Cabling Best Practices Guide

By: Brian Rhodes, Published on Jan 03, 2018

Surveillance cabling can be a major problem. Poorly installed and maintained networks are often costly, lengthy, frustrating ordeals to manage.

While keeping cables organized is not an advanced topic to understand and practice, in this note we address a few basic rules can go far in preventing "cabling nightmares."

Inside we explain:

Real Life Examples
The 5 'Best Practices' That Make A Difference
Cabling Specifications
5 Question Quiz

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Bad Cabling Examples

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Cable Management

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Excessive Length Patch Cables

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Comments (37)

Undisclosed End User #1

01/03/18 04:42pm

And please be nice to your service folks and use Velcro instead of tie wraps :)

Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed End User #1 | 01/03/18 04:49pm

Many agree with you: Cable Strapping IP Camera Networks

Ethan Ace

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed End User #1 | 01/03/18 07:13pm

I like to use zip ties and cut the ends off so they're real nice and pointy so anyone trying to undo my work gets a couple of good jabs.

Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Ethan Ace | 01/03/18 07:31pm

And I bet you put the brown pair on 1-2 and the blues on 3-6 just in case they’re not deterred by physical pain.

Cary Menage

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Ethan Ace | 01/04/18 02:30pm

If one must use zip ties, I learned from a very quality conscious coworker to use linesmans to snug up to tab and twist until excess breaks, it leaves a very clean and smooth surface. This guys panels were always a work of art, wish I had taken pictures to submit to https://www.reddit.com/r/cableporn/ (safe for work)

Ari Erenthal

Chesapeake & Midlantic
In reply to Cary Menage | 01/04/18 03:23pm

I love that subreddit.

Murray Simard

In reply to Cary Menage | 02/12/18 04:11pm

BICSI does NOT recommend cable tye-wraps as there is the potential for over tightening which causes performance issues with cabling such as increased Alien Cross-Talk, etc.

Undisclosed #8

In reply to Undisclosed End User #1 | 05/10/18 07:35pm

The velcro straps are much better to work with

Kyle Folger

IPVMU Certified | 01/04/18 04:55am

I go between zip ties and hook and loop. I like hook and loop if I have a bundle near the head end that may be added to in the future. I will use zip ties for dressing power cables or for cables that will almost never be added to and won't be touched. I watch how tight I bundle them. I can say I've never really been cut by zip ties. Maybe it's because I clean up messes that never use any form of cable management. I love when the expensive cable management exists in racks, and then is not even used.

Besides drop ceilings, the other location for bad cable management is in attics, especially those constructed with wood. It can be like an obstacle course not to step on data cabling thrown any way they please. I like to place the cables high while keeping in mind others will be in the attic at some point so I make sure the cable is seen and does not block or prevent navigating the attic. This means I generally keep the cable high and out of the way whenever possible.

Here are some fun pics:

Above the ceiling at a Save-A-Lot (They sure did)

A local cable company after the store got expanded to two bays, I lifted the ceiling panel and this bundle fell on me. That was fun. We call all bad cable installs doing it "Buckeye Style".

Not necessarily bad cable install but unique camera installation with bad cabling.

From Stanley Security

From my daughter's school (in-house installation) They even asked for volunteers to have a cable pulling day. Great charter school, but really.

The POS company said they would install the POS and thrown in the camera system as part of the deal. How generous of them.

This was fun:

There were labels on some of the cable. The only thing that remains now is a hole where they need to cut a piece of ceiling tile.

Undisclosed Integrator #3

01/07/18 06:43am

Hey John, maybe you can sponsor a photo contest to see who finds the worst cable or camera install? Would be interesting. Just a thought.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #3 | 01/07/18 01:03pm

maybe you can sponsor a photo contest to see who finds the worst cable or camera install?

We are preparing an installation training book and an installer course that will help train in this area.

We are not going to encourage photos of the 'worst' install as it encourages thoughtless attacks, e.g., What's With The Snarky Linkedin Install Photo Trend?

Jay Hobdy

IPVMU Certified | 01/07/18 11:47am

Just curious to know how many times this has been pointed out to a client, and how many times they bother to fix it?

This is pretty typical of the apartment communities we work with.

BTW IPVM When I click on the "insert/edit image" there is no upload option. Windows 7 Chrome Browser, hit ctrl F5. Seems to work in my office on Win 10 and Chrome. I had to drag the pictures over

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Jay Hobdy | 01/07/18 01:05pm

BTW IPVM When I click on the "insert/edit image" there is no upload option. Windows 7 Chrome Browser, hit ctrl F5. Seems to work in my office on Win 10 and Chrome.

It's because our uploader uses Flash and Flash is being increasingly disabled by default. This month, we are going to replace our Flash file uploader with a JS one. Sorry for the inconvenience.

As you pointed out drag and drop still works (we added that last year) and is now the easiest way to add images especially if you want to add multiple ones.

Chris Daniels

IPVMU Certified | 01/08/18 01:27pm

These best practices are a good start. However I would recommend that if you do a lot of commercial work that requires "standards compliant cabling practices" by specification and you perform your own IP cabling installation that your company invests in the ANSI/TIA Telecommunications Building Wiring Standards. They are available from IHS on CD and include TIA-568 Cabling and Components series, TIA-569 Pathway and Spaces series, TIA-606 administration standard, TIA-607 grounding requirements and TIA-758 outside plant standard. There are other sections in there as well but these are the critical ones. I see comments about zip ties in this string that would require replacement of Cat/ Cat6A cables in some cables due to damaging the geometry of the cable jacket. Just a word to the wise. Knowledge is power.

Undisclosed Integrator #4

01/11/18 07:32pm

I am seeing more and more security companies that are doing their own cabling in the midwest. I don't know if it is because the cabling companies are starting to do their own security or if they are just to busy to be subcontracted to do security cabling. Either way, this means that the quality of cabling on the installs has gone down.

As a company, we take pride in the fact that all of our cabling is installed per BICSI standards. While most people think that is doesn't make a difference, we have seen first hand what doing things the correct way does for your reputation. It makes you look like a true professional when at the end the of your project, you hand over closeout documents with all documentation and this documentation includes certified Cabling test results.

Another thing we always do is always use velcro. How many people have gone into an IDF and seen 50 tie-wraps on 20 cables, because people are to lazy to cut them off. Velcro makes it so easy to keep your cabling manageable and organized.

Derek Caudill

01/15/18 04:02pm

Recently spotted in a warehouse in Atlanta GA.

Ari Erenthal

Chesapeake & Midlantic
01/15/18 04:27pm

I saw this on Facebook the other day. An integrator had to relocate an alarm panel, here's how he made the splice:

It's a terminal block by a company called Phoenix Contact.

Kyle Folger

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Ari Erenthal | 01/15/18 06:01pm

That's really funny. If the splice is that nice looking, I can't imagine how nice the panel is. If anyone has a picture of an alarm panel that was installed without just stuffing the panel with wire, I would love to see it. I don't install alarms, but around here I have never seen a nice looking panel. Everyone I have ever opened had cable that flies out.

Ari Erenthal

Chesapeake & Midlantic
In reply to Kyle Folger | 01/15/18 06:15pm

It's certainly possible to do nice looking work, it just takes a little more time and a modicum of professionalism and self-respect. I used to do it all the time when I was a tech.

Here's a photo of the panel and expanders, also from Facebook: