3 Signs Your Business Network Cabling System Needs a 2021 Upgrade

Whether your staff is back to working in the office or you’ve been working remotely for months, it’s crucial to have quality network cabling throughout your building for two reasons.

First, businesses usually have a structured cabling setup that supports both onsite and remote workers. Second, we won’t work from home forever; although COVID-19 has made it feel like we’ll never return to the office, we will, and that may be sooner than you expect. You need your network to work for you—not against you, and a big part of that is the cabling.

If you don’t know if your office has the appropriate network cables or not, we’ve got you covered. Here we are going to break down some common signs it’s time to review – and probably upgrade – the state of your business network cabling system.

Mediocre Performance

When you pay for internet service, the provider should share the details of the plan you pay for. Included in your internet plan details will be the download speed you’re paying for and the minimum download speed.

If your internet and network are sluggish at best, there are two possible reasons. First, you might not have the appropriate internet plan for the number of users and devices. Alternatively, your cable infrastructure doesn’t support your download speeds.

Frequent Downtime

Some organizations experience network downtime rather frequently, which isn’t normal. Of course, there are dozens of reasons you might experience a network outage, ranging from the weather to a server issue to someone accidentally unplugging a cable.

Another common cause for network downtime however is insufficient cables. Network cables have changed tremendously over the years, and if you’re still using cables from ages ago, they might not have the capacity your internet requires. Your company can’t afford downtime, and putting rush orders on new cables or maintenance gets expensive. Install high-quality cables carefully or hire a professional cabling company to do it for you to ensure it’s done correctly.

You Have Damaged Cables

There are a shocking number of companies that not only use outdated cables in their business network cabling system, but also use cables that are worn, frayed, or even taped together.

You can’t expect to use cables that are clearly damaged and get a perfect connection in return—it’s not going to happen. While we’d argue that all network cables should be high quality, the cables utilized in a business network cabling system must be. Businesses regularly use network cables, and the cables endure a lot of wear and tear over the years. It’s crucial that your cables and business cabling system are built to last, so you can achieve reliable connections and prevent expensive downtime.

There are numerous signs it’s time to change your network cabling system, but the three we mentioned are the most common signs. If any of them apply to you – or you even think they might – contact us to discuss how we can help you get things up to speed and your business Internet running the way it should.