Wireless that works everywhere
Multiple wired access points positioned for the building's layout give consistent coverage in the loft room, the extension and the garden — not just near the router.
Derby · Structured cabling and wireless
Structured Data CablingIn Derby For Houses FullOf Connected Devices
Cat6 home runs, properly sited access points and a tidy central rack — the infrastructure that makes automation, cameras, streaming and working from home reliable instead of a daily argument with the router.
16+ years of domestic, commercial and industrial installation experience · Free initial consultation · NAPIT Full Scope registered
16+ years
Domestic, commercial and industrial experience
Full Scope
NAPIT registered for all aspects of electrical work
6-year
NAPIT-backed workmanship guarantee on qualifying installs
£10m
Public and employers' liability cover
Free
Initial consultation, no obligation
The service
One router in a cupboard is not a network
Structured cabling means running dedicated cable from every device position back to a single central point, terminating it on a patch panel, and switching it from there. Every television, access point, camera, control panel and desk gets its own run, so any point can be repurposed later by moving a patch lead rather than pulling new cable.
Wireless still matters, but it depends on the cabling. An access point is only as good as the wired connection feeding it, and coverage comes from placing several modest access points on wired backhaul rather than one powerful router fighting through three walls. Mesh systems that relay wirelessly halve their own throughput doing it.
This is infrastructure work with a long life. The cable installed today will outlast several generations of router, camera and streaming device, which is why we install to a standard rather than to the minimum a current device needs. It is also why we treat it as the foundation of automation, AV and CCTV rather than a separate add-on.
Who this is for
- New builds and renovations where cabling can be installed before plaster
- Homes with poor wireless coverage upstairs, in extensions or in garden rooms
- Households with several people working from home on video calls simultaneously
- Properties adding smart home control, CCTV or multiroom AV that need a real backbone
- Offices and commercial premises needing patch panels, racks and structured points
- Outbuildings, garages, workshops and studios needing a wired link to the main building
What it costs to leave it
Every unreliable smart device eventually gets blamed on the wrong thing
Weak network infrastructure disguises itself as other faults. A camera that goes offline at night, a streaming service that buffers only in one bedroom, a smart speaker that stops responding, a video call that drops when someone else starts uploading. Each gets blamed on the device, and each is frequently a coverage or backhaul problem instead.
The cost is cumulative rather than dramatic. Time lost on calls that fail, devices replaced that were never faulty, and a growing reluctance to add anything else to a network that already feels fragile. In a home office context, a dropped call during a client meeting has a real price attached to it.
Retrofitting later is the expensive route. Once floors are down and ceilings are skimmed, a cable run to a first-floor access point becomes a chase, a lifted board and a redecoration. During first fix, that same run is a few minutes' work and a length of cable — which is why we specify data cabling alongside the electrical design instead of after it.
Mistakes we get called out to fix
- Relying on a single ISP router in a meter cupboard to cover a three-storey house
- Mesh nodes relaying wirelessly instead of being fed by wired backhaul
- Powerline adapters used as a permanent solution on noisy or split-phase circuits
- One data point per room installed where the TV, the desk and the access point all need one
- Data and mains cables run together with no separation, introducing interference
- No patch panel, no labelling and no records, so every future change is guesswork
How the job runs
A fixed sequence, so nothing
gets decided on the fly
01
Free consultation
We map where devices live now and where they will live later, check where the incoming line lands, and identify the coverage gaps you are currently working around.
02
Design (chargeable)
Point schedule per room, access point positions, rack or cabinet location, switch and PoE sizing, and cable routes agreed against the electrical first fix plan.
03
First fix cabling
Cat6 or Cat6a home runs installed to every point with correct bend radii and separation from mains cabling, plus external or armoured links to outbuildings.
04
Terminate and test
Patch panel and outlets terminated, every link tested and recorded, switches and access points configured, and the rack dressed and labelled properly.
05
Hand over and support
As-installed schedule and test results provided, coverage verified around the property, and remote support available for future changes.
What you actually get
Measurable outcomes, not adjectives
Video calls that hold up
Wired desk points and proper switching mean a call does not degrade because someone upstairs started a large upload or a camera began recording.
A backbone automation can rely on
Controllers, cameras, AV distribution and access points all share dependable wired infrastructure, which removes an entire category of intermittent faults.
Change without new cable
Every point terminates at the same patch panel, so repurposing a room from bedroom to office is a patch lead move rather than an installation job.
