History

FiberPlus was formed in February 1992 to provide customers with the benefits of what was then a brand new technology. Fiber optics offered greatly increased speeds for data communications. The company started, interestingly enough, on Friday the 13th.

The company initially had a limited role – installing cabling (fiber optic, copper, and coaxial) for what was then called Local Area Networks. We quickly expanded into providing complete network infrastructure – switches, routers, patch panels for punch downs, and the like. Installing networks in several buildings on a university campus, we saw the need to connect the buildings and developed our outside plant capability accordingly. Subsequently, we have provided connectivity for a multi-building federal complex, for facilities in downtown Baltimore, and other similar environments.

Wireless data was the next step forward. FiberPlus’ first installations were to allow people staying at local hotels to access the Internet through wireless connectivity in their rooms. This expanded to large installations in hospitals, college campuses, and other locations as organizations realized they had to offer wireless access to their own networks.

FiberPlus expanded its wireless capability further and now is installing Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS). This technology allows cell phone usage and other wireless coverage in areas of a building or an outdoor space where there previously was no connectivity. We have installed DAS in hospitals, university buildings and campuses, federal and local government facilities, and many other places. We even installed DAS at a major league baseball stadium so that spectators could contact their friends on their smart phones and send them pictures of the game and of themselves at the game.

As we saw more and more security devices (such as video surveillance cameras, intrusion alarms and access controls) needing to connect to the network, we moved into the world of physical security. We have installed more than 400 analog cameras in a large prison, connecting the cameras to digital video recorders, and then completing the path to computers. We recently completed a similar installation of 380 digital cameras at a federal facility. A very interesting installation at a law office in Baltimore consisted of outfitting doors with access control devices that scan the whorls and ridges of a person’s index finger to allow access.

We also became qualified for installation and monitoring of special security facilities under the provisions of UL2050.

FiberPlus will continue to become proficient in new technologies involving digital devices and their intercommunications.

We have not forgotten our original objective of providing superior network infrastructure. We continue to ensure computer connectivity in office buildings, schools, federal and state agencies, and businesses. One of our largest installations was a network at a federal agency that consisted of a million feet of Cat 6A cabling with 65,000 terminations, a massive fiber backbone, switches and routers and other active electronics in the main data center, and a VOIP phone system with deployment of 1,000 desk phone sets.

As FiberPlus grew, it spawned two sister companies: FiberPlus Federal Services and Pennsylvania Networks. The former provides services to the intelligence community; the latter provides networking and security services in many regions of Pennsylvania. After winning a Virginia state contract, FiberPlus established an independent branch office in Richmond, Virginia that now supports customers throughout that state and in the Carolinas.