Published · 4 min read
What the cost is actually made of
The price of one network point adds up five things: the cable itself, the trunking or conduit that protects it, the socket and faceplate in the wall, the rack and patch panel in the network room, and the labour hours to run, terminate, test and label it.
The cable is the cheapest of the five. So when one quote is half of the other, the saving is not in the cable. It is in the trunking that was left out, the testing that was never done, the panel that was never installed and the labels that were never written.
What cheap cabling looks like a year later
Cable laid over the false ceiling with no trunking gets pulled and bent at every air conditioning service, and then a point in the office works one day and not the next. Nobody knows which cable goes to which desk because nothing was labelled, so every change becomes a treasure hunt.
Copper-clad cable instead of solid copper gives lower speeds and drops out over longer runs. A cheap socket loses contact after a few dozen plug-ins. The result is an office buying Wi-Fi extenders to make up for dead points it already paid for.
What a proper quote should contain
- 1
Solid copper Cat6 cable
From a known brand, with the type and brand named in the quote. Cat6 is enough for most offices for the next ten years.
- 2
Trunking or conduit along the whole route
No bare cable above the ceiling or behind desks. Trunking protects the cable and lets you add another later without breaking anything open.
- 3
A rack and a labelled patch panel
Every point in the office ends on a numbered port in the panel, and the same number is written on the wall socket.
- 4
Every point tested with a meter
A lit indicator is not enough. The tester confirms every pair is connected and the full speed is there, and you get a written report.
- 5
A port map
One sheet that says port 14 on the panel goes to the accounts office, east wall. That sheet saves hours in every future job.
How to cut the cost without paying for it later
Cable before the finishing, not after. Cable in an open wall costs a fraction of cable in a painted wall that needs chasing. Plan a few more points than you need today, because adding a point during the install costs far less than a later visit for a single one.
Put wireless access points, cameras and printers on cable from the start. Every fixed device on cable takes load off the Wi-Fi for the devices that move.
And ask for two quotes against the same written specification above. Only then is the comparison between the two prices a real one.
When cheap is acceptable
A small shop with two points that will not change for years, or a temporary office on a one-year lease. Even then, ask for solid copper and a test, because the price difference between good and bad cable is negligible.
When to call us
If you are fitting out a new office or shop, we visit the site, measure, and give you a fixed quote to the specification above with a port map at handover. If you are living with old cabling that keeps dropping, we test it with a meter and tell you which points are worth repairing and which need re-running.
Common questions
Cat6, Cat6A or Cat7?
Cat6 is enough for most offices and shops for ten years. Cat6A is worth it on long runs over 55 metres and for modern cameras and access points. Cat7 rarely justifies the price difference in an ordinary office.
Can the old cabling be reused in the new office?
If it passes a meter test and is labelled, yes, and it saves a lot. If nobody knows where the cables go, testing and labelling every point can cost close to new cabling.
How long does a twenty-point office take?
Two to three days in an open office before finishing, longer if the walls are closed and need chasing. We prefer to work over the weekend if the office is in use.
Related services
The site visit, fixed quote, cabling, testing and port map are all part of structured cabling in Madinah. The router, switch and access points that run over the cabling are part of network installation in Madinah.