Upgrading enterprise network cabling is expensive. Not only is the cable and installation costly, but so is removal and disposal of the old cabling, making it tempting to leave the legacy cabling in place, snaked through the walls and ceilings of your enterprise.

But there are advantages to doing so, the cabling can be re-used.

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Using Ethernet extenders from Transition Networks, it’s possible to utilize your existing cable assets to extend networks or implement new devices such as IP cameras or wireless access points while reducing the costs associated with both the installation of new cable and removal of the old cable. This is especially true for 2-wire cable (also known as phone cable or Cat 3/Cat 5 unshielded twisted pair (UTP)) and coax cabling.

Most enterprises have a lot of 2-wire cable already in their walls because it was used for older telephony systems. When the enterprise chooses to upgrade to VoIP phones, that old 2-wire is readily available and can be used to connect new IP devices. Coax was commonly used in the past for connecting old IBM mainframes throughout a building, or by organizations that were pioneering users of analog security video cameras or videoconferencing systems.

Can the Cable Be Re-Used?

I’m not a cabling expert, but I have worked with enough customers to know that you should check out the cabling first to ensure that it is suitable for re-use and has not degraded with time.

Once the condition of the cable plant has been validated, it’s time to select the Ethernet extenders that will adapt the cabling to the new application. What can these devices allow you to do?

Re-Using Legacy Cabling for Ethernet Connectivity

Transition Networks has a family of Ethernet extenders for both 2-wire and coax cabling. which make it possible to:

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  Extend Ethernet networks beyond the 100 meter Ethernet cable limitation over 2-wire cable or coaxial cabling using our SFP form factor extenders in any switch or media converter with a Gigabit SFP slot.

• Provide PoE power along with data extension using our Ethernet over 2-Wire Extender with PoE+ to install high-end Wi-Fi access points or connect a work group LAN to a core switch in remote locations where power is not available.
• Provide PoE power and data extension using our Ethernet over Coax Extender with PoE+ to replace older analog cameras with newer IP cameras in locations where it would be costly to add new power runs.

Ethernet extenders are available for commercial environments or in temperature and environmentally hardened versions that are ideal for outdoor or factory floor applications.

A graphical user interface on the PoE Ethernet extenders makes them easy to install and configure, and offers advanced management features including power monitoring and auto power reset, which allows rebooting of the remote device without sending a truck or technician to the remote location.

Re-using legacy cabling can provide great results for enterprises, carriers and other network providers by allowing upgrades to the network while reducing costs related to installing new and removing old cabling. Check out our extender product webpage for more information.