Choosing a Cabling Installer
When you choose a cabling installer, it is imperative that you deal with a reputable and accredited company. Your chosen company should understand your business needs fully and be experts in their field.
It’s a good idea to check reviews online or ask to see testimonials. Perhaps ask neighbouring businesses about companies they have employed so that they can personally recommend or guide you away from that particular cabling installer.
Companies that offer high quality network cabling installation generally provide the full range of IT and network services and they should be happy to meet you on your premises to carry out a site survey, establish your current requirements as well as any future expectations, design a network and quote the best materials for an installation against your unique usage and financial needs, you may even get to meet your cabling installer.
It can prove beneficial to have a maintenance contract in place after the installation so obtain quotes for this and the installation to ensure that you get the best deal. A maintenance contract may seem like an avoidable expense, but in an emergency having a contract will allow immediate support instead of revenue impacting waits and emergency call out fees for a cabling installer.
The current data cabling standards specify that the eight connectors in Cat5, Cat5e and Cat6 cabling are connected so you can’t use one cable for voice and data purposes. This could be costing you money and efficiency.
Please don’t opt for the cheapest cabling installer if it’s likely that your business won’t be served as effectively – you get what you pay for. Also, be alert for a quote that is wildly different from others, it is frequently an indicator that the company doesn’t know what they are doing or that they are floundering.
Overview of network cabling that a data cabling installer will be able to offer:
Fibre optic - Fibre optic cabling uses light rather than electrical signals and it consumes less power than CAT copper cabling, but carries large amounts of digital data.
Fibre optic with CAT cabling - Many businesses have opted to combine their cabling for optimum performance, a fibre optic core with CAT cabling cannot usually be beaten.
CAT5 – Obsolete, but can be found in existing networks.
CAT5e – CAT5 with additional technology, it works to 100MHz.
CAT6 - Works to 250MHz, allows greater network traffic and delivers high video transmission and excellent LAN performance.
CAT6A –For data centres and computer rooms this is the minimum standard cabling. The bandwidth is up to 500MHz.
CAT7 – For Gigabit Ethernet communication, bandwidth up to 600MHz. Shields over each pair and overall to deflect interference. There’s a huge performance difference between this and CAT5/CAT5e.
CAT8 – In development, the additional shielding is set to enhance the CAT6 and 6A’s data cabling performance.
Structured cabling connects voice, data, multimedia, ISDN, ADSL, WAN, and LAN. It provides connections from numerous positions around a building to a central patching location and can be cross-connected.
An expert cabling installer will offer you the best materials, bandwidth and connectivity and, while that’s not always the least expensive option, remember that technology is always developing and you will need a cabling network that will last the test of time and be capable of supporting future technology requirements.
If you’re looking for a reputable cabling installer in Birmingham and the surrounding areas, look no further than Cabling Installer - Midland Networks.
We can design and install a high-quality cabling network that will deliver an outstanding performance for many years to come. Call us today to discuss your requirements.