Gigabit in the Workplace: Is it time to upgrade?

Network infrastructure is one of those topics that everyone loves to read about. Ok, stop laughing - hear me out. Gigabit has been the speed standard for many moons at this point, and honestly it might be time to think about an upgrade.

Wireless speeds have steadily climbed over the years, and with the latest renditions of 6 and 7 (stop snickering, you toddler) you will see product specs bragging about speeds in the 10 Gbps (gigabits per second) range. Wow, what an upgrade for a $130 piece of equipment. Sign me up.

Well, not exactly.

What is that cable you plug into the back of that fancy pants WIFI 7 device hooked to? If you have a closet like the ones I walk into, it is probably a 20 plus year old Netgear 8 port switch that has seen more lost packets than a delivery truck on black ice. So, while your fast new radio is capable of ridiculous speed, you have bottlenecked it with dusty legacy Cat5 cabling and ancient Costco networking equipment.

So, what do you do? The hard work. Time to cut and gut.

Start with the cabling. You will likely find Cat5, maybe Cat5e, which is good for measly gigabit speeds on a good day. But what you want is Cat6a. You can buy it in bulk and make your own cables to save money if you have the right tools and know how. If not, trust me, “learning on the production network” is a spicy way to live.

Rebuilding the core of your network is no small feat. If you are not comfortable working with crimpers, strippers, and racks, you might want to hire a professional to design and implement a proper solution. So, let’s at least work on the vocabulary so when you call Biztec, you can say the right words and make us feel like we are all in a safe space.

Modem

Typically this is the box your ISP (internet service provider) has provided. It links your network to their network and is the first hop out of your world to the rest of it. Check with your ISP and make sure you have an up-to-date model, and if not, request a new unit. If you really want bonus points, have the ISP enable bridge mode so we can manage things ourselves.

Firewall appliance

Next hop. This device does the fancy footwork that keeps your equipment somewhat private. Any time you hear about NAT, or some software company making an excuse for why their program doesn’t work, they are probably pointing at the firewall. These units advertise how much traffic they can handle and they are priced accordingly. They need to be matched to your use case, and yes, size matters here.

Switch

If you want to think of the firewall appliance as the brain of your network, the switch is the spine. These come in various speeds and sizes, so again, spec to your needs. When you are shopping, there are three big things to watch: number of ports, speed of ports, and POE features.If you have 10 devices that need a cable, you need more than 10 ports. Want a 10 gb network, make sure the ports are actually 10 gb capable. POE is Power Over Ethernet (not an edgy poet). It lets you send power on the same cable as data, so your cameras, access points, or other gear do not need a separate power source. Nice.

So, you step back and admire your new network closet. Fresh Cat6a cabling is neatly routed to your network stack. The ISP modem sits at the top, blinking softly, doing its job. Your gaze drops to the firewall appliance. It sits firmly in the rack, edges crisp, giving off strong “don’t mess with me” energy. You know it will shield you from the internet’s worst mood swings.

Your eyes trace the uplink cable down to your switch. It stretches across the rack, ports lined up like soldiers. You know it is the real workhorse. Everyone wants to party with the switch. Every device in your building is connected back to it, and it is slinging more packets per second than the post office could ever dream of.

You’ve done well. This network is fast, it is clean, and everyone appreciates it (even if they have no idea why things suddenly feel snappier).

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FAQs, Definitions & Abbreviations

• What is a Gigabit (Gb)? A gigabit (Gb) is a unit of digital data equal to one billion bits and is commonly used to describe network speeds and bandwidth (how much data can be moved per second). It’s most often seen in networking when talking about “gigabit connections” capable of high data throughput. (Lenovo)

• What are Gigabits per Second (Gbps)? Gigabits per second (Gbps) is a measurement of data transfer speed, showing how many billions of bits can be transmitted in one second. (BroadbandNow)

• What is an ISP (Internet Service Provider)? An Internet Service Provider is a company that delivers internet connectivity to homes and businesses.

• POE (Power over Ethernet) is a technology that allows a single Ethernet cable to carry both data and electrical power to devices. (Square)

• What is a Modem? A modem is a device that connects your local network to your ISP’s network. It receives and sends data signals over the ISP’s infrastructure (like fiber, cable, or DSL) and presents a usable network interface to your internal network equipment. (Square).

• What is a Firewall Appliance? A firewall appliance is a dedicated hardware device that protects a network by monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing traffic based on a set of security policies. (Palo Alto)

• What is a Switch? A network switch is a hardware device that connects multiple devices on a local area network (LAN) and forwards data between them efficiently. (Cloudflare)

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About the Author

Alex Tucker is a seasoned technology professional whose skill helps businesses remain secure and efficient in their daily operations. He followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the IT industry in 2004 to utilize his knowledge and expertise. Alex grew up with computers laying around and has been fixing IT issues since the time of dial-up internet. As the Help Desk Manager at Biztec, Alex provides support to customers, delivering fast and reliable solutions while also leading his team to provide efficient troubleshooting and exceptional service.