Hotel Marcel was a long project that took over five weeks to complete. Working independently with no support team, I was responsible for migrating the room systems from the old IGOR platform to a newer tablet-based system. The upgrade utilized the same network infrastructure but introduced improved room control software. Each room featured a PoE lighting system powered by network nodes, with tablets providing guests a smart home–like experience.

The Network for Marcel

The network architecture consisted of a centralized Cisco switch that propagated connections to distribution switches on each floor, which then linked to the PoE switches supporting the lighting systems. Each floor contained at least six 24-port PoE switches capable of delivering up to 90W per port. While the design offered limited redundancy, it was highly efficient for its purpose, requiring minimal QoS configuration since the network primarily handled PoE lighting traffic rather than high-bandwidth data applications.

Part of the project involved replacing the old in-room tablets with newer Domatic models. These tablets originally used only three wires from an RJ-45 cable, which required re-termination to meet standard RJ-45 specifications. After completing over 160 room conversions, I became highly proficient in cable termination, tablet installation, and integration into a PoE-based lighting network. Each room typically contained two IGOR nodes, both connected through a single PoE port on the floor’s switch, ensuring efficient power delivery and communication across the system.