The concept of delivering high-speed Internet to tenants of multi-housing properties has been, and continues to be, an alluring one. But it can be a difficult one too. If the technology itself isn't an obstacle, the cost is. That is, until you know the ropes.

When contemplating deployment of broadband access in an MDU environment, the service provider (whether it be ISP or REIT) needs to understand one important issue: property owners/managers and their tenants (generally) don't care a bit about "technology," they just want it to work. No hassles, no problems, just fast service that keeps them happy. But alas, it is technology that enables the solution.

The right technology choice is driven by what kind of property is being serviced. New Construction vs. Retrofit? Residential vs. Commercial? High Rise vs. Campus/Garden Style? Understand the subtleties involved here and the rest is pretty easy. The majority of technology solutions for MDU service are based on the Ethernet standard, which is the focus of this article.

Why Ethernet?

Ethernet is without peer in its dominance of data networking worldwide. It is ubiquitous. It is accepted. It works. Ethernet adaptors are standard fare in all newer computers and retrofit cards are cheap (as little as $8). "Ethernet" the technology has worked its way into our lexicon as "Ethernet" the service. Property managers find themselves continually confronted by prospective tenants (particularly those tech-savvy student types)…."Got Ethernet?" As the most dependable and efficient way to deliver data, Ethernet wins hands down. Regardless the delivery method for high-speed data (cable modem, wireless, DSL, etc.) the chances are slim that the interface to the computer is anything other than an Ethernet port (USB is trying to compete, and USB is great for peripheral purposes, but for raw data transport, speed, and compatibility, it's just a "me too" solution).

Residential vs. Commercial

The only difference in deploying solutions in commercial and residential environments is income opportunity. Residential services sell for less than commercial services. Take rates in commercial buildings are higher than in residential communities. Service level agreements are less stringent in residential markets. Two different ducks: They both quack, but one has a bigger bill. Simply put, we can't afford to spend as much of our resources in a residential rollout as we can in a commercial one. There are of course, exceptions to every rule and knowing your market is the best place to start. Design an infrastructure that can be supported by revenues.

New Construction

Most would think that deployment in a newly constructed multi-housing community should be a cakewalk. Category 5 Ethernet ready cable is in the wall just begging to be used. For anyone versant in Ethernet LANs, then this is mere child's play. Or is it? Just ask Thomas Cannon of Speedcell Internet in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. "We recently acquired rights to service several thousand apartment units, most of which were recently built and have Cat5 in the wall. But further investigation showed several major flaws in the installation of that cable including looped (bedroom to bedroom) installation instead of homerun. Add to that the generally poor installation of the cable plant, we had to regroup."

It is amazing to some that in this day of high-speed data, new cable plant is not designed to handle simple Ethernet networking, much less advanced service like Gigabit Ethernet. Cannon is protecting his turf for future installations. "We will be active in the planning stages and on-site for all new construction we have acquired rights to from here on," he says. "It's the only way we can guarantee things are done right at this stage."

Developers can save themselves and their future data partners a lot of grief by following a few simple guidelines during new construction. First and foremost is installation of a cable plant that is sufficient to handle Ethernet networking. This means two things. First, runs from tenant units to punchdown blocks that don't exceed 100 meters (interconnecting runs to a central point on the property can be made from this junction). Second, separate cables for data and phone. While it is possible to run Ethernet in the same jacket as phone, it certainly is not optimal, definitely not advisable for Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps), and absolutely not possible when upgrading to Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps).

Gigabit!? Who will ever need that much speed in residential use? With much admiration and deference to Steve Jobs (Apple Computer), it was only twenty-five or so years ago he deemed that no computer would ever need more than 64K of memory. With life expectancy of MDUs stretching well past 30 years, and computers today with gigabits of memory, well, you do the math.

Go one step further in new construction installation and do homeruns (a separate cable) from the punchdown block to each bedroom (two cables - one for data, one for phone). The ability to deliver Ethernet service to every bedroom (along with telephone) will surely be a valuable amenity. This "port per pillow" concept is already raging through the higher education system as dorms that were rewired are now being re-rewired.

