Article

Kiosks wired for action

Few kiosk deployers pay attention to the cables trailing behind the units -- until there is a problem, that is.

August 6, 2003

Few kiosk deployers pay attention to the cables trailing behind the units -- until there is a problem, that is.

"Customers don't think about data cabling or electrical issues whatsoever," said Tom Quinn, director of sales and marketing at Wichita, Kan.-based McBride Electric. "And that's fine, as long as they realize the kiosk won't run without power and won't complete transactions without connectivity."

Most kiosk projects require Category 5 cabling to connect the units with the network. They also generally require the help of a qualified electrical contractor to run the cabling.

Quinn said it is the job of the electrical contractor and the kiosk manufacturer to work closely together to understand customer requirements, particularly in large deployments.

The problem with estimating time, supplies and labor costs on a kiosk-cabling deployment, Quinn said, is that sites are very seldom the same, even within one corporation.

"You would think that every Home Depot, CVS Drugstore or McDonald's would look the same. But they don't. That's where site surveys are helpful," said Quinn.

A site survey entails visiting the physical location and working with the end user and kiosk manufacturer to get a handle on the scope of the project.

"We recently ran cabling in Home Depot stores to support kiosks, point-of-sale devices and self-checkout units, and we had to go into every store first," he said.

The Home Depot example brings home another point: when an electrical company runs cabling, the work usually doesn't support just one technology.

Santa Ana, Calif.-based USNet, an on-site installation and maintenance company, offers complete structured wiring services. While the company quotes most wiring jobs, it will generally charge between $150 and $170 for a single Category 5 plenum cable run, and between $260 and $280 for a dual Category 5 plenum cable run. These prices include cable jacks, faceplates, blocks and patch cords. Prices vary by project, and rest on some basic assumptions, according to Lynne Lawrence, president of USNet.

For an average run of 150 feet, for instance, the company assumes clear paths for the cable, existing cable runs that are tested and labeled, and cable that does not have to penetrate firewalls.

Lawrence said end users need to really think about where they want their kiosks before commissioning a company like USNet.

"The manager might want a kiosk in one place and then realize later that it is a bad location for the store's traffic pattern. Hopefully the new location will require the same length of cable," she said.

Potential for problems

There are several issues related to cabling that can cause deployers trouble with their kiosks. The first is crosstalk, which occurs when electrical devices are positioned too closely to one another and pick up conflicting network signals.

Crosstalk can be a security issue, according to Bill Cave, chief executive officer of Tampa, Fla.-based Phoinix Group, a full-service provider and system integrator.

"Cabling is an integral factor in network security. If cabling is done improperly, it can lead to crosstalk between devices or even let people into the network," he said.

Another challenge is protecting the cabling from the public. "You can't leave an RJ-45 jack hanging out in public," said Quinn. "It's a cosmetic issue as well a safety issue." He pointed out that installations have to meet codes and permit requirements.

Other potential stumbling blocks include the customer's timeframe and budget - and whether each is realistic.

Quinn said it is important to understand both from the customer's perspective. "If a kiosk manufacturer comes to us and says it needs a project installed in 5,000 sites within 60 days, we have to make that happen."

If an installation doesn't happen on time, it means days of lost revenue, he said.

Cave said he had one project that his firm figured would take two days, but it ended up taking eight days.

"The general contractor did not read the blueprints right and there was not enough conduit in to support all the cable we needed to pull," he said.

Because time does mean money, cabling companies have to be sensitive to customers' costs, while protecting their own margins. "Pricing is an art form. It's very easy to price a deal to the customer's satisfaction and then get under water quickly," Quinn said.

Double the protection

Cave said one way to eliminate costly outages caused, for instance, by an animal chewing the cable, is to have the electrical contractor run two cables at the time of installation.

"If the installer has one cable in his hand, why not pull two? If the primary line doesn't function, there is the peace of mind that there won't be an interruption," he said, noting that the price difference should not be substantial.

Lawrence and Cave caution kiosk manufacturers that even the best-planned kiosk projects can be thwarted by an inattentive general contractor. Often deployers won't find trouble with a building's construction until the time of cable installation.

"Our biggest problems have happened in cases where no one has thought beyond where the cable comes into the building," said Lawrence. "The cabling may be a hundred feet away from the retail floor in a telephone room." She said another problem occurs when cables are not labeled at the entry point.

"It's just a general rat's nest," she said. "We can extend the cable into the suite or store site, of course, but that is extra time and expense not anticipated," said Lawrence.

Cave has seen more insidious problems. "Some general contractors go really cheap and they don't put in the promised conduit. Or maybe they'll put in the wrong size," he said. "I can't tell you how many times we've run into that."

He said that situation entails the technician doing a "free run" with the cabling, mapping a new course.

Said Cave, "Cabling can be the most intense part of a project. But the kiosk vendors that hire us have faith in us."