Lone Star Family Health Center is a one-story, 50,000 square foot medical treatment facility located in Huntsville, Texas on old Hwy 75. The building itself is phase two in a multi-phase build and is the first building in the series to utilize Power over Ethernet (PoE) throughout. The facility is completely POE powered from the desktop up meaning each light fixture, camera, security device, and surround sound is now intelligent and can be controlled by the owner/user as they wish. Energy efficiency is greatly increased and the overall cost to power the space is greatly reduced as a result of the smart low voltage infrastructure.
The project was broken down into multiple phases.
Phase 1: Wiring
- The entire building was wired with CAT 6 PLENUM cable
- Fixtures and wall switches required 18/5 cable.
- Install took two business days to complete.
Phase 2: Fixture installation
- LED fixtures were installed throughout the entire space. The majority of the rooms were outfitted with 2×4 LED panels and the smaller spaces required 2×2 panels. Multiple 6” CCT can lights were requested in the foyer and break area.
- The total install time was two business days.
Phase 3: IT Hardware Setup
- Three POE switch and injector pairs were needed for this project. The system rests in a NavePoint 7ft Open Frame 19 Inch 42U 4-Post Network Server Relay Rack Rolling with Casters. Rack Mount Fan – 4 Fans Server Cooling System – 1U 19″ Rackmount Cabinet Panel w/Adjustable Airflow Control – Heat Monitor Digital Display – Temperature Sensor Alarm -Air Flow Exhaust -Tupavco TP1701.
- The install took 1 hour.
Phase 4: Programing
- Each switch port controls a designated node which controls a series of fixtures. Each fixture can be assigned to a specific schedule meaning each light or room can be designed to illuminate in different styles.
- Programming was completed in one business day
In summary, the price to install low voltage power over ethernet (POE) was competitive with standard electric but with a substantially decreased install time and long-term costs. No change order costs were incurred due to the ease of re-running the CAT-6 cable. The system can be controlled and designed for the user’s wishes and if a retrofit or remodel is necessary, changing out fixtures and cable is extremely simple. Where rewiring a room with standard electric infrastructure might take a few days with POE it only takes a few hours.
