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Ask Slashdot: Provisioning Internet For Condo Association?
An anonymous reader writes "I am on a committee to evaluate internet options for a medium sized condo association (80 units — 20 stories) in a major metropolitan area (Chicago). What options are out there? What questions should one ask of the various sales representatives? How should access be distributed within the building (wireless APs, ethernet cable). Does it make sense to provide any additional condo wide infrastructure (servers, services)? How much should it cost? How much dedicated bandwidth is required to support a community of this size?"
I often ask questions that I already have an opinion about (or believed expertise) to either validate my thoughts or to bring in additional insights from others.
Just because he's asked the questions doesn't mean that he is not competent in this area.
Personally, I think *not* asking these types of questions is arrogant and closed minded.
If you think you're an expert that has nothing more to learn, you are a lot less smart than you think - this is just another take on the Dunning–Kruger effect.
Never happened. True story.
I agree, this sounds like way more trouble than it is worth.
The least you could do (and the object is in fact to do the least possible) is to let a contract for cat5 or fiber to each unit
all terminating in the basement or some such locked place.
Then allow the various ISPs to come in and do the rest of the work on a customer by customer basis.
You don't want these guys running cable all over your building.
ISPs get a numbered patch panel in the basement, and one (or more) direct runs to each apartment.
Space and power for their rack/router.
What goes on inside the apartment is the apartment owner's problem.
You want to protect your building's common areas from legions of independent installers.
But you do not want to get into the ISP business.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.