Wi-Fi gets all the attention, but every reliable small-office network still starts with copper in the walls. This guide walks through the decisions that matter for an office of roughly 5–50 people: which cable category to buy, how to structure the installation, where to put the patch panel and switch, how PoE changes the plan, what it realistically costs — and when to bring in a professional.
Why cabling still matters in the Wi-Fi era
Every access point is only as good as its wired backhaul. Access points, desktop PCs, printers, IP cameras, VoIP phones and the router itself all perform better on cable: lower latency, no interference from neighbouring networks, no dead zones. The practical rule for 2026: cable everything that does not move, and reserve Wi-Fi for laptops, phones and guests.
Cat5e vs Cat6 vs Cat6a — what is actually worth paying for?
All three use the same RJ45 connectors and carry gigabit Ethernet. The differences are bandwidth headroom, noise resistance and maximum speed over distance:
| Category | Realistic use | When it makes sense |
|---|---|---|
| Cat5e | Gigabit up to 100 m | Tight budgets, small offices with modest needs. Perfectly serviceable, but increasingly a false economy on new installs. |
| Cat6 | Gigabit up to 100 m; 10G on short runs (up to ~55 m) | The sweet spot for most small offices in 2026. Only slightly more expensive than Cat5e, with much better headroom. |
| Cat6a | 10G up to 100 m, better shielding | Server rooms, design/video studios moving huge files, or buildings where recabling in 10 years is not an option. Thicker, stiffer, noticeably pricier. |
The honest advice: for a typical new small-office install, pull Cat6. The cable itself is a small part of the total bill — labour, containment and finishing dominate — so saving a little on Cat5e rarely pays off. Cat6a is worth it only if you have a concrete 10-gigabit need today or a credible one within the building's lifetime.
Structured cabling vs ad-hoc
Ad-hoc cabling means running a cable from the router to each device as the need appears — fine in a two-person shop, a tangled liability by person ten. Structured cabling means fixed wall outlets in every room, all home-run to one central patch panel, with short patch cords connecting panel ports to the switch. The advantages are practical: faults are isolated in minutes, moves need no new pulls, the cabinet stays tidy, and the next technician understands the layout at a glance. Beyond a handful of desks, structured cabling is cheaper over its lifetime.
Patch panel, outlets and switch placement
Pick one central, lockable, ventilated spot for the patch panel and switch — a small wall cabinet in a corridor or storage room works well. Keep it away from water pipes, direct sun and the cleaning cupboard's chemicals. Ideally it sits roughly in the middle of the office, because every metre of cable run costs money and the 100 m limit is a hard ceiling. Place two outlets per workstation (one for the computer, one spare), plus dedicated runs for printers, meeting rooms, reception, access points and cameras. Leave the cabinet on its own circuit or a small UPS so the network survives the kettle.
PoE for access points and cameras
Power over Ethernet sends data and power down the same cable. With a PoE switch, ceiling access points and IP cameras need no electrician and no power outlet at the device — a major advantage where ceiling power is expensive to install, or the mains is unreliable: one UPS in the cabinet keeps Wi-Fi and cameras alive through outages. When sizing the switch, add up the wattage of every device and leave at least 25% headroom in the PoE budget. A single PoE+ (802.3at) switch covers most small offices comfortably.
Wi-Fi coverage vs cable
One consumer router rarely covers a whole office — concrete walls and metal doors eat signal. The professional pattern: wired backhaul to two or three ceiling access points placed where people actually work, with the router handling only routing and security. Each access point needs its own cable run, planned before the ceiling is closed; retrofitting it later is the expensive version.
The mistakes we see most often
- Too few outlets. One per desk is not enough. Two per workstation plus dedicated runs is the minimum that survives growth.
- No spare pulls. Leave 10–20% spare capacity — at least one extra run to each room. Pulling it now costs almost nothing.
- No labelling. Unlabelled panel ports turn a five-minute fix into an afternoon of guesswork. Label both ends of every cable, and keep a one-page port map in the cabinet.
- No testing. Every link should be certified with a cable tester after installation, not just "the internet works".
- Mixing power and data in the same trunking. Keep data cable away from mains runs, or use properly shielded separation — interference causes subtle, maddening faults.
What does it cost? Honest budget indications
As a broad indication, a professionally installed Cat6 outlet typically lands somewhere in the range of US$30–90 per point, including cable, outlet, patch panel port, termination, labelling and testing — with simple surface-mounted runs at the low end and concealed in-wall runs in finished buildings at the high end. Add a one-off budget for the central equipment: a 24-port patch panel, wall cabinet and a business-grade PoE switch together commonly range from US$250–800 depending on brand and capacity. A 10-desk office with ~25 points often ends up in the low thousands of dollars all-in — real money, but far less than recabling a finished office later.
Want a quick estimate for your own office before you talk to installers? Try our project calculators.
When you need a professional
Plugging patch cords into a switch is DIY. Almost everything else is professional territory: runs through walls and ceilings, patch panel termination, PoE camera and access point installation, certification testing, and any building with landlord or fire-code requirements. A good installer terminates, labels and tests every link and hands you a port map — that documentation is what makes the network cheap to maintain for the next decade.
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