Why cabling still matters in a wireless world

Where cables still win

• Access points. Each Wi-Fi access point needs a cable back to the network, and usually gets its power through it too.
• Desks that never move. A wired computer gets a faster, more reliable connection than Wi-Fi can offer, and leaves more Wi-Fi capacity for everyone else.
• Video calls and large files, which suffer most from Wi-Fi hiccups.
• Cameras, printers and building systems, which should be reliable and often need power too.

Signs of a cabling problem

• Connections that drop when someone bumps a desk.
• A tangle of cables in a closet that nobody can trace.
• Cables run along floors, across ceilings without support or through doors.
• Different speeds at different desks for no clear reason.

Doing it right

Good cabling is labeled at both ends, documented, tested after installation and neatly terminated in a cabinet. It lasts for many years, outliving several generations of computers and Wi-Fi equipment.

The best time to plan it

Before an office move or renovation, when walls and ceilings are open and adding cable costs far less.