LEVITON.COM/CROSSTALK 1

IN THIS ISSUE

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wireless in Health Care Facilities

Johnson C. Smith University Opts for 100% Fiber Utilization

The Versatile Micro Data Center

Standards Snapshot

Connections

News You Can Use

Tech Tips

Ask The Experts

APRIL 19 - 20DataCenter Dynamics EnterpriseNew York, NY

JULY 10 - 14Cisco LiveLas Vegas, NV

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What is Driving Demand for Wireless?

Hospitals are seeing huge jumps in data growth, largely due to the rise of Electronic Health Records, as well as more connected equipment at the bedside and other areas. But there is also a huge push to support staff, patients, and visitors, as they increasingly expect reliable wireless access for mobile devices. This means that stronger, faster wireless networks — and the wired infrastructure supporting them — have become a much bigger priority for health care IT departments. They must take into consideration the following trends:

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Wireless in Health Care FacilitiesHow Network Infrastructure Design Improves Caregiver and Patient Experience

For nearly a century, Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) has provided outstanding education for a diverse group of talented and highly motivated students from various ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds. A private liberal arts university with proud Historically Black College and University (HBCU) traditions, JCSU continues to improve campus facilities to advance student opportunities and create a foundation for continued success. “One of our key campaign objectives is to provide a vibrant campus experience to our more than 1,600 students and 7,000 alumni,” said Dr. Ronald L. Carter, president of Johnson C. Smith University.

In 2015, JCSU completed construction of its new Science Center. This four-story, 62,000 square-foot academic facility is dedicated to helping students prepare for careers in the competitive global marketplace in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Johnson C. Smith University Opts for 100% Fiber Utilization

More Doctors and Staff Use Tablets and Smartphones for Work

Today, 90 percent of doctors and staff use mobile devices to engage patients, according to Healthcare Business Insights. And it’s little surprise that nearly 70 percent of health care IT leaders say Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies will be fully supported in their organizations by 2018. This incredible growth requires staff to have a network that delivers the data they need without disruption or downtime.

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LEVITON.COM/CROSSTALK 2

Wireless in Health Care Facilities • continued from pg. 1

Patients and Guests Expect Wi-Fi Availability

The demand for reliable wireless access isn’t limited to employees and staff. Wireless access is one of the biggest nonclinical factors for patient and guest satisfaction, as more than half of all health care customers say a positive experience includes access to Wi-Fi and other entertainment, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute survey. While guest networks may not require the bandwidth of critical clinical networks, managing this traffic has become an important part of an overall health care IT network strategy.

Building the Right NetworkTo handle these rising data demands, and to lessen the impact of future disruptions due to network upgrades, IT managers need a well-planned design for both clinical and guest networks. They also need a high-bandwidth wired network to support them. New technology, such as 802.11ac access points that deliver gigabit speed and faster fiber and copper cabling infrastructure, are helping health care IT managers meet these demands.

Wireless Access Points

802.11ac offers performance improvements by utilizing wider channel width and incorporating additional spatial streams. This translates into data rates of up to 1.3 Gbps per radio for current Wave 1 certified 802.11ac products, and eventually up to 6.9 Gbps with Wave 2 products. These upgrades mean staff will get the information they need quickly, and the network won’t be taxed by higher numbers of devices in use simultaneously.

In addition to using 802.11ac, some IT managers may also start considering 802.11ad wireless for short-range environments in a single room. Also known as WiGig, 802.11ad can deliver up to 7 Gbps in the 60 GHz band, and would operate as an extension of a larger 802.11ac deployment.

Cabling and Connectivity

Hospitals will not see the full benefits of new wireless technology without the right cabling infrastructure behind it. Health care IT cabling standards, such as TIA-1179, recommend using Category 6A cable for new installations. Only Category 6A will support future migration to speeds up to 7 Gbps offered by 802.11ac Wave 2 and 802.11ad technologies.

The Leviton Atlas-X1™ Cat 6A Cabling System was designed to support critical systems such as clinical networks. It can deliver 10 Gbps out to WAPs, preparing hospitals for 1 Gbps Wi-Fi today and up to 6.9 Gbps with Wave 2 and beyond.

