When setting up a new office space, along with workstations and furniture, it is important to have a reliable network set up to allow computers, communications, security systems and future developments. Structured cabling will play an important role within your network.
When looking at how much cabling do you need for your new office? It will depend on your office layout, number of staff, how many devices are to be connected and your business needs. With proper planning you can ensure you don’t pay for more cabling than needed, and have a reliable network in place.
1. Determine Your Office Needs
You will want to know which devices will need to connect to your network. Often businesses fail to take into account more than just workstations.
Devices you will need to include:
- Desktop computers
- Printer
- Wi-Fi
- IP Telephony
- CCTV
- Servers
- Displays and Video Conferencing
- Access Control
You may find that you actually need quite a lot more than 20 network points if your office has 20 staff members, including meeting rooms, printers, Wireless and security.
By identifying your devices you will know how many network points you will need.
2. How To Work Out How Much Structured Cabling You Need
Number of network points based on what you will need.
- Staff workstations – Will they need 1 or 2 network points?
- Meeting Rooms – Video Conferencing, Displays
- Reception/Administration – Computers, Printers, IP Phones
- Wireless – Position within your ceiling/walls for reliable Wi-Fi.
- Security – CCTV cameras that connect to your network.
- Switches – Ensure enough network points for your switches, routers, patch panels and servers.
Also, consider allowing around 10-20% extra to give yourself some room for future growth. This is not an industry standard but a good idea to allow yourself some extra space. You can confirm how much you will need by using a professional site survey.
3. Structured Cabling Vs Traditional Cabling
Traditional cabling can often become a bit messy in offices due to businesses adding computers, printers and other devices. This can lead to issues with troubleshooting.
Structured cabling will be planned to ensure everything is connected properly.
Benefits of structured cabling:
- Well organised and identifiable cables.
- Easier to maintain your network.
- Workstations will be well organised.
- Flexible.
- Will allow for future upgrades.
By choosing to have structured cabling in place for your new office you will have a more manageable IT infrastructure.
4. What Should Be Included Within Your Structured Cabling?
A full installation should include the following:
A site survey to understand the layout of your office, where your devices will be placed and what connections you need.
- Appropriate cables (Copper/Fibre).Enough data and phone points.
- Patch panels.
- Cable Management – Appropriate conduits, trays and trunkings.
- Labelling.
- Testing.
With proper testing you will have everything documented, making it easier for future troubleshooting and upgrades.
6. Common Mistakes To Avoid When Installing Structured Cabling
If your office isn’t planned properly you may run into issues with connectivity in the future. Common mistakes include:
Not having enough network points – Not taking into account printers, meeting rooms, access points or extra workstations.
Only going for the cheapest cables – Could cause issues with performance in the future.
Not having any cable management – Can cause issues when trying to troubleshoot.
CCTV & Wi-Fi – Should include security cameras and wireless.
Not testing your cables – All connections should be tested to identify any issues with your installation.
By avoiding these issues you can reduce any unnecessary work and ensure you have reliable connectivity.
7. Future Growth Of Your Office
You should ensure your network can cater for more than just your current number of staff. As your business grows you may add new departments, meeting rooms, connected devices and cloud based applications.
With a scalable structured cabling system you will want to include:
- Extra workstations for your staff.
- Extra Wi-Fi points.
- Extra CCTV and security devices.
- More meeting/conference rooms.
- Upgraded network devices.
- Office layout changes.
Allowing room for future growth during the initial installation can help reduce any disruption to your cabling.
8. How Can Liberty Security Systems Help With Structured Cabling In Dubai?
Having an experienced company to install your network will ensure you have a reliable network within your office.
Liberty Security Systems offer structured cabling design, planning and installation within offices, warehouses, factories, hotels and other commercial buildings.
We can provide:
- Data & Phone points.
- AV cabling.
- Camera cabling.
- Printer server set up & cabling.
- Local Area Network (LAN) Set Up.
- Network planning.
- Wired & Wireless Networking.
- Network Connectivity & Remote Access.
We can also provide site surveys to help identify your current infrastructure and recommend the best cabling layout.
Whether you are looking to set up your new office or improve your existing network, we can help you with professional planning to ensure your infrastructure is well organised.
Find out more about our structured cabling services in Dubai. Get in touch now with Liberty Security Systems.
