Telecom closets
The rooms where cabling for a floor or a building comes together. One main room usually feeds smaller closets on other floors.
- Placement sets how long each run can be
- Needs dedicated space, power and cooling for the equipment
Structured cabling · MA, NH & RI
Structured Cabling Contractors in Massachusetts: Design & Installation
As structured cabling contractors since 1993, Accutech Communications designs, installs and services the organized system behind your network: the closets, racks, patch panels and backbone that every voice and data run plugs into, for businesses in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
Why it matters
What structured cabling does for your network
Every run in a structured system ends at a known port in a known closet, so your IT team can find any connection quickly.
Without that structure, offices end up with cable run straight from devices to switches, extra lengths coiled in the ceiling and closets nobody wants to open. Every move, add or change takes longer, and a fault can mean hours of tracing.
A structured system separates the permanent cabling (the runs in the walls and ceilings) from the parts that change (patch cords and equipment). The permanent part is installed once, tested and left alone. It is also the reason one cabling system can carry data, voice, wireless access points, cameras and sound masking without a separate mess for each.
For the drops themselves, such as new desks, re-cables and moves, see network cabling installation. This page covers how the system they plug into is designed and built.
The parts
What a commercial structured cabling system is made of
The commercial building standards (ANSI/TIA-568 for the cabling, TIA-569 for the rooms and pathways) break the system into a few parts, and we design and install each of them.
Racks and patch panels
Racks and cabinets hold switches and patch panels. Each permanent run terminates on a numbered panel port.
- Cable management keeps patch cords short and tidy
- Changes happen here, not in the ceiling
Horizontal cabling
The copper runs from the closet to each wall plate, ceiling access point or camera. Limited to a 100-meter channel.
- Cat 5e, Cat 6 or Cat 6A
- Plenum or riser rated for the space
Backbone
The links between closets, floors and buildings, usually fiber, with copper for voice where it is still needed.
- Redundant paths if the network cannot go down
- Run in innerduct or conduit
Low voltage
Low voltage and communications cabling on one system
Low voltage cabling is the general term for communications cabling, everything that is not electrical power wiring: data, voice, wireless, video and more. In a commercial structured cabling system these share the same closets, pathways and patch panels instead of each being installed on its own. We install and service the low voltage cabling for:
- Data Cat 5e, Cat 6 and Cat 6A to desks, printers and equipment
- Voice Cabling for VoIP and digital phone systems
- Wireless Wi-Fi access points and wireless LAN
- Video CCTV and CATV wiring
- Sound masking Cabling for sound masking systems
- Coax For video and other coaxial equipment
Accutech also installs and services the phone systems that run on this cabling. See business phone systems.
Telecom rooms
Planning the network closet or data room
Where the network closet goes, and what is in the room with it, limits how well the rest of the system can work. TIA-569 and the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) set out what a telecom room needs. Settle the points below before racks go in.
- Location. Central enough that every run on the floor stays inside the 100-meter channel, and stacked between floors where possible so the backbone is short.
- Dedicated space. Not shared with electrical panels, janitor sinks or storage, and with room in front of and behind each rack to work.
- Power and cooling. Dedicated circuits for the equipment, and ventilation or cooling sized for the switches and servers in the room.
- Grounding and bonding. Racks and cable tray bonded to the building ground, as TIA-607 requires.
- Fire-rated penetrations. The electrical and fire codes require every hole cabling makes through a fire-rated wall or floor to be firestopped.
A room that is also housing servers, UPS units and storage is covered on our data center build-outs page.
Comparing quotes
What to ask for in a structured cabling quote
Two quotes for the same building can differ because they include different things. Whoever you hire, confirm the items below in writing, and ask what drives the price.
- Labeling. Each run, panel and wall plate labeled to one scheme (TIA-606 describes a standard one), so anyone can trace a connection.
- Test results. Certification test reports for the cabling, tested against the cable category you are paying for.
- Documentation. A record of what was installed and where: drop locations, panel assignments and backbone routes.
- Spare capacity. Room left on panels, racks and pathways for growth, and how much.
- What drives cost. The number of floors and closets, backbone length, plenum or riser cable, ceiling type, and whether the building is under construction or occupied.
Who does the work
Why hire Accutech for structured cabling
We have designed and installed cabling systems for businesses since 1993, and the same company that lays out the closets pulls the cable, terminates it, tests it and comes back for the moves, adds and changes. Many of our customers have worked with us repeatedly for over 20 years.
We also install and service Avaya IP Office, Nortel and cloud-based business phone systems, so the voice side of the system does not need a second contractor.
A Community Newspaper Company facility manager's review describes a 1995 project of over 1,000 voice and data lines in one building; the full review is on our About page.
How a project runs
From floor plan to certified system
Structured cabling is designed before it is installed, starting from your floor plan.
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01
Consultation
How the space is used now, how it might grow, and what equipment the system has to carry.
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02
Design
Closet locations, rack layout, cable category, backbone routes and drop counts, laid out on your floor plan.
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03
Estimate
An estimate based on that design.
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04
Installation
Racks, panels, cable management, horizontal runs and backbone, coordinated with your contractor or around your staff.
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05
Testing
Cable testing and certification to confirm the system meets its performance specification.
From our clients
A 53-year-old cabling problem, rewired and organized
5.0 average across 40 reviews.
Accutech was the only answer for a 53 year old cabling problem. Kory and Mack came in and cut out miles of useless cable, completely rewired all of our hard wiring issues. No matter what problem came up next, they attacked it and fixed it. ... our entire network, neatly organized.
Expert service, professional, and efficient; Heather, Brian and Kori are wonderful to work with. Can't recommend them enough!
What is structured cabling?
A standardized way of building a cabling system, set out in the ANSI/TIA-568 standards. It is made up of telecom closets, racks and patch panels, horizontal cabling to each device, and a backbone between closets, floors and buildings.
What is the difference between structured cabling and low voltage cabling?
Low voltage cabling describes what the cable carries: data, voice, video and other signals that are not electrical power. Structured cabling describes how it is organized. A structured system is usually where all of a building's low voltage cabling comes together.
Do we need a structured system for a small office?
Yes, at a smaller scale. Even a ten-desk office benefits from runs that terminate on a patch panel in one rack instead of going straight to a switch. It keeps every later change quick.
Can you fix a closet that has become a mess?
Yes. We inspect, troubleshoot, repair and upgrade existing cabling systems, including new racks and cable management where a closet needs them, then test what is there so you know what you have.
Do you design the system or only install it?
Both. We start with consultation and design, then install, test and support the system.
Is the cabling tested?
Yes. Cable testing and certification are part of our structured cabling work, to confirm the system meets the performance specification of the cable installed.
Request an estimate
Plan the system before the walls close
Estimates are free. Call the office or send the details online.
Helpful to have ready
- A floor plan, or the square footage and number of floors
- Where the network closet or rack is, or will be
- Roughly how many drops, access points and cameras
- Any equipment that has to stay, such as an existing phone system
- Your move-in date or your contractor's schedule