Hi everyone,
When planning a Wi-Fi network for a growing business, I’ve started paying more attention to the network infrastructure behind the access points.
The APs may get most of the attention, but the connection between switches, buildings, and network equipment can also become a limitation as the network grows.
For example, fiber uplinks can be useful when connecting different buildings or when longer-distance connections are needed. They also give some flexibility when planning for higher bandwidth in the future.
A few things I usually consider are:
- Distance between switches or buildings
- Current and expected bandwidth requirements
- 1GbE vs. 10GbE uplinks
- SFP/SFP+ compatibility
- Single-mode vs. multimode fiber
- PoE requirements at the access layer
- Whether the network may need additional capacity later
I think it’s easy to focus on the APs and overlook the uplink side of the design. A good AP can still be held back if the switching or uplink infrastructure isn’t planned properly.
For those managing RUCKUS networks, how do you normally plan fiber uplinks?
Do you install higher-speed uplinks from the beginning for future growth, or upgrade them only when traffic requirements increase?
I’d be interested to hear what approach has worked well in your deployments.