Twenty-year infrastructure
Cable installed to standard outlasts multiple generations of hardware, so future upgrades replace equipment rather than reopening the building.
Fully insured, documented work
£10m public liability and £10m employers' liability cover, with an as-installed schedule and test results handed over at completion.
In detail
Cable, coverage, racks and commercial installations
Networking work divides into what is buried in the building and what plugs into it. The buried part has to be right first time; here is what we install and why.
Cable and containment
Specification follows the run length, the environment and how long the installation needs to serve. Separation from mains cabling and correct bend radii matter as much as the category of cable chosen.
- Cat6 for standard domestic and light commercial home runs
- Cat6a where longer runs or higher sustained throughput are required
- External-grade and armoured cable to garages, workshops, studios and gate positions
- Fibre links where distance or electrical noise rules out copper
- Correct segregation from mains cabling and controlled bend radii throughout
- Containment and conduit with draw capacity for future additional runs
Wireless coverage design
Coverage is a placement problem. Several access points at moderate power beat one powerful unit, because devices roam to the nearest and each one has the whole building's bandwidth behind it.
- Ceiling and wall access points positioned by building layout and construction
- Wired PoE backhaul to every access point, never wireless relaying
- Separate guest and device networks to keep smart devices off the main network
- Garden, garage and outbuilding coverage with weather-rated hardware
- Channel and band planning to avoid interference from neighbouring properties
Racks, switching and power
A central rack turns a network into something maintainable. Everything terminates in one place, is labelled, and can be diagnosed without walking the building.
- Wall-mounted and floor-standing racks sized with spare capacity
- Patch panels with every port labelled to a room and position schedule
- PoE switching sized for cameras, access points, panels and door hardware
- UPS provision for the router, switch and controller where uptime matters
- Ventilation and access planned so the rack stays serviceable
Residential versus commercial
Homes need coverage and reliability. Commercial installations add density, segregation and documentation that an IT provider can pick up and work with.
- Residential: TV, desk, access point, camera and controller points per room
- Commercial: multi-point desk positions, comms rooms and floor-by-floor patching
- VLAN-ready segregation between corporate, guest, voice and device networks
- Certified link testing and full documentation handed to your IT provider
- Works planned around occupied offices and trading hours, RAMS issued on request
Before you enquire
Networking & data questions,
answered straight
How much does structured data cabling cost?
It depends on the number of points, the routes available and whether the building is open. We do not publish prices because a per-point figure would mislead. The consultation is free and a written quotation follows.
How long does installation take?
First fix cabling for a typical house is usually one to three days, with termination and testing later in the programme. Retrofit installations depend on access and are quoted with a duration in writing.
Can data cabling be retrofitted into a finished house?
Often, using loft voids, floor voids, existing risers and discreet external containment. At the consultation we will tell you exactly which points can be reached without making good.
Do I need Cat6 or Cat6a?
Cat6 covers most domestic requirements comfortably. Cat6a is worth specifying on longer runs or where sustained high throughput is expected, and we will recommend per run rather than blanket-upgrading everything.
Will this fix my wireless dead spots?
Yes, provided the design addresses the cause. Dead spots are solved by placing wired access points where coverage is needed, not by replacing the router with a more powerful one.
How long does the cabling last?
Properly installed structured cabling is a twenty-year asset. Switches, routers and access points are replaced far sooner, and the cabling supports several generations of them.
Can you connect a garage, workshop or garden office?
Yes. We install external-grade or armoured links, or fibre where distance requires it, alongside the power supply to the building where that is needed too.
Do you work with our existing IT provider?
Regularly. We install and certify the physical infrastructure and hand over documented test results so your IT provider can configure the logical side without guesswork.
What guarantee applies?
Qualifying installation work carries a 6-year workmanship guarantee backed by NAPIT, with a minimum one-year guarantee on other work.
Which areas do you cover?
Derby, Duffield, Belper, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Ripley, Ashbourne, Matlock, Burton upon Trent, Nottingham, Chesterfield, Sheffield and the surrounding East Midlands.
Related services
Where we work
Derby · Nottingham · Duffield · Belper · Burton upon Trent · Sheffield · Ilkeston · Long Eaton and the wider East Midlands. See areas covered, read more about the company or return to the homepage.
Build the backbone
before you add the devices
Book a free consultation and we will map the points and access point positions your property needs, so everything you add afterwards simply works.
NAPIT Full Scope · Official Loxone Partner · 6-year workmanship guarantee on qualifying installations · £10m public liability