Structured Cabling
Professional Network Cabling Done Right
TechniWorx installs, certifies, and documents structured cabling infrastructure for businesses across Chicagoland and Southern Wisconsin. From a single office to a full campus buildout, our certified installers deliver clean, tested, warrantied work.
The Foundation Matters
Bad Cabling Costs More Than Good Cabling
Network cabling is the foundation of everything your business runs on. Cut corners on the installation, and you pay for it in intermittent connectivity issues, slow speeds that nobody can explain, time wasted troubleshooting phantom problems, and expensive rework when the original installer can't be held accountable.
Properly installed and documented structured cabling lasts 15–20 years. It supports technology upgrades without rewiring. When something goes wrong, it's diagnosed in minutes, not hours. The extra cost of doing it right the first time is one of the best investments a growing business makes.
- Certified testing validates every run before sign-off
- As-built documentation survives staff turnover
- Consistent labeling enables fast troubleshooting
- Clean installation survives future inspections and audits
- Proper cable selection future-proofs your investment
WiFi Access Point Placement Considerations
Wireless performance starts with proper access point placement. These are the factors we evaluate during our pre-deployment site survey:
- Building materials (concrete, metal studs, glass all attenuate signal differently)
- Number of concurrent users per AP zone
- WiFi 6 / WiFi 6E requirements for high-density areas
- Roaming behavior between access points
- Co-channel interference from neighboring networks
- IoT device density (cameras, badge readers, sensors)
- Outdoor coverage requirements
- Regulatory compliance for healthcare and PCI environments
Cable Selection Guide
Cat5e vs Cat6 vs Cat6A vs Fiber
Cable category selection affects cost, future-proofing, and supported speeds. Here's a practical comparison to help you understand the tradeoffs — and our recommendation for most office environments.
Cat5e
Max Speed
1 Gbps
Bandwidth
100 MHz
Max Distance
100 meters
Best For
Basic office networks, budget installations, upgrade situations where full replacement is not feasible
Still acceptable for many SMB applications, but not recommended for new installations.
Cat6
Max Speed
1–10 Gbps
Bandwidth
250 MHz
Max Distance
55 m at 10 Gbps / 100 m at 1 Gbps
Best For
Most commercial office installations, general workstations, standard APs
TechniWorx default recommendation for new office builds. Excellent price-to-performance ratio.
Cat6A
Max Speed
10 Gbps
Bandwidth
500 MHz
Max Distance
100 meters at 10 Gbps
Best For
High-density WiFi 6 environments, data centers, server rooms, applications requiring full 10GbE
Required for WiFi 6/6E access points operating at full speed. Larger diameter requires more conduit space.
Fiber Optic
Max Speed
10 Gbps–100+ Gbps
Bandwidth
Multi-THz
Max Distance
Up to 2 km (OM4 multimode) / 10+ km (single-mode)
Best For
Backbone runs between floors/buildings, IDF-to-MDF links, long-distance campus connections
Immune to electromagnetic interference. Required for inter-building links. OM3/OM4 multimode for campus backbones.
What We Install
Our Structured Cabling Services
From the cable run to the patch panel to the documentation package, TechniWorx handles every aspect of your cabling infrastructure project.
Horizontal Cabling Runs
We pull, route, and terminate horizontal cable runs from your network closet to every wall plate, desk, and device location. Cable is routed through conduit, cable trays, J-hooks, or above-ceiling pathways depending on your building type and code requirements. Every run is pulled with appropriate slack and secured with proper management.
IDF / MDF Buildout
The network closet is the heart of your infrastructure. We build and organize IDF (Intermediate Distribution Frame) and MDF (Main Distribution Frame) rooms from scratch or reorganize existing rat nests into clean, documented, professional-grade installations. Wall-mount or free-standing racks, proper ventilation, UPS power, and cable management all handled.
Patch Panel Installation & Termination
Every horizontal run terminates in a patch panel — the central connection point for your cabling plant. We install and punch down Cat5e, Cat6, or Cat6A patch panels using 110 or Krone termination standards, test each port, and label both the patch panel and the corresponding wall plate.
