The Do’s and Don’ts of Your Business’ First Cabling Installation
The Best Way to Connect Your Company’s Devices
Unless you’re an IT expert, a pile of wires is as daunting as a map without street names. Whether you’re opening a new business, relocating, or replacing your previous cabling system, you may be unsure how to proceed with connecting your devices to power and your network.
But have no fear! By following our tips below, your Dallas, TX business’ cabling installation should go smoothly, leaving you with a reliable system for years to come.
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DON’T: Pick the Wrong Cables
It may sound straightforward, but you won’t want to purchase less-than-best cables for your company’s devices. Ethernet cables are all rated, with higher numbers indicating higher speed thresholds. Cat5e, Cat6, and higher have a maximum speed of one gigabyte per second or more. If you haven’t replaced your Ethernet cables or are looking for new ones, make sure the speed threshold is high enough for your needs. (Unsure what you’ll need? We can help!).
The cables that run from your network to the ISP are a different story. The best choice is fiber optic cabling, which sends data as light rather than electricity, allowing for vastly higher speeds. Fiber optics aren’t available in all areas, so if your establishment cannot use them, then coaxial cables are your next best selection. Coaxial cables are the same type that cable TVs use, which is why both will often run through the same wire.
DO: Keep Your Wires Organized
If your cabling finds itself in a tangled heap like the earbuds in your pocket, that’s going to create issues. Even if you can do the installation yourself, leaving your system unorganized will lead to problems when months from now, you need to fix a connection issue. Try keeping wires in small bundles with ties or Velcro straps, and color coordinate to save valuable time in the future. If you have stickers or a label maker to mark each cable, that will be immensely helpful, too.
DON’T: Forget to Optimize for Scalability
Whether you’ve automated your entire building or just one area, it’s wise to leave space for adding more devices in the future as needed. Someday you’ll need more computers as the company grows, or new video signage in another room. In a structured cabling setup, as we provide at Texadia Systems, scalability is easy to achieve. With a professional’s help, your installer will immediately know how to add new devices, saving you a headache.
DO: Consider Help from Texadia Systems
If you aren’t familiar with structured cabling, the best option for your business’ production is to bring in the experts. Servicing the Dallas area and far beyond, Texadia Systems specializes in design-build integration, creating customized solutions for every commercial installation that we do. you work with a team like ours, you’ll receive the best equipment and cabling design to prepare for any added technology in the future. Even if you think assembling and connecting cables is feasible, a year from now when you go to fix something, will it be easy to figure out? With our maintenance plans, you won’t need to spend a minute of your time stressing over it.
Ready to get your business connected? Contact Texadia Systems at (214) 956-5820 or fill out our contact form here!