Structured Cabling & Switching
Cat6 runs, patch panels and switches — labelled, documented and easy to extend.
What this actually is
Structured cabling is the part nobody sees and everything depends on. Done properly it is a set of labelled Cat6 runs from a central patch panel to each outlet, so any point in the building can be a camera, an access point, a computer or a phone by moving one patch lead. Done badly it is a knot behind a cupboard that nobody dares touch.
How the job runs
- 1
Planning the runs
We agree where the rack or cabinet lives and what each room needs now and plausibly later. Adding a spare run while the conduit is open costs very little; adding one afterwards means opening a wall.
- 2
Pulling cable
Cat6 is run in conduit, kept clear of mains wiring to avoid interference, and routed with the bend radius the cable is rated for — over-tightening a corner quietly degrades a link that then underperforms forever.
- 3
Terminating and labelling
Every run is terminated on a patch panel at one end and a wall outlet at the other, and labelled at both ends. This single discipline is what makes the system maintainable years later.
- 4
Switching and testing
A switch is sized to the number of runs and to what needs power over Ethernet. Each link is tested before handover and you get a simple record of what goes where.
What's included
- Cabling plan with spare runs allowed for
- Cat6 in conduit, clear of mains wiring
- Patch panel and wall outlets terminated
- Labelling at both ends of every run
- Switch sized for ports and PoE budget
- Link testing and a written record of the layout
Best suited to
- New builds and properties being renovated
- Buildings adding cameras or access points
- Shops and offices with point-of-sale and back-office needs
- Anyone whose current network lives in a tangle behind a cupboard
The choices worth understanding
Cat6
The sensible default for homes and small business. It carries gigabit comfortably over the distances involved in a building and has headroom for what comes next. The cost difference against older cable is small compared with the labour of installing it.
PoE switching
Power over Ethernet sends power down the same cable as data, so cameras and access points need no socket where they are mounted. Sizing the switch's power budget correctly matters — this is a common shortcut that causes devices to drop later.
Rack or wall cabinet
A small lockable wall cabinet suits a home or shop and keeps the patch panel, switch and recorder tidy and out of reach. Larger sites take a floor-standing rack with proper ventilation.
Straight answers
Why bother with cable when Wi-Fi exists?
Because the Wi-Fi has to plug into something. Access points, cameras and recorders all perform better on cable, and every wireless device in the building ultimately depends on the wired backbone behind it being sound.
Can this be done in a finished house?
Often, yes — through existing conduit, along skirting or via the ceiling void, depending on how the building was constructed. We assess it at the survey and tell you honestly where a run would mean visible trunking rather than promising an invisible result.
What does labelling actually save me?
Time and money on every future job. An unlabelled system means someone tracing cables by trial and error before any change can be made, and that hour gets billed every single time. Labelling costs minutes once.
How many points should each room have?
More than you think you need today, because the expensive part is the labour and the conduit, not the cable. We usually plan a spare run to anywhere a television, desk or camera might plausibly go, so later additions are a patch lead rather than a project.