person holding pencil near laptop computer

Office Network Installation: A Simplistic Overview

1 Mar 2024


This drawing provides a simplified representation of the general topology of an office network installation. A "home run" design is commonly used in modern office network setups, where all cables are terminated at a patch panel. Depending on the size of the installation, the patch panel may be mounted on a rack or directly onto the wall. Regardless of the placement, every cable connects from the workstation's wallplates to the patch panel.

The image below showcases a more extensive patch panel connected to a switch, allowing network connectivity throughout the office.

Please click here if you require a cost estimate for your office network installation.

When networking between different floors in a building, a backbone or riser cable is often necessary; gathering essential information about the office structure is crucial before initiating a project. Is it a modern office building? Does it have hollow walls? Is there a drop ceiling present? If so, does the drop ceiling also serve as a plenum air return? Determining the number of total drops and how they are distributed to wallplates (single, double, triple, or quad drops) is essential for planning purposes.

Progressive Office is here to assist you if you require a quote for your LAN (data and voice) cable systems and support equipment installation. Our experienced team designs and installs network cable systems for PC networks and mainframe computer systems. We ensure that each installation meets or exceeds all city codes, state codes, and the manufacturer's specifications. To certify the compliance of new and existing cables, our technicians utilize the Fluke CableIQ Qualification Tester. We are dedicated to achieving 100% customer satisfaction and provide warranties for all our work.

Whether you are planning to relocate your existing voice or network cable system or install a new one, Progressive Office is prepared to guide you through the process and offer the most cost-effective solutions to bridge your office's information and communication gap.

Network cabling, NetworkTopologies.

Essential Facts About Cabling System

14 Dec 2014

Network cabling, NetworkTopologies.Your office cabling system is costly and complicated investment. It's also a commitment to an office design and structure that is not easy to modify. If you add more workstations later, new cabling might be needed.


Most offices have a structured cabling topology that hardwires the cables from wallplate to patch panel. With this system, modifications are less likely because the initial installaiont includes a planning process that should anticipate some expansion. By pre-wiring potential locations in an existing or newly-constructed building, future moves, additions or alterations are avoided. You can just transfer patched cables in the wiring closet. Also, it is critical to number the wallplates to match the corresponding patch panel number. This will make it much easier to relocate a workstation or to troubleshoot a connectivity problem.



There are several sub-systems to consider:



  • The Demark refers to the point where the Internet Service Provider's (ISP) data line comes to an end and hooks up with the cabling in the building.

  • The equipment room serves as storage for all apparatus and wiring integration points.

  • Backbone cabling are high-speed cables (typically Cat6 or fiber) that connect various floors or wall closets.

  • The horizontal cabling for links up the network space to individual wallplates. These are done through conduits and ceiling spaces on every level.

  • The telecommunications enclosures are wall or floor mounted cages that hold the network equipment; primarily the patch panels ands switches but also sometimes the server and Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) too.


Installation and design of structured cabling is regulated by standards that identify the following:



  • Network data switches

  • Offices layout for voice & data communications for Cat5e or Cat6 cable

  • Fiber Optic cables for backbones

  • Modular connectors at the wallplate


These components will guide the layout of cables in order to fulfill the data access requirements of your office. All of the cables start at the patch panel on a mounted rack (about 19 inches wide) in the wall closet. From there, they traverse through the drop ceiling and down the walls to individual wallplates. Quite often a wallplate will host 2 or more connections. At the wallplate a short patch cable, usually 7 to 14 feet in length wil connect the computer, phone, printer or other networked device.


All cabling standards require that all of the eight conductors in Cat5, Cat5e and Cat6 cables are inter-connected in a precise color-coded pattern. The network cable connects each device but some devices can share a single cable. This is true for VoIP phones. Most VoIP phones have a jack for the network cable and then a jack on the phone for connecting the computer. This pass-thru enables the two devices to share one connection.

Network Cabling Data Cabling

How to Install a Patch Panel

27 Jun 2013

The process of installing a patch panel onto a wall begins with the preparing the wall to hold the rack. Most offices have drywall walls. Sometimes the walls are concrete if they lie along the structural boundaries of the building. This installation involved mounting the patch panel onto a wall that is drywall on top of concrete.


The photos below will illustrate what is involved in mounting a rack that holds the patch panel and switch.

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network cabling, data cabling

Perfect Patch Panel Installation

4 Jun 2013
This project involved installation of 28 double drops into two 48-port patch panels. Each wall plate has two connections with one dedicated to data and the other dedicated to voice. Price Benowitz has a lovely office at 409 7th Street, NW. The building is historic but renovated into a modern office. So, the drop ceilings and hollow walls facilitated a straight-forward installation of the Cat5e network cabling system.
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Network Cabling, Data Cabling ,Cat5e ,Cat6/6a Cabling

Computer Network Patch Panel

23 Dec 2009

Network Cabling ,Data Cabling, Cat5e, Cat6/6a CablingA patch panel is an in-line series of connections mounted onto a frame to enable network cables to be terminated in an orderly manner. Typically, the panel is the termination point of network cabling drops that are installed in a office or residential cabling system.It is numbered and comes in 12-port, 24-port, 48-port and 96-port configurations. The numbering of the panel ports allows for the network installer to label the wallplates to match the corresponding connection at the patch panel.


Patch panels are most commonly used for computer data networks but as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone systems become more common, we are seeing phone systems being terminated into panels. They are wall or rack-mounted. In small offices, a 12 or 24-port patch panel might be wall-mounted to a wooden mounting board. Larger office networks will usually require a rack mounted series of  panels.


The patch panel comes in Cat5, Cat5e and Cat6 types to match the cable being installed. The connections on the panel are RJ45 that are designed to allow for a cable to "punch-downed" into the connector. The connector has 8 punch down points to accommodate the 4-pairs of wires in a Cat5/6 cable.