Network Infrastructure Cleanup for Elk Grove Village Business

Project Overview

A distribution warehouse in Elk Grove Village contacted Vidimost LLC after experiencing recurring failures with their security camera system. An initial site visit revealed that the root cause was not the cameras themselves but the network infrastructure supporting them. The facility’s network rack had accumulated years of ad-hoc additions without any cable management or documentation. We reorganized the entire rack, replaced consumer-grade switches with Ubiquiti UniFi managed PoE switches, and established a clean, documented network foundation that restored reliable camera operation and positioned the business for future expansion.

The Challenge

When we arrived on-site, the network rack presented a common but serious problem: a tangle of patch cables, power strips, and consumer-grade switches stacked and zip-tied into a configuration that made troubleshooting virtually impossible. Over the years, different technicians and IT service providers had added switches, cameras, and network runs without labeling cables, documenting connections, or considering the overall PoE power budget.

The immediate symptoms were cameras dropping offline at random intervals throughout the day. Investigation showed that the consumer-grade switches were overloaded. The combined PoE draw of 16 cameras exceeded the total power budget of the switches, causing the switches to cycle power to ports under load. Because no cables were labeled, the previous technician had been unable to trace which cameras connected to which switch ports, leading to a cycle of rebooting equipment and hoping the problem resolved itself.

Beyond the camera issues, the lack of network segmentation meant that security camera traffic shared bandwidth with the warehouse management system and office computers, creating congestion during peak operational hours.

The Solution

Vidimost performed a complete rack reorganization and network upgrade. We started by documenting every cable in the existing rack, tracing each run to its endpoint and creating a detailed connection map. Once the existing topology was understood, we removed all equipment from the rack and started fresh.

We installed two Ubiquiti UniFi PoE switches sized to support the current camera count plus 30 percent headroom for future additions. The UniFi platform provides centralized management through a web-based controller, giving the facility manager visibility into every connected device, its PoE power consumption, and network traffic statistics.

All patch cables were replaced with properly sized, color-coded cables routed through horizontal cable managers. Every cable was labeled at both ends with a consistent numbering scheme that matches the updated network documentation. Power distribution was reorganized with a rack-mounted PDU and a UPS providing battery backup for the switches and any connected PoE devices.

VLANs were configured to separate security camera traffic from the business network, eliminating the bandwidth contention that had been affecting the warehouse management system. For more details on this type of infrastructure work, see our networking services and PoE switching and network design pages.

Outcome

Every security camera came back online and has operated without interruption since the rack cleanup was completed. The facility manager can now monitor network health and PoE power consumption through the UniFi dashboard without needing to call a technician. The warehouse management system no longer experiences slowdowns during peak camera usage because camera traffic is isolated on its own VLAN.

The labeled and documented rack means that any future technician can quickly identify connections, add new devices, or troubleshoot issues without guessing. The business has already taken advantage of the additional PoE capacity to add two new cameras at a recently expanded loading dock area, a process that took less than an hour from mounting the camera to seeing a live feed.

Contact Vidimost LLC at (872) 254-5015 or info@vidimost.us to discuss a network infrastructure project for your facility.