In addition, the Atlas-X1 system takes full advantage of Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, which can transmit power and data over the same cable. Most WAPs use PoE, which eliminates the need for additional electrical wiring installations, saving on money and redundant cabling. PoE also allows for faster deployment at the WAP. The Atlas-X1 Cat 6A system can deliver 100-Watt PoE, meeting the needs for both higher bandwidth and power.

Atlas-X1 connectivity is also available as part of a complete plenum-rated in-ceiling system, providing reliable connectivity out to WAPs. The system includes patch cords, cable, connectors, and mounting boxes and brackets. It has been tested and approved to meet requirements for flammability and smoke density in air-handling spaces. The plenum-rated system mounts to drop ceililng hardware, making it easier to install a standards-based permanent link for IP devices where traditional wallplate connections are not practical or feasible. It is also easier to test and less likely to be damaged during construction.

It is important to remember that wireless is not the end-all solution for a hospital’s network needs. For example, transferring large images, such as MRI scans, can often take too long to transmit over wireless. Hospitals need to ensure they are installing the right infrastructure to handle greater demand now and in the near future. The Atlas-X1 system is ideal for those critical applications that still require wired connectivity.

You can learn more about Leviton’s full range of network connectivity for hospitals at Leviton.com/ns/healthcare.

More Automated Medical Devices Rely on Wireless

The proliferation of mobile devices is just one facet of a connected hospital. The Internet of Things (IoT) is widely considered as the next frontier for networking all types of medical devices, including stationary devices like IV pumps, fetal monitors, MRIs, and CTs. These devices will be able to quickly send patient data and alerts. Other devices can monitor supplies and equipment, then notify staff when they need to be replenished or maintained, creating greater efficiencies and cost savings.

LEVITON.COM/CROSSTALK 3

Johnson C. Smith University Opts for 100% Fiber Utilization • continued from pg. 1

The new Science Center is a reflection of JCSU’s commitment to preparing students for STEM-related fields, and the facility houses four newly created education centers, including the Center for Renewable Energy, the Center for Medical Informatics, the Center for Analytics, and the Center for Bioinformatics. Students will also benefit from state-of-the-art auditoriums and lecture halls, as well as cutting-edge energy labs and workstations.

“The network in our previous STEM building was not meeting the school’s needs,” said John Norris, IT director at JCSU. “We needed to bridge the gap for what was missing in higher education.” To achieve this goal, JCSU turned to Leviton for its network connectivity needs.

Making the Switch to Leviton

JCSU originally selected a non-Leviton connectivity system to support the new Science Center. However, once they became aware of the flexibility and customization offered by Leviton, the project was re-specified to exclusively include Leviton connectivity. “Competitor products couldn’t match the design flexibility Leviton offered,” said Norris, “and Leviton was able to create custom solutions to meet our specific network requirements.”

The infrastructure for the new Science Center was designed by Vertex Technology Consultants, Inc., a low-voltage data, telecom, security, and audio video network design firm that has worked with JCSU for more than 15 years. “When JCSU told us they wanted to install Leviton products in the new Science Center, I was eager to assess Leviton’s capabilities,” said Rick Sousa, president of Vertex Technology Consultants, Inc. “After careful evaluation, we determined Leviton products aligned well with the established specifications and were happy to include them.”

By deploying the Leviton Opt-X® Unity 24-fiber MTP® system, JCSU can now split pairs to utilize 100% of the fiber in the network. Using pre-terminated cable and custom cassettes allowed the university to breakout 8 fibers for 40G between switches and 16 fibers for eight 10G links with cassettes, eliminating dark fiber, reducing costs, and maximizing space usage.

JCSU had installed a fixed-shelf fiber enclosure, but issues with accessibility led the university to upgrade to more accessible Opt-X 1000i Enclosures with removable sliding trays. “Throughout the project we’d been working closely with Leviton and our sales rep, Todd Lovelace of JPI Associates,” said Norris. “They were able to rush a Leviton solution that provided the accessibility we needed.”

In addition to deploying the Leviton Opt-X Unity solution, Opt-X 1000i Enclosures, and single-mode fiber, connectivity for the new Science Center is also supported by 1,200 eXtreme® Cat 6 UTP QuickPort® Connectors. And for improved network performance with a small outside diameter, JCSU installed Berk-Tek LANmark-6™ Plenum-Rated cable.

Leviton brought tremendous value to this project through their design flexibility and service-oriented approach. We are very happy with the value Leviton provides.

