Structured Cabling
J&M Connections has installed structured cabling for offices, campuses, schools, factories, warehouses, universities, medical facilities, and data centers throughout central Ohio. The company has served the Columbus, Ohio area for 25 years, and every technician on staff holds BICSI certification — the credential that signals an installer has trained on how cabling should actually go in: pulling and bend-radius limits, termination, grounding and bonding, firestopping, labeling and testing.
What Structured Cabling Is
Structured cabling is the permanent wiring behind a building's voice and data network — the cable that runs from a telecom room or IT closet out to every desk, access point, phone, and camera in the building. Unlike the switches and routers plugged into it, structured cabling is built to last. Switches and access points get replaced every few years; the cable behind the wall often stays in service for far longer, so J&M designs and installs it to a standard meant to outlive several generations of the equipment connected to it.
What's Included
Cable Types
J&M installs the full range of copper and fiber cable used in commercial buildings today:
- Cat 6a — for Wi-Fi access points, high-power PoE devices, and installations meant to last
- Cat 6 — the everyday standard for office data and VoIP
- Cat 5e — supported where it already exists and still tests well
- VoIP — cabling for phone systems
- Fiber optic — for backbone runs between telecom rooms, floors, and buildings, and any run
beyond copper's 100-meter limit
Flex Tray Design & Installation
For facilities that need a cleaner, more serviceable overhead pathway than conduit or open cable runs, J&M designs and installs custom Flex Tray wire-basket cable tray systems — including complete systems for open-ceiling offices. J&M is manufacturer-certified on Flex Tray.
Termination, Labeling & Testing
Every cable J&M pulls gets terminated on a patch panel, dressed into the rack, and individually labeled at the termination point, so the next technician who opens the telecom room can trace any connection without guesswork.
Typical Scope & Timeline
How a Project Runs
J&M prices every cabling project with a written bid rather than a flat per-drop rate, because the real cost depends on the site: the number of drops, the cable category, how far each run is from the telecom room, ceiling and wall access, any pathway work such as cable tray or conduit, and whether work has to happen after hours. A project typically starts with a site walkthrough so the bid reflects the actual building rather than a guess, moves to a written bid, and then to installation — cabled, terminated, labeled and handed over.
The on-site walkthrough is free. We walk the space with you, then send a written bid.
Timeline
Every project is different, so the timeline depends on the size and scope of the job. Your written bid includes a schedule for your project.
Standards We Work To
Every J&M technician holds BICSI certification, and the team includes a Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) — Ron Herr — for projects that need formal design review. Installations follow EIA/TIA standards. J&M is manufacturer-certified on CommScope/Uniprise, Leviton, Allen Tel and Flex Tray, and keeps that list deliberately short: "We do not overload our certifications to every company in the industry." Installing a complete certified system can make a project eligible for the manufacturer's extended warranty, available on request. All workmanship carries a 1-year parts-and-labor warranty, excluding damage from misuse.
Project Examples
DSW — Cabling, IT Room Design-Build & Flex Tray
J&M completed cabling infrastructure work for DSW that went beyond pulling cable: the project included designing and building the IT room and installing a Flex Tray overhead pathway to carry cabling to it. An overhead cable tray carries bundled cable along the ceiling and drops it into open equipment racks loaded with color-coded patch panels, with every patch cord individually labeled at the termination point.
Mt. Carmel Hospital — Voice & Data Cabling
J&M provided structured cabling for Mt. Carmel Hospital, one of several healthcare facilities the company has served across central Ohio. Hospital cabling work is judged on two things: whether the network is reliable, and whether the work got done without getting in the way of patient care. The finished telecom room shows the standard: patch panels in rows, cable trunks fed down from an overhead tray, and every voice and data patch cord labeled and dressed into the rack.
Fiber to the OSU Towers
J&M completed fiber optic infrastructure work at the OSU Towers on the Ohio State University campus, extending high-speed connectivity for one of the region's largest institutional clients. Fiber carries a network between buildings and over distances copper cannot reach within its 100-meter limit, without picking up electrical interference along the way — the right tool for tying a campus together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does structured cabling cost per drop?
J&M prices every project by written bid rather than a flat per-drop rate, because the cost depends on the site. The biggest factors are the number of drops, the cable category, how far each run is from the telecom room, ceiling and wall access, pathway work such as cable tray or conduit, and whether work has to happen after hours.
Which cable should I choose — Cat 5e, Cat 6 or Cat 6a?
Cat 6 covers most office data and VoIP. Cat 6a is the better choice for Wi-Fi access points, high-power PoE devices and long-life installations. Fiber handles backbones and runs over 100 meters.
Do you install fiber optic cable?
Yes. J&M installs fiber optic infrastructure, including the fiber work completed at the OSU Towers on the Ohio State campus.
Do you design IT rooms and data closets?
Yes. J&M handles full design-build for server rooms and IDF/MDF closets, from initial layout to a finished installation — as seen in the DSW project.
What standards do you install to?
J&M's installations follow EIA/TIA standards, every technician holds BICSI certification, and the team includes an RCDD for projects that need formal design review.
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Ready to Start Your Cabling Project?
Whether it's a single telecom room or a multi-building campus, J&M prices every cabling project with a written bid built around a site walkthrough.