04 Nov Network Cable Tips For Installation Ground Up To Demarc and All End Points

Bridge Cable, the #1 Rated Network Cable Installation company would like to share a few tips for planning your new or updated office network. Please leave a comment below as well, we love questions.

Know Your Demarc Location

On a new install from scratch, if you are moving into a new building, then make sure you know where your Demarc is. The Demarc is where your cables from the street are coming in, how do you connect to the outside world? Ask your leasing agent and your POTs or regular telephone lines might be at a different location than your internet feed.

T1 or Demarc connection is going to get your network to the world.

Some service agreements you might be responsible to bringing your connection in from the street. Typically though Verizon, Comcast and others will handle that for you.

Ask or call your service rep that handles everything, most will include for free. Simply if they do not then do not worry. We can handle every network cable installation no matter how big or small.

Conduit for fiber or network in your office.

At times Verizon or others might ask for a local network cabling company to provide the conduit from building to building or various locations.

One current install BridgeCable did required 100ft of conduit, as you can see…..clearly overkill. The additional cost was $400 of wasted cable due to Verizon being stubborn and not moving from their “template” of installation. Smaller companies get killed with out a project manager in-house or the lack of knowledge.

Remember Your Face-Plates

Network faceplates for cubes for the jacks?

Many companies are also buying 2nd hand cubes but are forgetting to purchase the face-plates for the network jacks. With various models it might be hard as well to find these plates.

Depending of the age of the cubes you might never find face-plates. One trick is to use self-tapping screws to attached small external boxes on the metal frames.

Check with your sales person that you have purchased the cubes from. As well a nice trick with installing the jacks is to carry a tray or even a empty box top to carry all your parts or clippings.

Tips And Tricks

Fishing a network cable down a wall.

Nice little trick is use a metal chain for it’s weight when fishing down a wall. At times the old school installers just use a string with a heavy fishing weight, yes…the kind for getting fish in the water. Either way it’s great to have a few methods of pulling or pushing down a wire in a wall. Remember to cut your holes at the 18″ mark on the wall, that is standard. Of course if another outlet is on the wall then try to line up according.

Push rods can be the best when pushing up a wall thru insulation or when something is behind the wall.

Keep in mind, our Project Managers have the task to determine what is behind the walls, we never really know fully until we start cutting holes!

Cable Management

Cable management starts from the 1st day.

A ongoing battle with your network. Again in another blog we suggest with your patch cables to buy the same length with extras if you do not have the time or budget for custom cables to be made.

When possible try to pick a side of the rack that is not exposed. Many projects we will fish a hole directly in the center of the rack but at times network admins prefer just a bundle coming from the ceiling unless in a data center. Cable trays or ladders are used in that setting and is preferred for larger scaled installs.

Completed network with cabling.

In the above you can see the frame out of the network started. Already in this small office new lines have been added. Of course within 2 months a outside vendor started using different cables and the mess is starting on this network rack. Remember as the network admin it’s your “DUTY” (LOL) to keep your rack tidy. Troubleshooting for yourself or the next person is like karma….and easier to work on.

We would like everyone to visit more of our blog and as well see our Solutions page by clicking HERE

Call 877-832-1206 for a help with your next project in Philadelphia or New York and of course New Jersey areas.