Who does your network cabling??

[maniac]

So as I'm getting more involved in network cabling, I thought I'd see how many other schools actually attempt putting their own fixed installations in. Obviously not fibre, as equipment to do this is expensive, but cat5 is achievable for most people.

 

I only ask this as we've just completed cabling 20 new network points in a new ICT area, and saved the school several hundred pounds by undertaking the work ourselves. We did a very professional job, ICT co-ordinator thinks it's a neater job than our normal contractor!

We also got the network points exactly where they were needed and it was easier than expected, which begs the question; Why do we keep paying £1000's to outside agencies each year for installing additional cabling when we can do it ourselves? We certainly won't be paying from now on if we can help it.

[kylewilliamson]

Have you conducted approiate risk assestments, had apporiate training for working at heights etc? This is why we don't do it.

 

Kyle

[maniac]

ceiling in area we were working was a suspended ceiling, acessible from top of a step ladder (which is class A approved) and yes we have appropreate training on working at heights. As for risk assesment, if you mean making sure the cable was installed withing building regs, we read up first and it's really not that difficult. Our site manager also inspected the work at regular intervals to make sure he was happy. It can't be worse that the contractor we were using, trust me!

 

Mike.

[Grommit]

So as I'm getting more involved in network cabling, I thought I'd see how many other schools actually attempt putting their own fixed installations in. Obviously not fibre, as equipment to do this is expensive, but cat5 is achievable for most people.

 

I only ask this as we've just completed cabling 20 new network points in a new ICT area, and saved the school several hundred pounds by undertaking the work ourselves. We did a very professional job, ICT co-ordinator thinks it's a neater job than our normal contractor!

We also got the network points exactly where they were needed and it was easier than expected, which begs the question; Why do we keep paying £1000's to outside agencies each year for installing additional cabling when we can do it ourselves? We certainly won't be paying from now on if we can help it.

 

WHY.. get the professionals in and tell them exactly where you want the points..

 

i can't be arsed to cable ... It's my job to keep the Network running and thats a big enough job when you have 1400 Kids and 600 PC's to look after...

[maniac]

Mainly because we've had trouble finding a contrctor that can follow simple instructions and complete a job to a high standard. We needed this job doing, didn't have a new contractor or one we wanted to invite back, so we decided to have a go ourselves. We've spent a lot of money on cabling in the past, so if we can save money here it'll free up funds to put towards other projects. It is time dependant of course, if we didn't have the luxury of time this holiday, we would have contracted it out.

 

Mike.

[iatkinson]

If it's over a long distance we get a contractor in to run the cable then we do all the termination. Over a short distance or in easily accessible areas we run the cable as well...depends on how busy we are and whether the school is prepared to stump up for a contractor.

[CyberNerd]

We do a bit of each, We even done our own fiber runs and termination.

for larger jobs we use Cherry. http://cherrywirelessandcabling.com/default.htm

[localzuk]

We contract it all out, as there is only 1 of me and there simply wouldn't be enough time to do it all if we did it in house.

 

Cabling contractors are relatively cheap now, compared to a few years ago anyway.

[Jake]

We do all of ours ourselves, I've lost track now of just how much we have done, but its well into the hundreds of points and goodness knows how much trunking. As you mention Maniac, it saves us a fortune in our budget , which is handy as we can spend that on hardware instead

We do all our projector and smartboard installations as well, which saves a few bob too.

 

Like you Maniac, I can remember when we first cabled an ICT suite, we did it during the summer break, 32 points, few hundred metres of cable, running along the dual channel trunking we put on the walls, and down into and under the flooring. Into the office adjoining, where we installed a cabinet, switches and panels. I have to say, that when we had finished it all, we were so SO proud of it...it looked phenomenal

 

Sadly..the kids smashed the pcs up and ruined the room within 3 days of the start of term, but just for a moment it was great

[webman]

We use Conex (very good, professional service) for the majority of our stuff; but we will do a short run ourselves from time to time.

[localzuk]

We do a bit of each, We even done our own fiber runs and termination. for larger jobs we use Cherry. http://cherrywirelessandcabling.com/default.htm

 

I was looking at equipment and training for fibre last night, as this is one area which I think doing it in house could save us serious money. Do you have any advice on approaching this sort of thing? Do you use the LightCrimp system? Did you get training?

[Andi]

Easy stuff we do ourselves, and sometimes attempt the trickier ones. I had a cabling job assigned to me at the end of last week but I got so stressed about it I managed to persuade my manager to hire a contractor for it and we were both surprised at the price quoted.

 

It would have taken me and the other techie here all week probably, wouldn't have done as neat a job and plus had to pay for all the parts. Sometimes it's worth contracting when the costs are weighed up I think. It's freed me up to look into setting up DFS on our new server which my manager also wanted me to do before the break ends.

[CyberNerd]

We got training from these techoptics a couple of yrs ago:

http://www.techoptics.com/

We don't have lightcrimp unfortunately, only the more labour intensive polishing kit.lightcrimp does look good though

also check these guys for supplies:

http://www.cablemanstore.co.uk/

[enjay]

We contract ours out - most of the site is cabled now, so new cabling happens so infrequently that it isn't worth the time or money in getting the training and all the necessary tools. Plus, I'm a one-man department, which would make some cabling jobs difficult.

