Customer Success Story: Real-World Application of trueCABLE Products in a 250,000 sq ft Warehouse

At trueCABLE, we are committed to sharing valuable insights and expertise from professionals in the networking industry. Today, we are pleased to feature a guest post from Jonah, a seasoned professional at Universal Fiber Optics. In this article, he shares how high-quality structured cabling solutions from trueCABLE can optimize warehouse operations, highlighting a recent project in a 250,000 sq ft warehouse in North Las Vegas. We hope you find this perspective both insightful and informative.

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Written by Jonah at UFO

We are Universal Fiber Optics, a low-voltage contractor entrusted with the opportunity to expand and upgrade the wireless network for a 250,000 sq ft warehouse in North Las Vegas. As a company that specializes in low-voltage cable and wireless network installation, we relied on trueCABLE products to support this project and couldn’t be happier with the results.

How a Professional Low Voltage Contractor Discovered trueCABLE

Clients of all sizes seek more value in their network installation projects. Professional labor costs are a significant expense for low-voltage contractors; we want to provide our clients with quality options at a reasonable price. Instead of cutting our talent by paying our installation team less, we searched for savings in our materials. After extensive research and testing, we were so pleased to have found trueCABLE, which is the brand that provides the value we and our clients are looking for.

Overview of the scope: A 250,000 sq ft facility needs a reliable network infrastructure

For this installation, the client needed help with its wireless infrastructure. Overall, there needed to be more wireless coverage and the wireless access points that were installed needed to be optimized. The improper wireless network installation impacted warehouse operations, as workers who went up and down the warehouse aisles lost connection to their devices or experienced slow speeds.

The scope of work for this project involved installing 13 new access points within the warehouse rafters. The new access point installation encompassed running and terminating the Ethernet cable at both the IDF and access point ends, labeling and dressing the cables, constructing and installing the brackets for the access points and external antennas, mounting the access points, and finally, labeling and validating each access point to ensure proper functionality.

The second part of the project included rotating the external directional antennas of existing access points in the warehouse rafters to be parallel with the warehouse aisles. Before our involvement, the directional antennas were perpendicular to the warehouse aisle, which did not provide the most optimized wireless signal.

The last part of the project included swapping out the wireless access point on the mezzanine level of the warehouse. Before our involvement, there was an external directional antenna, which is not needed in lower ceiling areas such as the mezzanine. Our client wanted us to swap those directional-based access points for omnidirectional ones.

The Importance of Effective Cabling Solutions for Large-Scale Operations

Low-voltage cabling solutions for large-scale operations are often overlooked by those outside the low-voltage or IT sectors. Neglecting cabling during the initial construction phase can lead to significantly higher costs and more headaches when installing it later as an afterthought. Improperly installed cabling can result in numerous issues once the network is up and running, including:

• Compatibility problems with end devices or network equipment
• Connectivity issues from poor terminations
• Reduced Power over Ethernet (PoE) due to long cable lengths
• Aesthetic and functional concerns from messy cable management, which also hinders airflow within racks
• Mislabeling and lack of documentation that complicates network management
• Slow troubleshooting caused by inadequate cable organization
• Inability to future-proof the network without the proper cabling infrastructure

When an ineffective cabling solution is installed, it can result in a mediocre network, as cabling is the foundation of any network. Layer 1 issues can be particularly costly, making proper cabling installation critical and always considered a priority.

Warehouse Overview - Network Layout and Key Wireless Coverage Areas

We focused on two warehouse areas: the central warehouse space with long aisles, which housed larger items, and the mezzanine area, which housed smaller items.

The main warehouse area had more than 15 aisles with ceilings over 30 feet high. Four IDFs are spread out throughout the warehouse floor. Each IDF consisted of a network cabinet mounted on a pole about 18-20 feet high; essential network equipment, such as network switches and patch panels, were inside the cabinet. The network cabinets were placed closer to the corners of the warehouse, making cable runs to the center of the warehouse long, which we wanted to avoid.

The mezzanine level was the second area we worked in. Luckily, the ceilings were much lower, so only a ladder was needed to swap out these access points. The IDF for the mezzanine lived right next to the central warehouse area, making it easy to access and troubleshoot.

Challenges Faced During the Network Installation

As mentioned earlier, there were some concerns about the long cable runs to the middle of the warehouse, some runs got just over 300 feet. It’s highly recommended not to go over the 328-foot mark for each cable run, as this can cause PoE or connectivity issues. Another challenge we faced was the amount of items on the ground in some areas of the warehouse. We had to work with the staff to move freight or pallets out of the way to get our scissor lift in a safe location to run our cables through the warehouse rafters.

On the topic of scissor lifts, we were accidentally delivered the wrong size lift on the first day of the job. This caused a delay on day one because the majority of this project involved being on the lift. The initial lift that was delivered to the job site was not tall enough to reach the warehouse rafters. This set our timeframe back, but we were able to get the lift rental company to deliver a new lift quickly, and we got back on track.

