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Network and data cabling in Kent
Structured cabling for homes, offices and units across Kent, installed to the standards that decide whether it still works when you ask more of it.
- Free estimates
- Insurance work undertaken
- Domestic & commercial
Why cable at all, when everything is wireless
Because wireless is a shared medium and cable is not. Every device on a wireless network competes for the same airtime, and the more you add the worse each one behaves. A hard-wired point does not care what else is happening in the building.
The practical effect is that the things which suffer most on wireless are exactly the things people notice: video streaming, video calls, cameras and anything that has to respond immediately. Moving those onto cable also frees up the wireless network for the phones and tablets that genuinely need to be wireless, so it improves both.
The numbers that actually constrain a job
These are published limits rather than opinions, and they decide what is possible in a building.
- 100 metres is the maximum channel length for Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6a. Beyond that the run needs a switch in between, not a longer cable
- Cat5e is rated to 100 MHz and carries 1 Gbps to the full 100 metres
- Cat6 is rated to 250 MHz, carries 1 Gbps to 100 metres, but drops to about 55 metres if you want 10 Gbps
- Cat6a is rated to 500 MHz and carries 10 Gbps to the full 100 metres
- PoE has the same 100 metre limit, and at that distance a Cat5e run carrying high-power PoE can lose 20 to 30 per cent of the power as heat
Power over Ethernet, and why it matters here
PoE puts power and data down one cable, which is why it is how modern cameras, wireless access points and door entry devices are usually fed. One cable to a camera position rather than a cable plus a fused spur is a large practical saving, and it means the whole lot can be backed up from one point.
The catch is at distance and at higher power. Because Cat6a has lower DC resistance per metre than Cat5e, it wastes less as heat on a long high-power run, which is the main reason we specify it on longer camera runs rather than as an upsell. If somebody is quoting a long PoE camera run on the cheapest cable, that is worth a question.
What separates a good install from a working one
Plenty of cabling works on the day and becomes a problem later, and the difference is almost always in the parts nobody sees.
Labelling at both ends, so a fault can be traced without pulling a ceiling down. Sensible containment and bend radius, because cable damaged during installation fails intermittently rather than cleanly, which is far worse to diagnose. Terminating at proper patching rather than a loose bundle. And testing after termination, so the install is proved rather than assumed.
That last one is the step most often skipped on domestic work. A cable that carries a signal today is not the same as a cable that meets its category, and the difference shows up the first time you ask it to do something harder.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Cat6 or Cat6a, and does it matter?
For most homes Cat6 is plenty: 1 Gbps to the full 100 metres. Cat6a matters in two situations. If you want 10 Gbps over a long run, Cat6 drops to around 55 metres while Cat6a holds 10 Gbps to 100. And on long PoE runs to cameras, Cat6a wastes less power as heat. We specify it where one of those applies rather than by default.
How far can a single cable run?
100 metres, and that is a standard rather than a guideline, for Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat6a alike. It includes the patch leads at both ends, so the fixed cable wants to be comfortably inside it. Where a building needs more reach than that, the answer is a switch partway rather than a longer cable, because a longer cable simply does not work reliably.
Can you cable a house that is already finished?
Usually, and it is most of the domestic work we do. Routes are found rather than created, using lofts, voids and existing risers, and occasionally a particular point genuinely is not reachable without disruption you would not accept. We will tell you which points are straightforward and which are not before starting rather than halfway through.
Do you cable for CCTV and access control too?
Yes, and it is worth doing at the same time. Cameras, access points and door entry all run on the same structured cabling over PoE, so one cabling exercise covers the network, the cameras and the entry system. Doing them separately means paying twice for the same access work, which is the expensive part.
Do you test and label the installation?
Yes, both, and it is worth asking anybody quoting you the same question. Labelling at both ends is what lets a fault be traced later without opening ceilings. Testing after termination is what proves the install meets its category rather than merely passing traffic on the day. Neither takes long and both are routinely skipped on domestic jobs.
Free estimates
Want a free estimate in Kent?
No up-selling, just simple honest advice. Domestic and commercial work across Aylesford, Maidstone, Medway, Sittingbourne, Gravesend, Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Dartford, Bromley.