 

Our contractors are very good, efficient, professional and knowledgeable, so I am happy to let them do their stuff while I do mine.

[Grommit]

Mainly because we've had trouble finding a contrctor that can follow simple instructions and complete a job to a high standard. We needed this job doing, didn't have a new contractor or one we wanted to invite back, so we decided to have a go ourselves. We've spent a lot of money on cabling in the past, so if we can save money here it'll free up funds to put towards other projects. It is time dependant of course, if we didn't have the luxury of time this holiday, we would have contracted it out.

 

Mike.

 

OK.. I wish had a holiday... the site owes me 4 weeks

 

I keep getting a flyer through the door that advertises small or big jobs and where you want the data points..

 

I'll pass on the info as they seem tp be able to do 2 or hundreds..

[e_g_r]

Have you Fluke tested it? With a contactor you can specify that they have to provide results and a guarantee. We go for Molex 20 year.

 

Do you follow all of the codes and practices for this?

 

Years ago i would have done my own but haveing inherited what can only be described as a wireing abortion i would never do it myself again. instead i would get a professional acreditted company in, make them sign an agreement regards what they are doing, get full test results and then maybe get an independent test just in case they are cut and paste merchants.

 

I used to do fibre but again if you get a contract signed and test results you will have a guarantee and something to fall back on.

[seacider]

In a previous employment I used to do a lot of installing and testing using the Fluke DSP tester. The easy bit is the running of the cables, as long as you have access to cable ducting/trays. Getting it to a test standard is easy if you know what you are doing. ( I Borrow the fluke from my ex boss )You can easily get pre-terminated fibre for straightforward runs. if the run is a little more difficult or the install is more than a few points we get contractors in.

Costs can vary as can the standard of the finish. I once went to do a test of an install that other contractors had done and found many faults including runs of over 150m. One install we had to correct had rj45 plugs fitted to both ends, no network points, and the plugs were fitted to no standard. They were orange, orange white,blue, blue white, green, green white, brown and finally brown white. The networked sort of worked but the fails apart from wire map were near end and far end crosstalk. not surprisingly.

[enjay]

@Seacider - if that is the quality of your contractors' work, I don't blame you for doing as much as possible yourself! I hope you didn't pay for that installation?

[e_g_r]

Thats why we always make them sign a pre installation agreement that says they have to put right at their own cost anything that is done wrong.

[Disease]

As Jake said we do everything here, as for a 20 year guarantee whats the point, we will not be using the same cable in 20 years anyway, we probably won't be using the same in 10 years.

[e_g_r]

Whats the point?

 

Even if its a couple of years down the line then you can get them in to change it. With the Molex if the contractor goes bust Molex will take on board the guarantee.

 

How much industry standard training have you had? I used to think i was pretty good until i had real professionals in to do the work.

[Disease]

Sounds to me like an excuse tbh, just my personal opinion though. How can you be in network management and not know how to cable properly and effectively, after all it's a basic task. In fact if you didn't know how to cable I would not even consider employing you to work for me.

[localzuk]

Disease, network management isn't even slightly related to running cables. If I was expected to do cabling, I would see it is a poor use of my time and skills. Plus I don't have the relevant qualifications to ensure the high quality required - sure I am able to run cables, I am able to test them etc... but if things *do* go wrong, and it causes downtime in the school, it is my neck it is on, rather than an external company who have professionally trained engineers.

 

I'm also quite happy with wiring electrical cables, and plumbing, but if I wouldn't do it - these are all areas where you need the guarantee.

[Disease]

Why would things go wrong, if you test and certify the cable, what is there to go wrong. It's different if you are by yourself then it's hard to devote the time to do it, but if there is more than 1 person in the team then time should not be an issue. We have a large network here with nearly 20 servers we find time to do ALL our own cabling, we have never had a failure and we have never had anything go wrong. In fact just this last summer we re-wired an IT room as it was wired incorrectly by a cabling company.

 

If we required a guarantee for everything it would be a nightmare. What sort of Guarantee do you give the school that Active Directory will work fine, what sort of guarantee do you give that your backup solution will work fine. Thats the trouble with this country today, too many people try to find ways not to do something rather than just getting on and doing it.

 

Next you will be telling me I should waste £2000 a time on a whiteboard and projector install with an outside contractor.

[e_g_r]

Disease

 

How are you testing your cables? How do you source your parts. Cheapest? or looking at specs etc..

 

Bit offensive saying you wouldn't employ me when you don't know me. If you had the report on the 10 years worth of cabling that i inherited it may current school it would make you think more about paying to get it done right and right first time.

 

when you see a real proffesional do it with the twists right down to the module, the lack of compression and clean pull throughs then you might know what i am talking about.

 

Hope you keep your cable runs away from power, water, gas and flourescent appliences. If you use basket tray i hope you also use liners as you will end up getting compression points in time if you havn't. Do you cable tie? another source of compression!

 

do you lable your trays for data only so that in a years time an electrician won't think 'i'll run my cable along that'.

 

Do you ensure that contractors are aware that they can't use your data runs and if so do you check this?

 

I'm talking from bitter experience but could call you nieve.

 

Hope your not doing the electrical work on your whiteboard installs? Or are you NIC EIC approved