The Internet of Things (IoT) is quickly becoming a necessity in modern-day life. For example, an estimated 93% of enterprises have added IoT devices to their workplaces. In doing this, they have benefited from reduced downtime, cost reduction, and more. You too may wish to add IoT devices to your home or business. However, you’ll probably need lots of cables to do this. You may be unable to choose, install, and organize these properly. In this situation, hiring the best cabling contractor San Antonio has can be beneficial.
However, you’ll still need to choose cables yourself. If you know nothing about doing these things, read on to learn.
How to Find the Best Cabling Contractor
After you type ‘cabling contractors near me’ into the search bar, you’re likely to get a lot of possible contractors. Once you see this, you’ll probably feel overwhelmed. You’ll wonder how you can even begin making comparisons between all of them.
If you’re in this situation, there’s no need to worry. There are plenty of ways to separate your one best cabling contractor from all the lesser ones. To learn more about some of these, read the list below.
Locate Some Customer Reviews and Recommendations
Any cabling contractor San Antonio has had for a year or so should have customer reviews. There are many ways that you can find these.
One way is to check the cabling contractor’s website. It’s likely that it will contain testimonials from previous clients. Remember, though, that most contractors will post positive views alone.
To find negative local cabling contractor reviews, you’ll probably need to look elsewhere. Consider looking on review sites such as Google Customer Reviews or Yelp. However, don’t take these at face value as it’s possible to pay for fake reviews.
The highest quality reviews will come from organizations dedicated to keeping businesses accountable. The Better Business Bureau is a good example of this.
In addition, consider asking other locals about the best cabling contractor they’ve used. You can ask your friends and family in places like Austin and San Antonio for their suggestions. People in other close Texas locations like Kyle or Buda may also have ideas.
Making a question post on a social media group is another possibility. For example, you can probably find a group to join on Facebook made of your fellow locals. You can then ask them about, say, the best cabling contractor Selma has.
Evaluating the Cabling Company Itself
There are plenty of ways to know whether the cable installation company you hire can provide high-quality service.
The easiest way is to examine the state of its website. It doesn’t have to look too fancy, but it should look decent and be bug-free. This proves that a company trusts its service enough to invest in it.
There are also other important details you can find on a structured cabling company website. Look for the years of experience their workers have. You should also check for their licenses and certifications.
All of these show how capable a contractor will be at structuring your cables.
In addition, it’s important to remember that specific network cabling services vary between contractors. Some may only offer initial installation. Others can offer that plus testing, repair, and much more.
The latter services may not be important if you have a simple house network cabling system. However, certain large businesses will probably need them to function well. Therefore, consider the needs of your particular situation as you examine each local cabling contractor.
As a final tip, don’t forget to make sure the service price isn’t too high or low. Consider researching the average price for structured cabling services in your area. Then strongly consider the contractors with prices closer to the average.
How to Choose Your Network Cabling
Cabling companies can provide recommendations for what cable types you should buy. However, you will know the most about the daily activities in your business or home. Therefore, you’ll be the best person to find the best network cabling types for your needs.
Listed below are a few examples of cable types and their common uses.
Category 5e (Cat5e)
Most of the building cables are Cat5e. It became the standard cable in 2001. It has a top transfer speed of 350 Mbit/s over 100 meters.
This will probably be enough for typical home activities. An exception would be if you have a larger family and/or household. You may also simply want a faster transfer speed because it’s more convenient.
Smaller and/or lower tech businesses should also function fine with Cat5e network cables. However, larger and higher tech companies should consider a higher standard of cable.
Category 6 (Cat6)
Businesses with particular IoT devices should consider Cat6 network cables. Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices, where power is run through cables rather than cords, function well with this type. This is because Cat6 handles power much better than the preceding cable levels.
There are also many other benefits to this type. It has a speed of 1000 Mbit/s over 100 Meters. It also has excellent protections against other cables’ electromagnetic interferences known as crosstalk.
Fiber Optic Cables
If Cat6 isn’t enough for your business, fiber optic cables might be what your business needs. Instead of electrical signals, these cables use light signals to transfer information. In addition to being fast, light signals also don’t experience interference from electrical signals.
However, all this capability doesn’t come cheap. This is partly because these cables are not yet a widely used technology. If your business can handle this price, though, it will definitely benefit in the long run.
Choose Us For Your Network Cabling Installation Needs
Above all, make sure that you make all your structured cabling decisions after plenty of careful thought. Your cabling network will probably be in your business or home for decades. Therefore, you need to feel satisfied with your decision.
Once you’re ready to hire a cabling contractor, consider us. We’re a fully insured, Better Business Bureau certified company serving Austin, San Antonio, and many surrounding areas. Contact us today to request a demo and/or receive a free quote.