Cable Management
Organized cabling isn't just aesthetic — it reduces troubleshooting time, prevents accidental disconnections, improves airflow in network closets, and makes future adds/moves/changes faster and cheaper. We use horizontal and vertical cable managers, velcro ties, ladder rack, and J-hooks to route cables cleanly.
WiFi Access Point Surveys & Placement
Improper access point placement results in dead zones, co-channel interference, and poor roaming performance. We perform pre-deployment site surveys to map your floorplan, analyze building materials, and model signal propagation — then install access points at precisely the right locations with proper cable drops and mounting.
Fluke-Certified Cable Testing
Every cable run we install is tested with Fluke Networks DTX or DSX cable analyzers — the industry standard for structured cabling certification. Testing verifies wiremap, length, insertion loss, return loss, NEXT, and all parameters required for Category certification. Test reports are provided as part of your project closeout documentation.
Cable Labeling & Documentation
Proper labeling turns a spaghetti mess into a manageable infrastructure. We label every cable at both ends using printed labels with consistent naming conventions (e.g., 'A01' patch panel port to 'A01' wall plate). We deliver as-built documentation including floorplan with port locations, patch panel schedules, and cable test reports.
Work in Occupied Spaces
Most of our cabling work happens in active, occupied offices. We coordinate with your team to minimize disruption — scheduling noisy work (core drilling, above-ceiling cable pulling) during off-hours when needed, using quiet termination techniques during business hours, and cleaning up completely at the end of each day.
Certification Testing
Why Fluke-Certified Testing Matters
Any installer can pull cable and plug in connectors. The difference between professional and amateur work shows up in the test results — and ultimately in your network performance.
Fluke Networks analyzers (the industry standard for structured cabling certification) test every electrical parameter defined in the TIA-568 standard: wiremap accuracy, cable length, insertion loss, return loss, NEXT (Near-End Crosstalk), and more. A cable run either passes the full Category specification or it doesn't.
- Full TIA-568 Category certification testing
- Digital test reports for every run
- Pass/fail with specific parameter results
- Reports included in project closeout package
- Warranty backed by test documentation
What's in Your Documentation Package
At project closeout, every TechniWorx cabling installation includes:
- As-built floor plan: Updated floorplan showing exact outlet locations and port numbers
- Patch panel schedule: Maps each patch panel port to the corresponding wall plate location
- Fluke test report file: Digital test results for every installed run, exportable to PDF
- Cable labeling key: Documents the labeling convention used throughout the installation
- Network closet photo documentation: Before/after photos of IDF/MDF work for your records
Our Process
From Site Survey to Sign-Off
Our project process is transparent and documented from start to finish — so you always know where your project stands and what to expect.
Site Survey & Design
We walk the space, count cable drops needed, identify pathway routing, assess network closet location and condition, and identify any challenges (concrete walls, fire-rated assemblies, existing conduit) that affect installation.
Proposal & Material Spec
We deliver a fixed-price proposal with a detailed scope of work, cable count, hardware specification (patch panels, keystones, racks, cable), and installation timeline. No unit-rate surprises on the final invoice.
Installation
Our certified installers pull cable, route pathways, and terminate all connections. For multi-day jobs, work areas are left organized and safe at the end of each day. Active network circuits are protected throughout.
Testing & Certification
Every run is tested with Fluke cable analyzer to Category specification. Any runs that fail are remediated and retested. All results are saved to digital test report files.
Labeling & Documentation
All cables, wall plates, and patch panel ports are labeled. As-built drawings are updated with final port locations. Test reports, patch panel schedules, and project documentation are delivered.
Warranty & Handoff
We warranty our workmanship for one year. Materials carry manufacturer warranties. For qualifying jobs, we can offer extended system warranties through our manufacturer partnerships.
Get a Fixed-Price Quote
Ready to Build a Network That Lasts?
Whether you're cabling a new office, adding drops in an existing space, or reorganizing a messy network closet, TechniWorx delivers clean, certified, documented work at a fixed price.