Because many LAN technologies are capable of being used either for multiple independent LANs or for purposes beyond the traditional scope of data communications, some organizations will find it useful to consider other uses of the wiring system when planning a LAN. Perhaps the best example is single-cable broadband systems since they also allow the use of standard video to coexist with data transmission. In other words, Should the system be able to carry information other than data (video, voice, and so forth), and if so, what? If a fairly large system is being designed, spread across a very large building or several buildings of an industrial or university campus, then broadband may be the best choice. A related question is, Can the system support a variety of computer hardware and software vendors and products? As we have already noted, it is advantageous to be able to buy equipment and software from multiple vendors for the support of your LAN. Some technologies have large numbers of vendors, and others do not, although the conditions are changing frequently. A number of manufacturers produce Ethernet hardware products that can be mixed on the same network. This will push users to buy the cheapest components available at the time of purchase. There are many components of a broadband system that can be acquired from various manufacturers.
LANs that integrate video, voice, and data communications are being developed and extended, and new products are coming on the market with increasing frequency. Many multimedia products have become available, and the technology for handling video, voice, and a variety of images is improving constantly. The issue here is that for some of these technologies to work effectively, it is necessary to have very fast LANs—ones that are substantially faster than common home Ethernet LANs are today. This means that we are looking at the need for LANs that run not at 10 Mb/s but at 100 Mb/s or 1000 Mb/s. Today it is possible to acquire a LAN hardware supporting up to 10000 Mb/s or 10Gb/s —although the cost of such a system while falling, is still relatively high for home implementation. Broadband connections to the internet are also starting to push 1 Gb/s which can handle the load of higher speed LANs.