The other thing developers are well advised to do is interconnect their buildings with conduit during new construction. This allows for interconnection of multiple buildings to a central demarcation point. Stick it in the ground while it's still cheap to do so, and, keep the ownership rights. This will future-proof the property for later upgrades and ease installation of new services as needed. Following these simple guidelines can save tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work (and grief) when the time comes to roll out high speed data services or expanded services.

Retrofit

For those 30 million or so other units there are, it seems, a plethora of options available to retrofit buildings. These can all be broken down into four major groups:
· Wireless
· Rewire (Ethernet)
· Active Device (HPNA, xDSL)
· Passive Device (etherSPLIT).

Wireless

Wireless Ethernet (based on IEEE 802.11x specifications primarily utilizing unlicensed bands) has carried the burden of being the Holy Grail of data retrofits. Developed with great fanfare and promise, wireless has had a strong influence in data networking, but as a total solution it falls short. Buddy Causey, General Manager of University Commons Apartments in College Station, Texas can attest to that. "Our company made a substantial investment in a wireless network to serve 365 tenant units. It looked great on paper and preliminary tests worked fine, but in the end it failed...miserably. Signals were unable to penetrate walls in most of the apartments, and those that did work had extremely slow service. We've elected to rip the system out and go with a hard-wired approach." Causey goes on to say that this experience was the same with nine other complexes owned by the parent company. "We know we can make the wireless system work," Causey adds, "but the cost to do so would be prohibitively expensive."

Thomas Cannon with Speedcell agrees. "We've heard the horror stories about wireless deployments, experienced some ourselves, and learned fast to stick to wire for the end user. We've had great success using wireless for point-to-point delivery of data such as delivery to a property, but we can't rely on it to branch out to the end user."

Does this mean wireless is useless? Absolutely not. Wireless Ethernet has numerous applications in many environments including multi-housing. Wireless access within common areas of a property (meeting rooms, pool areas, study labs, etc.) has been deployed with little trouble. Wireless also is an excellent choice for bridging access to multiple computers within a tenant unit (i.e. "port-per-pillow") where it is difficult to run additional wire.

Rewire

Avoidance is what all other approaches are about. Using existing wire (or air) is "in." But in some situations, rewiring can make more sense. It all comes down to cost. Jason Sargent with Internet Business Consultants in Charlotte, North Carolina states, "The average cost we observe to rewire with Cat5 is about $275 per unit…but that's only in situations that it is even feasible to rewire." Rewire usually makes sense in commercial environments only at the present, where take rates are higher and service plans reap more income, or there is a persuasive reason to be able to deliver more than 10Mbps of data throughput. The ability to deliver Fast Ethernet or even Gigabit Ethernet is not compelling today, but could be in the next seven to ten years. Having infrastructure in place for future expansion may justify the expense of rewiring. Compare this to amortization of less costly solutions before you justify rewiring now.

Rewiring can be fraught with environmental problems however. Because of the invasive nature of the process, installers must be cognizant of environmental issues such as asbestos and lead-paint abatement. And of course, there are those properties where rewiring is simply not an option due to construction constraints, unless exterior conduit is employed (not a favorite of aesthetic minded property managers). If rewiring is the preferred option, using the highest-grade cable available is advisable. Fiber is probably not the solution to deploy today given Cat5e/Cat6's ability to handle Gigabit Ethernet over the short distances typical of MDUs.

Once installed, it is a simple matter of building out an Ethernet LAN using standard (non-proprietary) Ethernet hub or switch equipment, and installing jacks in tenant units. Bear in mind the 100 meter distance limitation Ethernet has (10BaseT can reach further over high quality cable). Most MDU installations will fall within this limit with proper network design. Locating switches on each building or on each floor of a high rise resolves the issue.

Active Device

xDSL (Digital Subscriber Line), LRE (Long Reach Ethernet), HPNA (Home Phone Networking), etc. all share the same technology underpinnings that compress data within a fixed frequency spectrum using some form of modulating/demodulating (MODEM) component, and overlaying this signal on existing telephone lines (with the added convenience that the telephone still works too). xDSL and LRE in particular are touted for their abilities to run high speed bit rates over relatively long distances (15,000-20,000 feet) at reasonable costs (reasonable being an overused word). At $250-$500 per unit to deploy, xDSL and LRE have better application in the single-family market and broad campus layout (such as building interconnects or backhaul to the service provider). But where longer distance wiring topologies simply don't allow for any other retrofit option, xDSL/LRE may be the solution.

