Commercial Network Setup & Structured Cabling in Los Angeles

How we run cable

Cabling is the part of a network you want to do once. We use CAT6 for cameras and CAT6A for data drops and Wi-Fi access points. CAT6A is thicker and stiffer, so it needs proper pathways, but it leaves room for faster speeds and PoE devices later.

We choose the route first: attic, crawlspace, wall cavity, conduit, or surface raceway where nothing else is possible. Every run is labeled at both ends, terminated on a patch panel and tested. The rack gets a UniFi switch with spare ports, so the next device does not need new wiring.

Copper Ethernet tops out at about 100 meters, or 328 feet, per run, counting the patch cords at each end. Longer links, such as a detached garage or a second building, are better done on fiber.

Questions to settle before we start

• How many drops does each room need now, and how many might it need later?
• Where does the rack go? It needs power, airflow and room for every cable to reach it.
• Where does internet service enter the building?
• Are the walls open, as in a remodel, or closed? Open walls are the best time to run cable.
• Are there detached buildings or outdoor paths that call for fiber or conduit?
• Is existing cable labeled, and is it worth keeping?

Mistakes we see with cabling

• Closing the walls before the cable is in. Pulling it later usually means cutting finished walls or running exposed paths.
• Skipping spare drops. Adding one later is more work than pulling it with the others.
• Leaving runs unlabeled, so every fix starts with tracing cable.
• Using copper-clad aluminum cable. It is not solid copper, it does not meet the standard, and it struggles with PoE.
• Running data cable tight against power wiring for long stretches.
• Putting the rack in a hot closet with no airflow.

Where we install

We pull cable across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley, including Studio City, Beverly Hills, Malibu and Downtown Los Angeles. Read CAT6 vs CAT6A and budgeting PoE for UniFi, or see the rack upgrade project and the multi-tenant intercom upgrade, where new cable went into an existing entry pedestal. If Wi-Fi is the goal, a site survey tells us where the drops belong, and Sight gives a ballpark for the equipment and installation.