One Full‑Optical Network Safeguards Jianghan University’s Digital‑Transformation Journey for Voluminous Archives

The Archives of Jianghan University boasts a building area of over 1,000 square metres and houses more than 20,000 archival volumes. It serves as the core operational hub for archive receipt, preservation, access and digitisation across the whole university.

As archive retrieval and digitised scanning of paper‑based archives become routine, robust wireless‑network demands keep growing within repository stacks, office zones and digitisation workshops. Archive staff frequently perform mobile operations with trolley‑mounted scanners and mobile terminals moving among archive stacks, calling for zero‑blind‑spot coverage and highly stable roaming performance.

Constrained by building‑protection rules and ongoing daily operations, the archive building cannot support large‑scale civil‑engineering work for comprehensive cabling renovation. How to deploy an operationally unified, future‑proof wireless network with minimal construction and no additional power supply inside equipment rooms represents a common challenge for such existing‑building premises.

I. Network Pain Points in the Archive Repository

As digital archive retrieval and mobile workflows grow commonplace, the archive‑repository network at Jianghan University exhibits several practical defects that directly undermine daily archive‑access efficiency and digitisation throughput.

Wi‑Fi dead zones caused by metallic obstructions

Densely‑arranged compact shelving and anti‑magnetic cabinets, together with partition walls and metal structures, heavily attenuate and reflect Wi‑Fi signals, making full‑coverage deployment difficult.

High roaming‑stability requirements for mobile workflows

Staff manoeuvre trolley‑mounted scanners and mobile devices back and forth between storage stacks and offices. Jerky link handovers severely slow down archive lookup and file‑upload workflows.

Bandwidth‑sensitive digitisation workloads

Bulk scanning and upload of paper archives place strict demands on bandwidth and latency. Separate construction for data networks and device networks results in messy cabling and time‑consuming fault diagnosis.

Cabling renovations restricted by building constraints

Owing to heritage‑protection requirements and continuous occupancy, comprehensive rewiring is infeasible. Wireless coverage must be achieved with minimum‑impact construction.

II. Full‑Optical Solution Restructures the Archive‑Repository Network System

Addressing the four core pain‑points of Jianghan University Archives, AINOPOL leverages POL passive full‑optical architecture and the unique strengths of optical‑electric composite cables. Tailored implementation strategies are delivered across four dimensions: wireless coverage, mobile roaming, bandwidth capacity and on‑site construction, resolving multiple constraints for retrofitting occupied archive repositories.

Dense‑mode AP deployment plus frequency‑planning optimisation

Metal hardware such as compact shelving and anti‑magnetic cabinets absorbs and reflects Wi‑Fi radio signals. Wide‑range coverage from a single AP inevitably creates dead zones between shelves.

AINOPOL deploys extra APs with dense‑spaced installation aligned to actual repository layouts. Each AP serves a smaller nearby coverage area to mitigate signal attenuation caused by metal barriers. Channel planning is optimised: frequency offsets are configured according to repository layouts to avoid co‑channel interference among neighbouring cells, enabling coordinated multi‑AP coverage without signal conflicts.

Furthermore, optical‑electric composite cables power the ZH‑AP30006S‑M optical APs via one single cable for both optical signal transmission and power supply, removing constraints from fixed power outlets. Additional access points can be flexibly installed along compact‑shelving aisles, delivering radio signals deep into gaps between anti‑magnetic cabinets and compact shelves and drastically eliminating metal‑caused coverage blind spots.

Full‑optical underpinning enables seamless terminal handover

Archive staff move constantly between stacks and offices with trolley‑mounted scanners and mobile terminals. The ZH‑AP30006S‑M supports lossless handover as terminals travel across storage areas. Low‑latency full‑optical transport ensures smooth link switching, sustaining uninterrupted archive lookup and bulk file‑upload processes so mobile‑work efficiency is not degraded by network instability.

Wire‑speed switching plus unified egress governance

Bulk scanning and uploading of archival documents are highly sensitive to bandwidth and latency. The ZH‑CS5528X‑SI 24‑port switch performs wire‑speed forwarding for wired endpoints including scanners, PCs and servers to efficiently steer internal traffic. The ZH‑FTTN300 egress router centrally manages external‑bandwidth access and border policies. Archive‑access and scanning‑related outbound traffic operate in an orderly, controllable manner, avoiding tangled cabling and lengthy troubleshooting associated with independently‑built data and equipment networks.

Dual‑function optical‑electric composite cable: no local power supply required for endpoints

Built upon optical‑electric composite cables, one physical cable conveys both optical signals and direct‑current power. The ZH‑1X33J‑PWR optical socket provides local passive optical splitting together with PoF (Power‑over‑Fibre) centralised power supply. Remote optical APs require no local power adapters or wall‑socket provisioning. Equipment rooms operate without extra power feeds or air‑conditioning needs, cutting both construction workload and energy consumption. For occupied archive premises, business‑disruption risks and on‑site disturbance are minimised, perfectly matching the renovation principle of minimal construction.

III. Full‑Optical Signal Coverage Enables Reliable Archive Digitisation

Once network infrastructure is in place, daily archive operations gain solid technical assurance.

During peak archive‑retrieval hours, staff push scanning trolleys through compact‑shelving aisles. Mobile phones and handheld terminals maintain persistent connectivity. Even beside anti‑magnetic cabinets there is no endless network‑searching. Corners that once forced staff to walk toward doorways for connectivity now support instant network access on‑site.

Inside the digitisation workshop, batches of paper archives are scanned and uploaded smoothly. Image files are reliably ingested into repositories without repeated re‑transmissions caused by network stalling. Researchers retrieve volumes and preview images with instant response.

Staff move back and forth between storage stacks and offices carrying tablets. Video conferences and remote‑archive retrieval survive cross‑area handovers without disconnection; mobile workflows are no longer hampered by network defects.

Renovation work is scheduled during holiday closures. Light‑touch cabling and power‑free equipment‑room deployment create almost no disruption to regular operations. Network upgrades are completed “quietly” while the archive remains occupied.

No longer do faculty and students need to walk to doorways for network access. Volumes of paper archives are steadily converted into digital assets. Legacy buildings receive invisible network modernisation.

With the full‑optical network based on optical‑electric composite cables, Jianghan University Archives turns “minimal construction and no‑on‑site‑power‑supply” requirements into practical reality. It offers a pragmatic reference for lightweight retrofits of similar occupied archival premises.

Tucked away on campus, this archive repository relies on an invisible network to safeguard the safety, integrity and accessibility of every archival volume, ensuring historical memories transcend time and space.

Deliver solid performance for simple tasks; make invisible networking bring tangible peace of mind.