaper to use a cable solution. Same idea as the VDSL where you run your Ethernet signal through existing cable (this time the cable TV plant) and seperate out the signal with an in room cable modem.

I don't see the logic of one AP per room. Talk about cost prohibitive. Most hotels will take Ethernet over wireless as you can bill on a per port basis with Ethernet, plus that whole bandwidth thing (Cisco's LRE can reach 15mb). To bill to the room with wireless you'd need to put an AP in each room and make the cell uniquely available only to the user in that room. What a headache.

I'd sell the hotel Ethernet to the rooms (CAT5, VDSL, Cable) then sell them a couple AP's they could loan out or rent (if the users wanted freedom to roam around the room). If the cost is too high, lite up a couple floors with Ethernet to see if they can make money (Hi, would you like smoking or non-smoking? King or two doubles? Internet or Dial-Up?). Maybe put a couple AP's up in public spaces where they could use a coupon/voucher handed out by the front desk (and maybe billed to their room/credit card/cash). Or lite up the whole place and bump up room costs $10 a night.

[rick24]

has anyone used a coax over ethernet solution? I'm looking at working a small hotel less than 100 rooms. and Only actually need it to run to about two access point locations the rest I can pretty easily wirelessly link or hard wire. could this be the silver bullet solution for hotels which are very difficult to wire?

[danielmaui]

Not sure about over COAX, but if you need a lower cost LRE-style solution than what Cisco offers, you might want to check into this:

http://www.citynetek.com/product/cn1210_sub.htm

[BobY777]

Hi all:

Thanks for your response.

Daniel, I will be looking into the unit that you mentioned. It looks nice for when CAT 5 can't be run.

[BobY777]

Hi Rick:

This is the first I have heard of ethernet over cable, within a hotel.

I don't know of any equipment manufacturers though.

Sounds neat. I wonder if there is any problem with the cable TV companies, if this is used?

[JPH007]

Hi,

see the DeskBridge (r) product at
http://www.teleadapt.com/hotels/deskbridgedata.php

It's designed for hotels to install wireless networks and yet provide ethernet connectivity in each room, thus increasing take-up by those guests who don't have wireless devices.

Hope this helps for future deployments if not for this one.

[oshea85]

Been down this road...hotels are notoriously thrifty.

How many spare pairs do you have on the phone cabling in each room? If you have two spare pairs, and depending on the quality of the cable, you might be able to split two pairs out to make an Ethernet or even FastEthernet connection. I've run 10BaseT over 430 feet over cat-nothing voice grade 50-pair cable, terminated on 66-blocks, with b-connect splices. If you know your voice/data wiring, you might be able to make this work.

I've done a similar thing in mansions, with wood paneling and ceilings, where you were not going to be running new cable.

You're not really going to know if it will work until you try...

[BobY777]

Thank you oshea85:

I have heard of VDSL. That is ethernet over telco pairs.

But never Ethernet over coax. I have a feeling it is just Ethernet over the regular cable tv line in the hotel. And I'm sure there is equipment that the cable tv company used to get the ethernet on that cable tv. Maybe that is what rick24 is talking about.

Thats interesting that you got ethernet to run over regular telco lines, not specifically set up for ethernet lines. Sounds pretty neat.

Thanks much

[oshea85]

telco and data are both twisted pair...data cable is just higher grade...