VoIP Deployment Experience Talk: Power and cooling

When the enterprise consolidates the data center and voice technology, it may consider the environmental conditions to meet the needs of the new equipment, but when the enterprise switches from TDM to IP, it is often neglected to meet the needs of the wiring room.

When you deploy IP phones to the desktop, users will soon face the same problems as local broadband providers, which may cause the system to fail to function properly, or to invest at a higher cost. The main problem is how to power a large number of system terminals. As the user's VoIP deployment progresses, the need to support Poe's increased power output to the wiring room and the cooling systems needed to prevent overheating of the device will be a problem that users have to face.

Power problems

Most desktop ups offer a limited cleaning power supply, but may cause delays in switching during power outages, which may disrupt latency-sensitive VoIP traffic.

In addition, there are more ups factors to consider for institutions that have their own generators, such as hospitals, schools and public safety facilities. At present, most generators emit so-called "dirty electricity", that is, the voltage may fluctuate, unstable electricity. For mechanical equipment, such as elevators, this does not matter. But for power-sensitive devices such as electronic devices, this can cause problems. In extreme cases, such as when using an Ethernet switch, this can result in packet loss. On VoIP devices, this can also cause noise and interference on the connection.

Switches will become able to provide better power management and distribution capabilities. "Depending on the number of ports and the power management technology used in the switch, Powerdsine is a supplier of Poe components to LAN switch manufacturers," said Heldman, vice president of product management at the company. "Typical switch power is 70 to 100 watts. Depending on the implementation approach, the switch power to configure Poe may increase by 200 to 700 watts. Heldman said that if the Poe switch provided 300 watts of power and its efficiency was 75%, it would be equivalent to emitting an extra calorie of 360 BTU (British thermal units) per hour, which must be distributed to the communication wiring room.

Consider heat dissipation

Deploying and distributing a wide range of Poe devices to IP telephony or Wi-Fi access points will find that these devices consume more power and Poe generates extra heat, which must be considered.

Experts say this is a simple concept: where there is electronic equipment, electricity is needed and electricity generates heat. Increase the current, the equipment will become more hot. With the deployment of Poe, the thermal load of telecommunications equipment is transferred from a centralized telephone cabinet or an electrical cabinet to a distribution layer on the LAN. "If you have thousands of telephones and multiple Poe switches, these devices can increase energy consumption by 2 to 3 times times," said story, a power expert at CDW Corporation. "In the past, most enterprises considered the environment of the computer room to be limited to the installation of key air-conditioning systems for telephones and server rooms." Now, companies migrating to VoIP and Poe must consider cooling requirements for each cabinet and other corner where LAN switches may be installed. If a large number of Poe switches replace older LAN devices, cooling is not only a problem, but must also be considered to increase the power supply to the wiring room.