Assessing your cabling needs

Before you can talk to potential cabling vendors, you’ll have to gather some crucial information about your facilities and technology needs. For example:

• Age of your building (newer construction is easier to wire and test without causing interruptions)
• Whether this will be an upgrade to existing wiring or a completely new project
• The blueprints and building floor plans showing exact locations for each workstation and office
• Total number of locations or “drops” you need
• Whether you need voice or data connections (or both)
• If you use voice over IP (VoIP) systems (which require high-quality data cable)

Once you have general answers to all these topics, it’s time to start comparing different cabling and wiring providers. Submit a free request for cabling and wiring quotes, and you’ll be connected with several qualified providers based on your project needs.

Scheduling a vendor site visit
After you narrow down your choices to a few potential providers, you should schedule physical site visits with the providers you choose. This is an opportunity for the providers to determine:

• Where drops need to be
• How the cables will be laid out and where they’ll be run — above a drop ceiling, through cubicle wiring systems, or along walls
• Where the wiring will terminate — a server room, a telephone closet, or both
• Whether existing wiring has problems such as pinched, unlabeled, or disorganized cables

The provider will assess your existing wiring, run some quick tests, and map out all requirements for an updated or new installation in a specifications document (read more about the specifications document in choosing a cabling and wiring provider.) If your existing wiring is substandard, they’ll let you know they have to run new wires from scratch. They’ll also plan the installation around your schedule to reduce downtime and will provide you with a price quote for the project.

Depending on the provider, you may also get a complete ROI assessment that details how a structured cabling and delivery solution can reduce future material and labor costs, and save you money in the long run.

Meeting standards
Each provider will also inspect the building to determine if it can accommodate a safe installation. Your wiring project must adhere to industry standards set by multiple governing bodies such as:

• ANSI (American National Standards Institute) – Ensures compatibility between data devices
• EIA (Electronic Industries Association) – Sets standards for electrical equipment and functionality
• TIA (Telecommunications Industries Association) – Sets minimum requirements for business-grade telecommunications cabling

Of course, any significant renovation also must comply with local fire and building codes. Your installers should demonstrate thorough familiarity with all the appropriate regulations.

Plenum space vs. non-plenum space
If your cables are run above a drop ceiling that is also used as plenum for an air-conditioning system, you’ll have to use plenum-rated cable that doesn’t emit toxic fumes in the event of a fire. Plenum cabling costs slightly more than non-plenum wiring, but it’s necessary to maintain code compliance.

Any other location for your cables is a non-plenum space. In these cases, installers can use less-expensive plastic-coated PVC cables but may have to charge you more if local building and fire codes require conduits or other fireproof enclosures.