The network is the last thing a new space needs before people sit down, and the first thing that gets squeezed when the schedule slips. These are the ten things to settle, in order, to give your move-in date the best chance of holding. Timing depends on the building, the carrier and the other trades. J&M does not publish standard turnaround times, so for your date call (740) 967-8311 or request a bid.
1. Put cabling on the schedule as soon as the floor plan is final
The cheapest cabling is pulled while the ceilings and walls are open. After drywall, every drop costs more and takes longer. Tell the general contractor or architect that you have a low-voltage contractor and get cabling onto the construction schedule between electrical rough-in and ceiling close. In an existing building, book the walkthrough as soon as the lease is signed, not when the furniture is ordered.
2. Count every drop, not just the desks
The desks are the obvious part. The list that gets missed:
- Conference rooms: the table, the display, and the video-conferencing bar.
- Printers, copiers, and the reception desk or kiosk.
- Wi-Fi access points, usually in the ceiling, one drop each.
- Security cameras and door access control readers and strikes.
- TVs, digital signage, paging and sound masking.
- Phones, if they are not sharing the desk drop.
- Warehouse scanners, time clocks, and HVAC or building controllers that need the network.
- Spare capacity for growth, typically ten to twenty percent.
The J&M bid form asks for an estimated drop count; this list is how you get to it. How many security cameras do I need? covers the camera count.
3. Decide where the telecom room goes, and what it needs
A copper channel can be at most 100 meters (normally 90 meters of installed cable plus up to 10 meters of patch cords), measured along the cable path, not across the floor plan, so the room needs to be central. It also needs a lockable door, dedicated power circuits, cooling, no water pipes overhead, a plywood backboard, a rack, and grounding and bonding. A multi-floor or multi-wing building needs a closet in each area with a fiber backbone back to the main room. If the space has none of this, IT room design-build is where to start.
4. Order the internet service early
The internet circuit is often the longest lead-time item on the whole list, and it is outside everyone's control but the carrier's. Order it as soon as the address is known. Find out where the building's demarcation point is and whether it has to be extended to your telecom room, which is cabling work that belongs in the bid.
5. Settle the pathways
Cable tray, J-hooks or conduit; sleeves and core drills between floors; firestopping where cable crosses a rated wall or floor; and plenum-rated cable if the ceiling is used for return air. Coordinate with the electrician on separation from power, and with the sprinkler and HVAC trades on who owns which space above the ceiling.
6. Pick the cable category once
Cat 6a for the access points and anything that will carry multi-gigabit or high-power PoE, Cat 6 for the desks, fiber for the backbone. Decide it before the first pull so the whole building matches. Cat 5e vs Cat 6 vs Cat 6a walks through the choice.
7. Coordinate the furniture and the other trades
Systems furniture usually carries its own power and data whips, and the cabling has to be at the base feed before the furniture is set. The sequence that works is rough-in, test, ceiling close, furniture, patch, equipment. Painting, flooring and ceiling-grid dates all move the cabling dates, so put the low-voltage contractor on the same schedule as everyone else.
8. Order the network equipment with lead times in mind
Switches with enough PoE budget for the access points and cameras, a UPS, and patch cords for both ends. Lead times vary by product and change often, so order once the drop count is final rather than the week before move-in. J&M also works with equipment you already own, and is happy to discuss equipment options during the walkthrough or bid.
9. Do not skip testing, labeling and as-builts
Every link certification-tested with a printed report, a label on both ends of every cable, and a floor plan with the drop numbers on it. This is the paperwork you will use for every move, add and change for the life of the building, and it is the record to refer to if a workmanship question ever comes up. Get it before the ceiling closes, not after.
10. Plan the cutover day
Decide who patches what and in what order, when the old space goes dark, and who walks the floor to confirm every desk, printer and access point is live. Keep the test report and a box of spare patch cords on site that day.
What to have ready when you ask for a bid
- A floor plan, even a rough one, with drop locations marked.
- Your estimated drop count from step 2.
- The move-in date and the dates ceilings and walls close.
- Who is managing the job: general contractor, owner, or architect.
- Whether union labor or prevailing wage applies.
- Where the telecom room is, or where it could go.
- Whether the internet circuit is ordered and where it lands.
With that in hand, request a bid and attach the floor plan. If you are earlier than that, choose the "Not sure" option on the form to ask J&M for a walkthrough.