HPNA on the other hand is touted for lower cost over shorter distance. Developed primarily for low-end home networking (the "H" in HPNA), HPNA has a typical reach of 500 feet with costs in the $175-250 range per unit for Ethernet interfaces. HPNA is finding its way as an acceptable solution for many MDU purposes. HPNA 1.0 delivered 1Mbps data rates, while the newer HPNA 2.0 promises 10Mbps over a single copper pair (on top of an active phone line as well).

Numerous manufacturers are marketing HPNA solutions with aggregated switching technology that allow Ethernet-like network management. Some of the less expensive solutions use USB interfaces to connect to users, but special drivers must be loaded to operate. Equipment and driver compatibility issues will crop up from time to time. Designed for home networking, HPNA doesn't have the horsepower true Ethernet can deliver, but is an acceptable alternative to Wireless Ethernet. For longer reach (500 feet or more) where true Ethernet can't go, it's a good bet, but stick to the Ethernet-port based interfaces for best performance and compatibility.

Other practicalities to consider when deploying active MODEM solutions on top of live phone lines include the need to install DSL filters on each phone device extension (telephones, fax machines, dial-up modems, answering machines, etc.). These filters prevent noise on the phone as well as data interruption due to ring signal and off-hook spikes from the phone line. Add $8-15 per filter to base installation costs. Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) is also needed which can carry its own set of disadvantages: the need for a power outlet and susceptibility to damage or theft

Passive Device

etherSPLIT as a passive device is unique in its ability to deliver native Ethernet (10BaseT) and an active telephone circuit over existing phone wire. etherSPLIT utilizes four wires (two pairs) in contrast to active device solutions which use only one pair. The system is comprised of a splitter system at the wiring closet and a wall plate splitter installed at the tenant unit. No CPE can be a big advantage. "Aside from the benefits of being less expensive and providing more bandwidth, etherSPLIT offers another significant advantage to wireless and xDSL solutions - there is no customer premise equipment that can grow legs or be broken" says Jason Sargent of IBC. "And at just over $75 per unit, etherSPLIT is only about a quarter of the hard-wired cost. Utilization of the etherSPLIT product in conjunction with a wireless point to point link, is the most cost effective solution for delivering high speed access to any multiple dwelling unit" he adds.

etherSPLIT uses standard Ethernet 10BaseT switches or hubs allowing for the same flexibility in network design and performance as native Ethernet. Similar rules and constraints apply, such as distance limitations of 250-350 feet depending on wire type and quality. An added advantage of the system is no need for filter devices on additional telephone extension as is required with xDSL/HPNA. etherSPLIT uses differential signal splitting without any filtering applied to the data and phone signals.

High rise vs. Campus/Garden Style

The last consideration in technology choices involves the physical breadth of the installation. High-rise buildings usually offer the least difficulty in deploying native Ethernet/etherSPLIT solutions because of the proximity of wiring access points to the tenant units. Wiring closets will generally be found on each floor or every two to three floors keeping distance to the tenant unit under 250-300 feet. Riser spaces are likely available to interconnect wiring closets with new Cat5 cable, or existing phone trunks can be employed for the same purpose. For high-rise buildings that have only one wire-access point, xDSL/HPNA (or wireless) may be the best solution.

Campus buildings and garden style apartments can present more of a challenge, but in some ways may be easier. In multi-building properties, telephone lines generally congregate at a wiring closet or exterior demarcation box at each building. With fewer tenant units congregating at each demarcation, existing telephone wire is easier to use. With a solution such as etherSPLIT, Ethernet equipment can be located at the building and interconnected to a central point utilizing Ethernet on Cat5 or Fiber in conduit, existing phone lines with xDSL, or wireless solutions.

It is only money

Understanding the available technologies that work in MDU environments is the first hurdle. Using the power of that knowledge to derive a cost-effective deployment is the real solution. Finding a system that works, and works within a cost/revenue model is the key to success.

About the Author
Greg Gammon is President of QLynk Communications, Inc. based in College Station, Texas.