Telcomm Closet & A Newbie

[ubigdummie]

Hello All. My name is Andy and this is the first time I have posted in this forum. I am not well versed on networking, but have no problem understanding smaller networks that use routers/hubs and such. I work at a hotel as general manager and am in desperate need of help.

The problem is when the network was installed, it was a first time job for the guy and everyone says he didn't know what he was doing. I don't know if that's true because I wasn't there at that time. Anyway, the hotel has 3 levels. Every room (90) plus about 10 other stations have a connection for a CAT5. We have a T3 coming into the hotel. We also have a wireless solution using a Breeze Access radio by Alvarion. The CAT5 works terribly in most rooms, but works okay in some rooms. The problem is intermittent and never the same in every room. Some connections work fine some days and other days it's awful. The wireless always works, but sometimes gets slow. The guy that comes out to troubleshoot the network says it's because of the Netgear router we have and wants us to buy a new one for about $1000.

What I need is to get this CAT5 working to its full potential. So, if anyone out there has the patience and time to help me, it would be much appreciated.

I have pictures of the telcomm closet posted on my server at http://tiftoncy.gotdns.com . I thought maybe this would help if someone needs a visual to understand what I'm talking about.

I don't know everything about networking, but I learn quickly and am at least familiar with the terminology. So, just keep that in mind when you're helping me.

Thanks a million!!
Andy - UBigDummie

[ubigdummie]

What are the Cisco Wireless LAN Adapters for that are on every level in every hallway? There is a place for a LAN connection (which is connected) and there is a place for a power adapter connection (which is not connected). I'm not sure which LAN this is on, but I tried to connect an extra one we have to the network in several locations and it didn't work. I then temporarily replaced one in the hallway with the extra one and it worked.

In the closet at the bottom of the rack, there are 9 power injectors (3 for every floor). What are these for?

We have a Netgear FVL328 router which we don't have the username and password for. Is this a bad choice for a network this size? How do we find the IP of this router? I can buy a cable to connect to this router if I have to so that we can reset it. If I do reset the router, I will lose the current configurations. How difficult will it be to configure this router and what kind of configurations does a router need for a network of this size?

Thanks again for your help and your time.
Andy - UBigDummie

[burneco]

Since it's a hotel, most traffic is between the LAN and the Internet, and thus the Netgear Router is most likely the bottleneck. Also your problems are intermittent and not localized to one drop. However the only way to rule out the network media (CAT5) is to have the lines certified, and run a network analyzer. I'd replace the router anyway. The Alvarion Breezeway is a Bridge device that probably connects your Cisco AP's in a VLAN configuration (it's a little overkill for a single site). The power inverters are for Power over Ethernet, which powers the Cisco WAP's. This is a pretty intricate setup for someone who didn't know what they where doing. Even if you solve this problem by simply replacing the router, you are inevitably going to have bigger more in depth problems in the neer future. Get help! Getting this network to operate at full potential will be a full-time project, and I am assuming that your current position takes some time out of your day. Try to get budgeting for a consulting company to come in and put everything together then do monthly maintenance. Stay away from people who want to piecemeal everything without giving you answers and options.

[m4a2t0t]

You need to segment your network and you need to get the CAT5 lines verified.

how busy is the hotel? Im guessing it fairly busy if you have a T-3.