Networking/Connecting Remote Locations

How do you connect users in different locations so they can communicate speedily, reliably, and securely? Perhaps you have users in different buildings in the same general area. Maybe they are across town or across the country. How can I connect my people?

In short the answer depends on how far your users are from each other and what your speed requirements are.

CAT6/CAT5e

The most cost effective solution involves standard Ethernet cable known as CAT6 or CAT5e. This type of cable has a maximum length of 100 meters at which point you place a switch inline and go another 100 meters. Indeed you can string standard Ethernet cables a very long way but they can only go 100 meters at a stretch. Many small courtyards of buildings can be connected in this way.

The maximum speed of CAT6/CAT5e is full gigabit connection. Very fast. Highly reliable.

1000BASE-SX

If you must bridge distances larger than 100 meters you can select to use fiber SX uplinks. Many standard managed switches have the capability of adding gbit transceivers for fiber uplinks. A managed switch of this type must exist at both ends equipped with gbit transceivers for this to work. SX uplinks are good for between 220 meters and 550 meters depending on the configuration. It is important to note that you must run a fiber cable between both locations and thus you must own the land between the locations for this to work. Once your switches are connected you can connect all workstations at both ends via standard Ethernet cable. This is an excellent way to connect buildings on a larger campus.

The maximum speed of 1000BASE-SX is full gigabit connection. Very fast. Highly reliable.

1000BASE-LX

LX Fiber solutions are similar to SX solutions except that the distance LX can travel is 10 to 20 Kilometers. A very long distance indeed. This is an excellent way to connect distant locations where you own the land in between or at least have access to a corridor through the area.

The maximum speed of 1000BASE-LX is full gigabit connection. Very fast. Highly reliable.

Site to Site VPN

Locations that are too far away or are not on the same campus, the necessary solution becomes a Site to Site VPN. This is a very common configuration. This solution requires that you purchase a firewall at each location which you wish to connect that supports Site to Site VPN capabilities. Cisco, Watchguard, SonicWall, Astaro and many others support firewalls with this capability. Once you purchase the Firewall, you can configure a connection that allows all locations connected to act as if they are on the same network. All traffic is routed between locations and is limited to the uplink speed of your internet connection.

The maximum speed of Site to Site VPN is limited by the speed of you internet connection. It is typically slow. Reliability is limited by the reliability of your internet connection.