Dear Experts,

We're planning on remodeling our office building this year which will include new voice & data cabling.

Looking for some info on what to include in the RFQ for our vendors.

Our plan is includes two [2] CAT6 drops to each workstation for data & voice. We currently have CAT5 and CAT3 at each workstation, Fujitsu PBX, with VoIP planned in about 2 years.

As far as writing up the RFQ, what would typically be called out?

- Number of drops
- Cable Type/Brand
- Patch Panel
- Type of wiring block?
- Industry Standard?
- Test and certify
- Anything else?

Are two CAT6 drops per workstation pretty much the norm these days?

How many people are doing single CAT6 drops to the workstation and using a VoIP phone as the data port for a PC? Just curious.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Just my humble opinion, but I would bring at least two CAT5E or CAT6 to each workstation, since you may want to segregate your voice and data, even if you have VoIP. Also, CAT5E or CAT6 can do so much more than just voice and data these days, I would inundate your facility with spares, both in the ceiling and at hard to pull places. In the future you may need wireless access points, cameras, low-voltage power, speaker wire, all kinds of good stuff. I do not believe that vendor-specific cable and patch panels are that critical anymore, unless you are looking for a very long warranty period. There are certain vendors whose cable, jacks, and patch panels are designed to work together for a total solution, while some vendors have every piece of necessary hardware in their product array including cables, jacks, patch panels, patch cords, etc. You are on the right track about putting out a RFQ. I would have your bidders specify cable brand and bandwidth range, as well as jacks and patch panels. It really makes a difference cost-wise to put in the quality stuff. There are industry standards for compliance and also you definitely want your cable to be the real thing and UL listed. Cable management is important too, depending on how many drops you have. So make sure they quote that hardware.

It is also important to determine if the installation company is licensed (if licensing is required in your jurisdiction) and to get a few letters of recommendation from RECENT customers.

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback, I like the idea of putting in some spares for future devices.

The PC port on the back of many VoIP phones has restricted bandwidth. This may or may not be an issue depending on the PC applications used.

If you are going full VoIP you may want to have separate switches for VoIP on a UPS to keep the phones working during a power fail.

Our standard is three drops to each workstation, two to each printer location. Cable is (relatively) cheap; doing it over again isn’t.

As to using the switch port on a VoIP phone – maybe in a pinch, but I’d never design a network around that concept.

Don’t forget about analog devices – fax machines, credit card terminals, power failure jacks or whatever. It’s real easy to concentrate on the high-tech stuff and overlook them.

How about asking for a list of local customers that you can visit to inspect the work? I’ve seen jobs where the customer gave glowing recommendations, but the actual workmanship belongs in the “ugly work” thread.

Two cables to each location should be plenty.
A smart thing to do is remove all of the old dead cable and harware and sell it for scrap.
The most important thing is too buy a good quality product, if you buy cheap you buy twice
:thumb:

@Festec,

Just curious, have you sold old cable for scrap before? How much $$$ can you get for old CAT3/CAT5?

We'll be removing 2 drops from about 80 workstation. Basically, is it worth my time to do this?

A couple of years ago, I wrecked out 50 pair cable in Indy. Dragged that crap back in my van to Ohio and got the magnificent sum of about $73 for my trouble.

IIRC copper was at about 55 cents at the time. It's the right thing to do, so find some kid who will appreciate the extra cash.

Carl

Woody, check the prices for copper in your area. You may be able to recoup some money for your effort, but since 2008 the NEC has required the removal of most abandoned low voltage cable. Check the codes for your area, as they may or may not require 2008 NEC standards.