An Expert Guide For An Easier Low Voltage Cabling Project

1. Make A List Well-Before You Need It!

While you’re not (yet) under the pressure of the move, take some time to jot down a few notes from your last company disruption. Gather ideas from others in your office who’ve been through the experience. Their comments can be invaluable! Give yourself lots of time. There will be occasions when you wish you had more!

It’s far better to plan the structured network cabling for a relocation or remodeling many weeks in advance. Your alternative is to suffer through the panic (and mistakes) of playing last-minute catch-up.

2. Don’t ignore the floor plans.

A. If there is an architect involved – this is REALLY important!

This is the conventional sequence of dependencies to getting the cabling infrastructure you need:

1. You tell the architect (landlord, building owner / manager) where you need voice and data connectivity.
2. The architect puts your requirements on the drawings / floorplans.
3. The General Contractor bids the job.
4. The electrician, working for the GC, places the outlet boxes, conduits, rings & strings, etc. for your cabling requirements.
5. Only then can your low voltage cabling contractor install, terminate, test and label your voice & data network cabling.

The architect incorporates all of your input into the drawings. Then, the General Contractor’s electrician, prepares the wall boxes, conduit, blocking for TVs, and other structures for your low-voltage cabling. And above all, remember that you’re the paying customer! Plan, lobby for and get what you need now rather than suffering through Change Orders, mistakes and confusion later on!

B. If your project does not have an architect,

Ask your landlord for a floor plans of your new space. If one is not available, sketch-out your new offices showing where everything is to be located. You will need some pictorial to convey your networking needs to your low voltage cabling vendor. And once finalized, this “floor plan” will become the working document for your vendor to follow, producing your structured wiring installation.

Provide a number or name all of the rooms and be sure to indicate where the Server Room is located. Indicate the Riser Closet for your floor in the building. This room leads to your building’s demarcation point for your access to the Internet and phone services in the “street.” The floorplan will become your central repository for all connectivity pertaining to the low voltage cabling for your telephone and computer networks.

3. Determine your network Needs

If you are an IT person, you already know what’s needed to support your voice and data networks in your new location. 

However, if you don’t have much IT experience, here is a checklist of some key factors to consider, from the low voltage network wiring point of view:

A. Network speeds

Network speeds will impact the Category of cabling you will specify – Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6A.  Each of these has its distance-related speed capabilities.

B. size of your space

The size of your space may determine the need for additional “wiring closets” to be joined together. For example, it is not commonly known that Ethernet cabling has a length limit of 100 meters per run. So, if you have a divided space (two or more floors or interrupted spaces) you should consider each area as its own sub-network. Join the areas together with cooper or fiber optic TIE cables between their respective network equipment. Even if distance is not an issue, this is sometimes less costly that running all of the cables the entire distance between the two spaces.

C. Fire Codes

Fire Codes will dictate whether you specify the more-expensive Plenum or less-expensive Non-Plenum cabling. Your architect or landlord can help with this.

D. Cables Per User

Various factors will decide the number of cables per user.  For example:

1. Will you need separate cables for voice and data?
2. Will your staff use their computers through their IP telephones?
3. Do you plan to use IP or Digital phones or Soft Phones?
4. Will users need any other network ports like a connection to a separate (secure) network?
5. Are there to be any other networkable devices like a printer, fax machine or scanner?
6. Is your company signing a long-term lease that might have you thinking of future-proofing your new space?
7. Should you consider future needs for higher-capacity cabling and / or extra cable runs?

E. Other types of cabling

Other types of cabling like Coax or Ethernet for TVs, cameras, satellite dishes, or other devices;  Audio wiring for a paging or sound system; Ethernet cabling for a phone system-connected doorbell or door-opening controller; Shielded cabling for security or protection from EM or RF Interference.

4. Schedule everything carefully

Cabling projects can have many moving parts, and timing really is everything. A forgotten permit, a delay in material delivery, or any scheduling error can have ripple effects on your project.

The GC usually coordinates the structured cabling installation along with the other sub-contractors’ work. But if you are overseeing this work yourself, be mindful of interdependencies among various sub-contractors.

Be aware of permits and inspection dates. The General Contractor is usually responsible for the Building Permit, sub-contractors’ permits and all of the inspections. However, keep in mind that you are the one who is relocating on moving day – or not! And that is wholly dependent upon the Final Inspection and issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy by your local jurisdiction.

So, while you’re busy keeping your network functioning until the last minute, safeguarding your company’s data, and then packing up your network and users’ PCs, the last thing you need to sweat is whether you’ll get the Certificate of Occupancy on time, or not.

Weekly progress meetings are absolutely the best way of keeping a project on schedule. A gathering of all parties involved with the project will help uncover any issues. Include all parties to avoid a calamity on moving day. Insist on periodic meetings. Remember, whether you are paying the General Contractor or the landlord, you’re the paying customer! It is your company’s continuity and well-being at stake here!

Your Internet and phone services

Relocating your current Internet and telephone service provider(s) or carrier(s) to your new space is usually relatively simple. But they still have to enter your new company details and your critical dates and times into their schedule. Sometimes they have to do a pre-installation site survey before the actual turn-up of your service(s.)

Changing to a new Internet or phone service provider can take some time, occasionally a few weeks. Remember, they may still need to conduct a site survey and pre-turn-up site work. Occasionally, your new carrier may require the installation of a conduit or extra copper or fiber optic cabling. This can be to connect the building’s demarcation point to your Server or LAN Room.

Although communication and confirmation are essential throughout the process, they become critically important when coordinating the scheduling.

5. Document, document, document

Having too much documentation is rare. Once your colleagues sign the appropriate agreements, you’ll be in the middle of turning the space into your new home-away-from-home. As the situation evolves and you discover forgotten items, be sure to make any requests for structured wiring installation changes in writing.

Talk to your cabling vendor first, as some small changes can be accommodated informally in the field. Other changes may require additional work by the GC or the Electrician. In some instances, a change request may affect the Permit and / or require intervention by the Architect.