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JCSU Energy Lab JCSU Classroom

JCSU Telecom Room with Leviton Opt-X 1000i Rack-Mount Enclosures

JCSU Science Lab

JCSU Telecom Room with Leviton QuickPort Patch Panels and eXtreme Cat 6 UTP QuickPort Connectors

Setting New Standards

The new JCSU Science Center is the first building on campus to support a 10G fiber backbone. It is also the first campus building to use Leviton connectivity, but it won’t be the last. “Leviton products transitioned seamlessly with other infrastructure equipment,” said Norris, “and network installation was smooth every step of the way.”

To install their new network, JCSU relied on the expertise of AFL Network Services. “For this installation, JCSU needed a quick-turn, customized, flexible solution that would support future network growth, and Leviton delivered,” said Elias Elia, regional director of enterprise services, AFL Network Services. AFL has a long-standing relationship with JCSU, and they have extensive knowledge of the latest technologies that create infrastructures for fast, reliable, and flexible networks. “Leviton manufactures a competitive, reliable product,” said Elia, “and we use them as often as we can.”

Now that the new Science Center is complete, more than 1,600 students annually will benefit from high-speed performance. Leviton helped set the standard for infrastructure deployment as the university grows. “Leviton brought tremendous value to this project through their design flexibility and service-oriented approach,” said Norris. “We are very happy with the value Leviton provides.”

John Norris, IT Director at JCSU

LEVITON.COM/CROSSTALK 4

STANDARDS SNAPSHOTKeeping you up to date on important developments from IEEE, TIA, and BICSI.

While the emergence of micro data centers may be a recent development, the trend did not come out of left field. The same scaling concept for micro data centers can be found earlier in pod architectures and container environments. They’re all modular building blocks that are repeatable and easy to scale up. CIOs today are equipping their tool belt with options that have evolved beyond the “one-size-fits-all” data center, and micro data centers are a natural part of that evolution.

Micro data centers differentiate themselves from other prefabricated designs with their ability to pack a lot into a very small environment. For example, one of these data centers can include 20 servers that harness virtualization technology, switches that take up only one or two rack units, cooling, and a UPS system. Need more than that? Just add another box. This method is quick to deploy, highly scalable, and creates a uniform design so tech knows exactly what’s going on.

Micro data centers meet the needs of a variety of different customers:

• Large data centers or “mega centers” are located in specific regions, but sometimes processing needs may be more localized, as there are latencies when all data drives back to a remote mega center. With micro data centers spread around a city, some data can be addressed on a local level and some goes back to the mega center, creating less traffic over a long haul network.

• While more businesses are moving processing to the public cloud, they may still want a small solution internally that is not as large as a secondary data center. If there is downtime or disruption, three or four micro data centers can act as a temporary fix. All a company needs is a little floor space: they don’t need to invest in an “environment.”

• Power companies and utilities using smart grid technology can leverage their existing infrastructure by adding micro data centers to substations, allowing them to quickly monitor energy use and gather information.

• Ruggedized environments like military or offshore oil operations can quickly deploy a robust, technically proficient environment with micro data centers. A micro data center can be mobile: one could be thrown into the back of a vehicle and away it goes.

• Applications with temporary needs are a great fit for micro data centers. For example, shopping malls can drop a micro data center into a telecom room to support additional kiosks for the holiday shopping season. It can then be removed when no longer needed.

The Versatile Micro Data Centerby Maurice Zetena III, Leviton Network Solutions,Vice President, Data Center Design Group

Cabling in Micro Data Centers

Fundamentally, cabling in a micro data center is no different than in a regular data center. However, since some micro data centers can be as small as half-rack heights, they require patching to be as efficient as possible. Ultra high-density fiber solutions, and in some cases high-density copper solutions, are essential in these installations. There are cabling systems available today that can patch up to 144 fibers in a one-rack-unit enclosure or patch panel. And since micro data centers could be used in mobile or ruggedized environments, cabling and connectivity should be robust and protected within the rack.

While cable management is important for managing high-density cabling, it also needs to take up as little space as possible. This means using fiber enclosures or panels with integrated cable managers for bend radius control. Or angled patch panels, which allow for proper cable bend radius without needing horizontal cable managers typically found above and below traditional panels in a rack.

