Network cabling can be complex and overwhelming in the past. There may be times when people without the essential knowledge and training were assigned running cable as part of their other duties. Telephone technicians and electricians, for example, were formerly called upon in the past since they were regarded as cabling people.
Plan for the Future 
If you currently have an outdated network and your organization is planning to move to a new location that will require new cable installation. Are you planning on using yesterday’s greatest cabling technology, or are you going to implement something that will meet your requirements today as well as tomorrow? Recognize that the most expensive aspect of your project is the labor. One should think about using a higher-rated cable to satisfy current requirements while future-proof your cable today.
Follow Local Laws, Codes, and Ordinances 
Fail to comply with local codes might lead to risky situations for safety workers. In air-handling spaces, for example, PVC-jacketed cabling is not permitted. When PVC burns, it emits poisonous vapors that can be detrimental to firefighters and other emergency personnel who must enter the area in the event of an emergency. If you fail to meet local low voltage cabling codes, you risk fines and perhaps being forced to remove and replace your cable. So, before you begin, double-check your duties and ensure that any contractors you hire are knowledgeable of local ordinances.
Use the Same Type of Cables for Voice and Data 
Twisted pair cabling was once extremely expensive, therefore businesses installed separate cables for voice and data needs. Since voice was a less demanding service that only requires a single pair of wires, less expensive cabling was utilized for voice, while data received the largest portion of the budget.
A complete installation can still be costly nowadays, although the majority of the expense is mainly labor; cables alone aren’t very costly. Furthermore, with the growth of services like VoIP, voice has become a data necessity in many situations, requiring data-level cabling. In addition, with the proper VoIP equipment, you can usually get away with using an existing data cable and then using the VoIP device’s built-in Ethernet switch to save on the cost of connecting extra cables, if necessary.
Don’t just expect one can use old-school category 3 voice cabling. If you’re going to run a phone cable separately, be sure it’s the same rating or same as the data cable.
Use Cable Management 
Adding cable management is frequently regarded as a “would indeed be nice if” scenario. Adding ladder rack, rack-based cable management, and other such features adds to the cost. However, it also makes regular maintenance much easier. Remember that the cabling effort does not end with the initial installation. More wires will be installed, and things will be modified. Make sure you identify necessary cables, color-code cables, or use some other process to make it easier to identify cables later on.
Run Cable in Parallel with Electrical Cables 
If you must run network cable near electrical power lines, be sure to cross them at the perpendicular 90-degree angle of each other. The magnetic field generated by the low voltage twisted pairs cable running through the cable is a critical component of the communications chain. When connecting unshielded cabling to electrical cables in parallel, the magnetic field is disrupted, and communication becomes noisy and distorted. Data transmissions may be lost or the rates will slow down to a crawl as communication is constantly retransmitting.
Installing Near Noisy Devices 
Electrical noise is EMI/RFI that can be induced into data cabling by means other than electrical wires. Fluorescent lamps, motors, and other objects that emit electrical or magnetic interference will also devastate your cabling architecture. Make sure that in your planning, you leave a data cable pathway that avoids these types of issues. If running near a noisy environment is not avoidable then consider going with a shielded cable and make sure to ground the drain wire.
Run an Extra Cable 
While most users simply need to add a port or two, they use mini-switches, therefore there is very no traffic planning. This can be problematic depending on the reason for the additional ports. If the new services demand a large number of network resources, you may inadvertently cause the network to bottlenecks. Unless you have a strong reason not to, simply running another cable is more cost-effective because cables are relatively inexpensive but labor is comparable.
Cable Distance Limitation 
The majority of the Ethernet cable categories used today will have a maximum length of 100 meters (328 Feet). This includes Cat5e cables all the way up to Cat6a cables. The maximum channel length for these category-rated cables will be 100 meters. When we speak about channel length, we mean the overall length of the cable run, including the cable backbone and patch cord length. The recommended channel configuration is 90 meters of cable backbone and 10 meters of the patch cord.
Test Your Cable Installation 
Once the cabling is in place, it is strongly recommended that each cable be tested with the required instruments to ensure that it is fit for its intended function. This involves ensuring that the length and cable specifications are suitable for the application. If you require 10-Gbps transmission speeds, confirm that the cable’s characteristics can fulfill that requirement.
Follow Industry Standards 
A cabling jacket contains only eight separate wires. So why not just terminate them at arbitrary, as long as you follow the same scheme on both ends and are consistent between cables? That’s not a good idea.
Standards are in place for a reason. The cabling standards take into account how the cables are twisted and arranged in the jacket. If you fail to follow those requirements, you risk introducing noise and efficiency into your cable system, which can harm overall network performance. So, be sure to follow EIA/TIA-568-A and B standards specifications on how data cables should be terminated.
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Written by Syston Cable Team