We were in crunch time because the installation for this project needed to be completed over a weekend to not impact warehouse operations. We needed to work around our client's schedule to make this installation happen, and the weekend was the only time that was available. We had to bring attentional help and schedule our team accordingly to meet such a quick deadline. Using lifts to run cables in the warehouse takes additional time compared to running cables in a drop-ceiling office building that may only require a ladder. The cable pulls, and IDF access just takes a little more time in a warehouse. Also, we made sure we followed a repeatable process for each cable run to maximize the amount of time we had.

Why trueCABLE Products Were the Right Fit For Our Network Project

The Cat6A Riser Ethernet Cable Unshielded is a top-tier choice for any structured cabling installation. This cable not only meets but exceeds TIA and ISO performance standards, providing robust and reliable connectivity essential for a warehouse setting where data transmission integrity is paramount.

Compared to other competitors, trueCABLE’s Cat6A Riser Ethernet Cable offers a significant price reduction while maintaining higher performance standards. For instance, while some competitors' equivalent cables may support 10Gbps bandwidth and 71.3W Power over Ethernet (PoE), trueCABLE’s cables support up to 10Gbps and 100W PoE. This makes trueCABLE a more cost-effective and future-proof choice for businesses looking to scale their network infrastructure.

Additionally, trueCABLE’s Cat6A cables have a maximum operating frequency of 750Mhz compared to the TIA standard of 500MHz, ensuring better performance and reliability. trueCABLE’s shielded cabling products provide superior protection against external interference, which is crucial in maintaining network stability in large industrial environments like warehouses.

When we combined these technical benefits with the ease of use of the cabling, great customer service, and even a better price, we were able to not only provide a great solution for our clients but also at a low material cost, which we were able to pass on to our clients.

The Installation process - Specialized Techniques used to Ensure a Smooth Installation

One of the best methods we have found when running cables in a warehouse is to join an established cable path if there is one available. Depending on the run, we leave the cable near the node on the ground, run the line in warehouse rafters, usually on j-hooks, and have it blended in with the rest of the cables. We run multiple cables at once to spend less time per cable. If there is a turn in the cable run, we use a pulley, or one of our team members manages the slack on that corner so the cable isn’t damaged. After we get the end of the cable to its final destination, the person in the lift backtracks and dresses the cable to make it look better. While that is going on, we then have another team member terminate the cable, mount the access point, and place it on the labels. Once the technician is finished dressing the cable, they head to the IDF and terminate the cable into the patch panel in the IDF. After that is complete, we make sure the access point powers up, confirm with the customer that they have remote connectivity with the access point, and finally make sure we can connect to their network via Wi-Fi.

Tips and Tricks Learned During a Large Warehouse Installation

The best tips and tricks we learned during this installation were to always start with the right tools and materials for the job. Using trueCABLE products gave us peace of mind that our cables would meet today’s and tomorrow’s customer requirements.

Sticking to a process during the installation and assigning responsibilities to each of our team members help us keep the pace up for this installation. We assigned someone to work on rough-in cables, another to mount the access points and termination, and another to keep track of the documentation for the job, including access point labeling, MAC addresses, patch panel labeling, and which switch ports we patched the access points into. This information is crucial for our clients who manage their network remotely. We go above and beyond to ensure they feel confident that the installation process is smooth and executed correctly, providing them with peace of mind.

Measurable Results and Improvements

For this project, we did not have to provide a pre-installation or post-installation heat map as the client had an employee who could do that in-house. However, we were able to do a quick signal level check using applications on our phones near the areas where we installed access points.

There was a significant improvement in Wi-Fi performance and signal strength in the areas where we installed access points, compared to the weaker performance in warehouse aisles with improperly installed antennas.

Conclusion of the Successful Installation and The Role trueCABLE Played in Achieving this Outcome

The successful completion of this large-scale warehouse project in North Las Vegas highlights the importance of choosing the right products and adhering to meticulous installation practices. At Universal Fiber Optics, we are committed to delivering top-tier network solutions that meet the current and future needs of our clients. By leveraging the superior quality and cost-effectiveness of trueCABLE products, we were able to enhance the wireless network infrastructure, ensuring reliable connectivity across a sprawling 250,000 sq. ft. facility.

This project not only reinforced our belief in the value of trueCABLE's offerings but also demonstrated the critical role that a professional, well-executed cabling installation plays in a network's overall performance. The measurable improvements in Wi-Fi performance and signal strength affirm that our approach and product choice were on point, providing our client with a network that supports their operational efficiency.

As we continue to take on similar challenges in the future, we will remain dedicated to using proven methods and high-quality materials, such as trueCABLE products, that deliver outstanding results. This will ensure our clients can operate with the confidence that their network infrastructure is both robust and future-proof.

HAPPY NETWORKING!

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