Cabling Infrastructure for your business

Office network cabling infrastructure solutions

Good cabling infrastructure for your business is vital to overall productivity and speed of communications. Technology is constantly changing and getting faster, with new devices and regular upgrades taking place all the time. In this post, we'll look at the difference in speed and bandwidth between different versions of cable options.

If you are wondering if it really makes a difference which cables you use, the answer is yes it does. While they are all backwards compatible there is improved performance with the higher category cables. Making sure that your cabling infrastructure can handle the latest technology as well as maintain fast transmission speeds in addition to ensuring it is as future-proof as possible, will benefit your business overall. Whether you are switching to VoIP or installing new servers, the quality of your cabling will determine the efficiency of all your systems and devices.

Cat5e, Cat6 or Cat7 for my business?

When providing structured cabling for offices there are different types of cabling to consider. The main difference between cables is transmission performance and the available bandwidth from 100 MHz for category 5e to 250 MHz for category 6. So basically if you are in a busy office with VoIP, Wifi, servers and multiple users you will have a better overall performance with Cat6 or above cabling.

“We recommend Cat6 to most of our clients as the future-proofing and speed improvement almost always outweighs the cost implication.” says Helpdesk Hero Josh Lawrence.

Although this does depend on each client's individual situation. If you are a small team with limited device and communications needs then Cat5e may be all that is required, however, if you are moving offices or upgrading servers and hardware selecting a Cat6 or higher is the way forward.

For offices using VoIP phone systems, WIFI or other new applications it is recommended to install at a minimum category 6 cable. Cat6 cables give you performance speeds up to 250MHz where Cat5e cables only provide up to 100 MHz. Generally, Cat6 and higher rated cabling is recommended because it can handle the power required better than Cat5e cabling.

Yes, Cat6 cables are slightly more expensive than Cat5e cables however the performance and future-proofing benefits will justify the initial costs.

Benefits of Cat6 Cabling

• better speed and performance
• improved transmission performance
• more effective immunity from external noise
• lower levels of interference and less crosstalk
• fewer errors than category 5e for current applications
• less retransmissions of lost or corrupted data packets
• higher data rates in signal transmission

Overall Cat6 provides far better reliability compared to Cat5e networks.

Cat7 Cabling

Cat7 is used for the cabling infrastructure of Gigabit Ethernet. Cat7 cables allow performance of up to 600MHz. Cat7 cables are backwards compatible with older standards like Cat6 and Cat5e, however, we still recommend Cat6 for most busy offices.

Network cabling infrastructure installation

Understanding your business needs and planning the most effective solution is the first step to good cabling. Things to consider are the size of your office, whether you use additional meeting or conference rooms, how many users and number of network points. The number of devices and communication requirements will determine the power needed from your cabling. Also, if you are planning to use new technology and equipment running at much higher data rates it will require better cabling. This is important because you want to make sure that you have a future-proof system that will enable you to use next-generation devices that come along.

Another consideration when installing a new cabling infrastructure is when running cables behind walls or under-floor. Once installed you don't want to have to replace them for at least a few years. It will be more disruptive and cost more to remove existing cabling at a later date to install category 6 cabling. Choosing the best solution for your needs now will save time and money over time.

Using trusted cabling technicians

When you are planning to update your cabling infrastructure choose a trusted BICSI trained technician to carry out the works. Here at Helpdesk Heroes, the engineers will assess the location to see if your network needs to be performing at a greater speed than your current cabling will provide. The cables we use are always full copper as they provide the best conductions and transmissions. The brand makes less of a difference than the actual engineer that installs it.

While we are vendor-neutral our Heroes use trusted networking specialists to supply our cables including Comms Express and Mercury.

At Helpdesk Heroes London, we provide professional cabling infrastructure services for your business. Call us on 20 3831 2780 if you think you need to upgrade or are moving into new premises. We will give you advice on the best solutions for you and install your cabling.

Read more from our blog