Owners of businesses frequently have to handle fifty issues at once. One of them should never be a poorly designed structured cabling system. A badly designed or nonexistent structured cabling system may be disastrous in today’s commercial environment, since it can disrupt trade and raise security issues.
It might be difficult to choose the best structured cabling contractor. You will save a great deal of time, money, and hassles if you grasp the fundamentals of a trustworthy cabling installer’s procedure and know what questions to ask.
A Structured Cabling System: What Is It?
If your building’s skeleton is made up of girders, support beams, and pillars, then its nervous system and brain are its structured cabling system.
In a nutshell, structured cabling is the telecommunications backbone of your business or building. It is made up of related hardware and cabling. Your voice, data, video, internet, and security systems will all be able to operate with this system.
Six distinct subsystems make up structured cabling systems.
facility for entry.
The company’s wire starts at the entry facility, and the ISP’s wiring terminates there. The “demarcation point” is the name given to it. The proprietor of the firm is in charge of everything after this. It also includes protective devices and connected hardware.
space for equipment.
Switches, routers, and everything else related to the system’s consolidation points are located here.
backbone cables.
The telecommunications room and the equipment room are connected via backbone wiring. Usually, it is either twisted-pair or fiber-optic cable. This cabling connects all of the components of the system and runs throughout it.
space for telecommunications.
This is where your horizontal cabling and backbone terminate.
horizontal wires.
Since horizontal cabling is the final section of cabling before it reaches a computer or other equipment in the building’s work area, it is comparable to “last mile” cabling.
workspace.
The equipment used by end users, such as laptops, desktop computers, iPads, and so on, is located here.
When searching for a structured cabling installer, what factors should be taken into account?
As with any service, demonstrating some familiarity with it can lessen the likelihood that you will be exploited. You only need to be aware of certain potential warning signs; you don’t need to be an expert in every aspect of structured cable installation.
Design.
Make sure you understand the characteristics of structured cabling design. The majority of business owners are familiar with every inch of their establishment. It might be a warning sign if the contractor’s designs indicate that data cables will be run alongside power wires. The magnetic field that data cables require to function correctly is disrupted by electrical wires. The data connections may need to be reinstalled if they run adjacent to one another.
Running wires near motors and fluorescent lighting are additional design concerns to be aware of. To prevent your equipment from overheating, make sure the entry area and equipment room have adequate ventilation.
If a contractor intends to conduct any of the aforementioned, don’t be afraid to provide alternatives.
Hardware.
This is a crucial one. Even inexpensive cable may be costly. Finding what the company can afford is often the key to buying the equipment needed for a structured cabling project. On the market, there are several producers of fake cable. These fake wires have the potential to be quite harmful. Endangering the safety of your employees is the last thing you want to do. Installing counterfeit cables is unlawful and usually violates fire rules. Even while higher-quality cable has greater material costs, it may be less expensive to buy when taking employee safety, possible penalties, and worse network performance into account.
Searching for an Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL) number is one method of spotting fake cable. If you don’t see one, you’re probably looking at shoddy, fake cable. One major warning sign is a missing UL number.
Testimonials.
Tradespeople are proud of what they do. They want you to know how well they did their job for the company down the street. Examine the contractor’s internet profile. Check for reviews. Not having readily available reviews from both current and past clients might be a bad indicator.
Quotations.
Make sure the contractors’ quotations are comprehensive when comparing their price estimates. It’s not always a good thing when a contractor’s quotation is much lower than another’s, so don’t get too thrilled about it. Keep in mind that saving money now might end up costing you more later.
longevity.
Read equipment reviews to be sure you’re doing your research. This network cabling must be long-lasting. You could have to perform additional installation or repairs later on if a contractor is utilizing antiquated equipment.
Verification.
A current certification attests to the contractor’s adherence to local and state building codes. It demonstrates that they are aware of what can and cannot be done safely and that they take their work seriously.