A word on who we are first: we are Beijing Siwen Lide Technology & Trade Co., Ltd., based in Shunyi, and we have spent 14 years on enterprise network packages, low-voltage & cabling projects and IT Operations Services. Structured cabling is the single item we handle most within low-voltage work. This article answers one very specific question: if a company in Beijing wants to cable its office network, which type of provider should it hire, what exactly does “price per point” on a quote include, and what should you check at handover so you are not misled.
Cabling is the most “one-off” job in the whole office IT stack: it goes into the walls during the fit-out and then stays untouched for five or eight years. Done well, nobody ever thinks about it; done badly, it reminds you every day — a workstation that keeps dropping offline, screen casting that stutters in the meeting room, having to cut new channelling just to add two desks. So it is worth one hour of clear thinking before the fit-out starts.
Four Types of Providers Available in Beijing
| Type | Characteristics | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fit-out contractor doing it as a side job | Conduit runs and cabling are done together with the fit-out, which is the least hassle. But fit-out contractors usually do not design outlet layouts, do not test links, do not produce a cable cross-reference table, and equipment selection is not their responsibility either | Companies with few outlets, no special network requirements, and someone else to produce the drawings and sign off acceptance |
| 2. Specialised low-voltage engineering firms | Cabling, CCTV, access control and server rooms are their core business. They have installation crews and qualifications, and can produce drawings, test links and hand over as-built documentation. They fill the first page of most search results | Whole floors, whole buildings or factory sites with dozens to hundreds of outlets that need proper installation and a warranty |
| 3. System integrators | They work on building intelligence and large projects, where cabling is only one subsystem, and they operate through tendering | Campuses, new whole buildings, and organisations required to tender |
| 4. Enterprise network service providers (we are one of these) | They treat cabling as the first step of the company network: outlets, switches, wireless and CCTV on one set of drawings, and once the cabling is done the same team goes on to configure the equipment and keep operating it | Offices of dozens to two or three hundred people that will still need someone to run the network after the cabling, and do not want to bring in a second vendor |
None of the four is inherently better. For a 10-person office, having the fit-out contractor run a few cables is perfectly adequate; for a whole building under tender, go to the third type; if the office needs cabling, equipment installed and long-term management afterwards, either the second or the fourth type will do — the difference is who is responsible once the cabling is finished.
What “Price Per Point” Actually Includes
Cabling quotes are traditionally priced by “information outlet”: one network port is one point. But even when two vendors quote the same “price per point”, what is included can differ enormously. Understand the six items below and quotes can finally be compared side by side.
- Cable: Cat6 or Cat6a, whether it is a reputable brand, and whether fibre runs to the floor or to the desk. Cable goes inside the walls, so this is not the item to economise on.
- Faceplates, modules and patch panels: one module at each end of every point, plus a patch panel in the low-voltage room. Cheap quotes often cut corners here with no-name parts.
- Conduits and installation: surface-mounted or concealed, whether channelling is needed, whether cables run above the ceiling or cross fire compartments. The more finished the fit-out and the more scattered the outlets, the larger this item’s share of the quote.
- Testing: every link measured with professional test equipment and a test report issued. This is the item most often dropped, and dropping it means you only find out which links fail once you start using them.
- Labels and documentation: the same number at both ends of every point, plus an outlet layout plan and a cable cross-reference table. Without that table, tracing a single cable later means unplugging them one by one.
- Low-voltage room and rack: rack, cable management, power and ventilation. In offices with no dedicated low-voltage room, this item often turns into “equipment piled in a corner”.
Ballpark figures: on our Beijing low-voltage & cabling projects page we published a public figure: for an office area of about 500 sqm, standard Cat6 cabling for 40 to 60 information outlets, plus a core switch and 10 cameras, a conventional solution comes to roughly RMB 80,000–150,000, varying with outlet density and material grade. Cabling alone, without equipment or CCTV, comes in well below that. The on-site survey and its quotation are what count. (Reference figures as of September 2026; not a binding quotation.)
Five Questions to Ask Before You Sign
- Who produces the outlet layout plan? The proper sequence is to visit the site first, draw an outlet plan covering workstations, meeting rooms, print areas, reception and CCTV points, and only then quote. Anyone quoting “price per point” without a site visit will certainly add extras later.
- How many ports per workstation, and is spare capacity allowed for? The usual practice is one to two network ports per workstation and 20–30% spare capacity in each area. If the count matches headcount exactly, adding one row of desks means cutting new channelling.
