Structured LAN networking and fibre optic cabling

Trunking, tray, riser and backbone. Every run labelled at both ends, punched down to a patch panel, tested and certified — you get the test results, not just a promise.

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Certified, not just connected

Anyone can crimp a plug onto a cable and get a link light. Certification is different: it measures the run against the standard it claims to meet — attenuation, near-end crosstalk, return loss, length — and produces a result that either passes or does not.

It matters because cable failures are rarely total. A poorly terminated Cat6 run will usually work. It will negotiate a link, pass traffic, and look fine. Then under load it starts dropping frames, the switch retransmits, and users report that "the internet is slow" in a way nobody can pin down for months.

We test every run and hand over the results. If you are commissioning work from anyone, ask for the certification report before you pay — and if they hesitate, you have learned something useful.

Copper: Cat5e and Cat6

Horizontal cabling from the rack to each outlet, in trunking, tray or conduit depending on the building. Runs are kept within length limits, away from sources of interference, with bend radii respected — the things that do not show up on the day and cause problems later.

Every run is punched down at both ends, labelled at both ends with matching identifiers, and terminated to a patch panel rather than left as loose plugs behind a cabinet. Patch leads are dressed and managed so the rack can still be worked on in a year.

Cat6 is the sensible default for new work. We will discuss Cat6a where the application justifies it, and say so when it does not — over-specifying cable is a common way to inflate a quotation without improving the outcome.

Fibre: splicing and termination

For building-to-building links, floor-to-floor risers and any run beyond copper distance limits, fibre is the answer. We handle single-mode and multimode, splicing and termination, with the appropriate connectors and proper protection at the terminations.

Fibre is measured as well as tested, and the results form part of the handover. Loss figures matter here: a link that works today with 2dB of unexplained loss is a link that will fail when someone adds a patch panel.

Racks, labelling and documentation

The rack is where the quality of a job is most visible. We build them properly: equipment mounted with the right fixings, patch leads the right length, cable management used rather than stuffed, power distributed sensibly, and everything labelled.

You receive an as-built record: what is plugged into which port, where each outlet runs to, and the certification results for every run. That document is worth more than it looks — it is the difference between an hour of diagnosis and a day of it, every time something changes for the next decade.

Working around a live business

Most of the cabling we install goes into premises that cannot stop trading. We plan the cutover so that the disruption is scheduled rather than discovered: work in stages, keep the old system live until the new one is tested, and do the switchover outside business hours where that is what it takes.

For sites that cannot be disrupted at all during the week — schools, clinics, factories on continuous shifts — we work evenings, weekends or holiday windows.

Common questions

Should I use Cat6 or Cat6a?

Cat6 is the sensible default for most offices and covers gigabit comfortably. Cat6a costs more and is harder to install well; it earns its place for specific applications and longer 10-gigabit runs. We will tell you which your site actually needs rather than defaulting to the more expensive option.

Do you provide certification reports?

Yes, for every run, and it forms part of the handover along with the as-built documentation. We would encourage you to ask this of any cabling contractor before paying.

Can you run fibre between two buildings?

Yes. Building-to-building and floor-to-floor fibre links are routine work — splicing, termination and measured loss results included.

Can you work outside office hours?

Yes. Most of our cabling goes into premises that cannot stop trading, so evening, weekend and holiday-window work is normal rather than exceptional.

How many network points do I need?

More than you think, and it is much cheaper to pull them now than to add them later. A survey of your floor plan and how the space will be used gives an honest number — we would rather specify correctly than sell you spare capacity you never use.