How ANM Transformed an Airport's IT Infrastructure

This case study explains how Advanced Network Management (ANM) simplified the IT infrastructure for an International Airport while reducing costs and eliminating potential points of failure.

The Situation

ANM, an IT consultancy based in Albuquerque, NM was asked to participate in a large security system upgrade project at a major airport in the Western US.

ANM’s role was to upgrade the security camera infrastructure of approximately 700 cameras at the airport. Since higher resolution, PTZ cameras were being installed, it would also be necessary to upgrade most of the cabling that supports these new cameras. All the existing IP cameras had been on Cat5 and Cat5E and many of the original cameras at the airport were analog and using coax cabling and copper power conductors.

Like most airports, there was an immense, sprawling layout that would require numerous long-distance cable runs. In many cases, the location where the camera was needed would easily exceed the typical Category 6 cable distance of 100 meters to the nearest IDF or network closet. 

The Solution

John Pace, ANM’s Project Manager and his team considered various options for the airport project. The initial plan that was considered would utilize fiber, along with copper conductors to power remote media converters. However, the client’s IT staff preferred not having new devices placed across the facility and Pace said they “did not want to have a scenario where devices could fail out in the field and would have to be located and dealt with by their staff at a later date.”

John Pace then discovered an alternative solution - GameChanger Cable from Paige. And for this installation, it did in fact, prove to be a game changer. 

With GameChanger Cable, ANM found an easy, fast, and cost-effective way to take networking infrastructure beyond the 100-meter limit. With increased gauge size, carefully designed twisting and specialty materials, GameChanger is optimized for long distance Ethernet applications. It is UL verified to deliver 1 Gb/s performance and PoE+ over 200 meters. UL has also verified it to deliver 10 Mb/s over 850 feet.

As John Pace described, “GameChanger turned out to be a very viable cost-effective alternative to running fiber and media converters, in the instances where the cabling requirements exceeded 328 feet for a network drop.” He added, “The GameChanger was a really good option from a cost-effectiveness standpoint and the ability to eliminate any kind of media converters or signal boosters or anything in-line on these cable runs.”

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 John Pace shelved the original plan to use fiber as “obviously that was cost prohibitive compared to the GameChanger.” He added, “In addition to the cost factor with the fiber and the media converters, we avoided adding additional points of failure into the system by being able to use GameChanger. So that was a win-win for us and the airport.”

After successfully using GameChanger Cable in the airport, John Pace feels it can be “a perfect fit” for all kinds of other projects, especially those where “their infrastructure is already established, and their budgets are limited.” He sees it as potentially an ideal solution for the numerous projects they do on school campuses, and he says that GameChanger “will be in our arsenal of solutions to these kinds of long-distance problems.” 

About ANM

ANM is ranked by CRN as one of the fastest growing technology solutions providers in the U.S. It specializes in the fastest-growing areas of IT, including enterprise networking, cloud, remote workforce solutions, collaboration, security, cabling, and audio visual. ANM was founded in 1994 and maintains its headquarters in Albuquerque, NM and has additional locations throughout the western United States.  

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