- Will the links be tested, and will a report be issued? Insist that every link is tested and that a test report is handed over. “The light came on” is not acceptance.
- Will as-built documentation be handed over? Outlet layout plan, cable cross-reference table and rack photos should go to the company, not sit on the installer’s phone.
- How long is the warranty, and who is responsible after the cabling? The warranty period on the installation itself, who you call when a link fails, and who to approach when you add outlets later. If the installer walks away once the job is done, you will have to watch all of this yourself.
Four Kinds of Rework We Have Seen
- Remembering to add outlets only after the walls are sealed. The only options are surface cabling or cutting new channelling. The outlet layout plan has to be fixed together with the fit-out drawings — the first point we keep making in our new office IT checklist.
- Only one network port left in the meeting room. Screen casting, the video conferencing terminal and the wireless AP each need one, so cables end up trailing across the meeting room floor.
- No link testing, so dead links only surface in use. The fit-out is already finished, and tracing one cable means removing a ceiling panel.
- No labels and no cross-reference table. When someone else takes over, they unplug dozens of cables in the low-voltage room one by one to work out what goes where.
What to Check at Handover
- Point-by-point testing: every point works and every link passes in the test report — not just a few sampled ones.
- Labels match up: pick a few points at random, take the faceplate number to the low-voltage room and find the matching port on the patch panel.
- Complete documentation: outlet layout plan, cable cross-reference table, test reports and rack photos.
- The low-voltage room is usable: the rack is neatly cabled, has power, can be locked and does not overheat.
- Spare capacity is really there: the spare outlets marked on the layout plan exist on site.
What We Do Well, and What We Are Not Right For
- Outlet design and structured cabling: site survey, outlet layout plan, Cat6 or Cat6a cabling, fibre to the floor, installation, point-by-point testing, labelling and as-built documentation, all signed off in one handover.
- Same drawings as the network equipment: switches, wireless APs, firewalls, surveillance, and access control are designed together, so every drop is reserved during cabling — one less round of cutting into walls.
- Cabling, then equipment configuration: network equipment is supplied and warranted for the contract term, and cabling and equipment come from the same team — no “the cabling is theirs, the equipment is ours” finger-pointing.
- Then we keep managing it: adding drops, relocating drops, troubleshooting — all through the same single point of contact as network operations.
- Renovating an existing office: we start by taking stock of the cabling worth keeping, add only what is needed, and never ask you to tear everything out.
- Low-voltage risers, shafts, and building automation for a whole building — go to a systems integrator and run a tender.
- Just three or five cable runs, no drawings or documentation needed — it is more cost-effective to have your renovation contractor do it on the side.
- Several hundred drops across a plant, spanning buildings and zones — hire a large low-voltage engineering firm.
FAQ
Q: Cat6 or Cat6a — how do I choose?
A: Cat6 is enough for office workstations and supports 10GbE over short runs. For meeting rooms, rack-to-rack links, and anywhere you may go 10GbE later, use Cat6a or fiber. The price gap is small, and for anything going into a wall, go straight to the higher specification.
Q: Our renovation contractor says they can run network cable. Do we still need a specialist?
A: You can have the renovation contractor carry out the installation, but the drop layout, cable specifications, testing, and acceptance should be defined and checked by someone who understands networking. Our usual arrangement is that we provide the drawings and sign off on acceptance, while the renovation contractor handles conduit and cable pulling.
Q: How long does cabling take?
A: As described on our low-voltage page: the on-site survey takes about one day, the plan three to five days, and installation one to four weeks depending on scale. It has to line up with the renovation schedule, so it is best to finalize the drop locations while the renovation drawings are being produced.
Q: Can we do only the cabling and skip the ongoing IT operations?
A: Yes. We do recommend combining cabling with the network equipment and ongoing operations that follow — responsibilities are clearer and the total cost is lower. But we also take cabling-only projects.
Need cabling for your office?
Siwenlide has 14 years of experience in enterprise network packages and low-voltage projects, with cabling, network equipment, and ongoing operations all handled by one team. We can start with a free on-site visit, then provide a drop layout and a quote. Call 400-686-2011.
Further reading:Where to find surveillance and access control installers for Beijing companies · How to set up IT for a new office from scratch · Beijing low-voltage projects: service scope and pricing · Beijing enterprise office network providers
