Network cabling is an often overlooked item that many IT companies don’t want to deal with. They would rather just sub the work out because it is too labor intensive. Just as the importance of a foundation is to a house, so too is the importance of cabling to a network. Get this wrong and it’s like building your house on sand.
At Progressive Networking Solutions, we pride ourselves in our structured cabling services, whether it be data, voice or IP cameras. We routinely install copper wire for local area networks and fiber optic cabling when the distances exceed 100 meters (328 ft). We take the time to install our wiring correctly. We realize that 95% of our clients will never see the work that goes on above their ceiling, but we do, and we take pride in knowing the job is done right.
Some things to look for in structured cabling:
- All cabling is routed neatly and suspended as needed.
- All cabling is terminated to industry specifications. The cabling must be certified with a TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer) to ensure it meets industry specifications (Cat 5E, Cat 6 or Cat 6A).
- All cabling is properly labeled on BOTH ends.
- A cabling diagram is in place.
We often inherit networks that miss on one or more of the above items. Labeling everything correctly and having a cabling diagram are both big time savers when it comes time to troubleshoot your network. Certifying the cabling is a huge step that is often skipped because the work is subbed out to say an electrician who doesn’t specialize in structured cabling. TDRs cost thousands of dollars and most IT providers can’t justify the expense when they don’t run their own cabling. They usually just have a continuity tester to ensure the wires are in the correct order which is only half the battle. Think of a network cable as a road between two points. An improperly terminated cable is like a road full of pot holes. You might eventually get to where you are going, but the journey will be slow and arduous and often times painful.
Here are some before and after pictures of network that we inherited. Call us, for all your cabling needs.
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
And here are a few pictures from some past jobs.