What’s Next

It has been interesting to watch micro data centers take off, as they continue to be deployed in new and unique ways. I expect we will continue to see the market find new uses for them in the near future. And with improvements in server technology, cooling, and cabling density, we can expect micro data centers to become even more efficient in the years to come.

TIA TR-42 Engineering Committee

Category 8 standards from TIA and ISO/IEC, as well as the 25G/40GBASE-T standard from IEEE, are expected to be complete in late Q2 or early Q3 of 2016.

TIA is working on TSB-5021 to support 2.5G and 5G data rates over cat 5e and 6 cabling, but there is concern about the practicality of this compared to using Cat 6A. Cat 5e and 6 cabling wasn’t designed to suppress alien crosstalk (electrical noise from adjacent cables), so there is a chance that extensive testing and mitigation would be required to qualify existing Cat 5e and 6 cabling for this application.

TIA TR-42.12 Optical Fibers and Cables Subcommittee

In January, The TR-42.12 Subcommittee discussed performance and application parameters of Wideband Multimode Fiber (WBMMF) and 2x16 position MPO/MTP Connectors. One of the four architectures chartered in the IEEE P802.3bs 400 Gb/s task force will use the 2x16 MPO or MTP fiber connector. The application will have a 100-meter reach using 2x16 25 Gb/s multimode lanes.

IEEE 802.3

The P802.3bs task force is making progress to define 200 and 400 Gb/s over multiples lanes of 25 and 50 Gb/s. In January, the standard was approved to move to draft D1.2, with an expected publication of 2018.

NEWS USEYOUCAN

TRENDSDeployment of 100-gigabit Ethernet ports rose significantly in 2015. According to the Dell’Oro Group, in addition to installations in core routers, more 100G ports are being installed in lower-priced edge routers. The price of 100G ports continues to drop, and Dell’Oro Group predicts that by 2018, 100G will sell at a price per bit transmitted below that of 10G today.

802.11ac routers are expected to make up around 94 percent of all WiFi router shipments by 2019, according to the Home Networking Devices report from IHS Inc. On the enterprise side, 802.11ac Wave 2 products are expected to provide a boost to the surge of access point and infrastructure upgrades in 2016, according to IHS.

PRODUCT

Later this year, TIA will publish new standards for Category 8 cabling. You can get a preview of Leviton’s Atlas-X1 Category 8 System at Leviton.com/Cat8. The system uses the same connector form factor found in all Atlas-X1 Systems — including Cat 5e, 6, and 6A — based on RJ-45 connectivity.

YESTERDAY’S NEWS50 Years Ago: German physicist Manfred Borner patented the first working fiber-optic data transmission system.

WEBGain insight into topics on data center infrastructure and cabling for enterprise IT/AV and wireless.

Reduce WallplateInstallation Times by 20%

How It WorksAfter you have cut out the opening in the drywall and terminated the connectors, position the wallplate’s ear wings vertically and snap each connector into the back of the QuickPlate Tempo wallplate. (Figure 1)

Now, insert the wallplate into the drywall, with the ear wings closed in toward the center of the wallplate. As you tighten the screws on the front, the rear wings will secure the wallplate to the wall. (Figure 2)

That’s it! It’s that simple. By using the patented rear wings, there’s no need for a mud ring, box eliminator, or mounting bracket.

Learn more about the QuickPlate Tempo Wallplates at Leviton.com/Tempo.

Leviton's new QuickPlate® Tempo Wallplates make wallplate installs faster and easier than ever. The wallplate features rear wings that tighten to the wallboard, securing the wallplate to the wall.

Figure 1 Figure 2

ASK THE EXPERTSQ: Can your Structured Media® Enclosures be mounted

directly on a concrete wall?

A: Yes, the enclosures can be mounted directly on a concrete wall. You will need a 3/16" concrete fastener from a hardware store to mount the enclosure. Leviton also offers a series of Structured Media Enclosures specifically for concrete installations. They are designed to withstand added weight during concrete pouring. You can learn more here.

5Email: crosstalk@leviton.com

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Atlas-X1™ Cat 8

COMPANY

In the previous issue of CrossTalk, we announced that Leviton acquired U.K.-based Brand-Rex Ltd., a leading manufacturer of copper and fiber cabling solutions for network infrastructure. Brand-Rex will keep its name and be known as “Brand-Rex, a Leviton Company.” By joining forces, Leviton and Brand-Rex become only the second global company who can deliver both cable and connectivity solutions.