Gard (UK) Limited, London: Wi-Fi-first infrastructure upgrade
A single weekend cabling programme delivering Wi-Fi-first infrastructure to 11 access point locations at The Minster Building, City of London.
Gard (UK) Limited appointed ACCL to upgrade the physical network behind its Wi-Fi installation across Level 5 of The Minster Building in the City of London. Working to a single weekend, ACCL installed two Excel Cat6A cables to each of 11 wireless access point locations and tested every link to its own 3 dB Infrastructure Assurance standard, ahead of the applicable industry minimum.
The result
ACCL delivered the complete cabling installation and testing programme within the agreed weekend window. The completed project provided Gard with:
- 22 new Excel Cat6A links
- Two Cat6A connections at every AP position
- Testing against ACCL’s 3 dB performance criteria
- Full testing and certification of the newly installed links
- Additional flexibility for future wireless requirements
- Dedicated Cat6A infrastructure for 11 wireless access point locations
- Infrastructure designed to support a Wi-Fi-first workplace strategy
- Weekend delivery to minimise disruption to normal office operations
Services delivered
Overview
Gard (UK) Limited forms part of the wider Gard organisation, an international provider of Protection & Indemnity (P&I), marine and energy insurance.
Gard (UK) Limited operates its London office from Level 5 of The Minster Building at 21 Mincing Lane in the City of London.
As working practices increasingly rely on laptops, mobile devices, cloud applications and collaboration platforms, Gard required an upgrade to the infrastructure supporting its existing wireless network. The objective was to provide the physical network foundation needed for the Wi-Fi upgrade and support a move towards a Wi-Fi-first workplace strategy.
The challenge
The complete cabling installation had to be undertaken over a single weekend.
Gard needed its Level 5 office available for normal business operations following the weekend, giving ACCL a tightly controlled installation, termination and testing window.
The project therefore required careful planning before engineers arrived on site, efficient installation across an established corporate office and comprehensive testing before handover.
The new infrastructure also needed to provide sufficient capacity for the immediate wireless upgrade while allowing flexibility for future changes in Wi-Fi technology.
Developing a Wi-Fi-first infrastructure
A Wi-Fi-first office places greater reliance on wireless connectivity as the primary method employees use to access the corporate network.
However, Wi-Fi-first does not mean wireless-only infrastructure. Every wireless access point still depends on the structured cabling connecting it back to the wired network. That connection must carry network traffic and, in many installations, provide electrical power using Power over Ethernet.
For Gard, ACCL installed new Excel Cat6A cabling throughout Level 5 to create a high-performance physical foundation for the upgraded wireless environment.
Cabling 11 wireless access point locations
New cabling was installed to 11 wireless access point locations across the office floor. Rather than providing a single network connection at each AP position, ACCL installed two Excel Cat6A cables to each of the 11 wireless access point locations, giving a total of 22 dedicated Cat6A connections supporting the wireless infrastructure.
Providing two connections at each AP location gives Gard additional flexibility for future network requirements and reduces the potential need to install further cabling if wireless equipment or technology requirements change.
Why Excel Cat6A?
The increasing performance of enterprise Wi-Fi means the cabling behind each wireless access point is more important than ever.
Excel Cat6A provides a high-performance copper cabling platform capable of supporting 10 Gigabit Ethernet over the full 100-metre channel and is well suited to modern Power over Ethernet applications.
For Gard, Excel Cat6A provided a robust physical infrastructure for the current Wi-Fi upgrade while giving the organisation capacity for future network developments.
Project context
Insurance and financial services · Level 5, The Minster Building, 21 Mincing Lane, City of London EC3R 7AG
Structured data cabling in the City of London →Need a weekend Wi-Fi-first upgrade like Gard’s?
ACCL installed and certified 22 Excel Cat6A links to 11 access point locations for Gard, working a single weekend to protect Monday-morning business as usual. Talk to us about a similar programme.
Technologies used
ACCL 3 dB Infrastructure Assurance
Installation was only one part of the project. On completion, every newly installed Cat6A link was tested and certified.
ACCL does not simply aim for an installed cable to achieve the minimum pass requirements of the relevant structured cabling standard. The links were also assessed against ACCL’s 3 dB Infrastructure Assurance criteria. The objective is to provide additional performance headroom rather than accepting installations operating close to the minimum pass or fail boundary.
For infrastructure supporting wireless access points, where bandwidth, network performance and reliable PoE delivery are increasingly important, this additional level of assurance provides greater confidence in the physical network behind the Wi-Fi system.
ACCL’s role
ACCL provided Gard with the physical network infrastructure required to support its Wi-Fi upgrade, including:
- Final handover
- Testing and certification
- ACCL 3 dB Infrastructure Assurance
- Termination and labelling
- Project planning and weekend delivery
- Installation of Excel Cat6A structured cabling
- Cabling to 11 wireless access point locations
- Dual Cat6A connectivity to every AP position
Solving the infrastructure behind Wi-Fi
The Gard project demonstrates an important principle in modern office network design: Wi-Fi performance does not depend on wireless access points alone. Every AP ultimately relies on the structured cabling behind it.
By installing two Cat6A connections to each AP location and testing the completed infrastructure beyond a basic industry-standard pass, ACCL provided Gard with a physical network designed to support both its immediate Wi-Fi upgrade and future workplace connectivity requirements.
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Related guidance
Foreword by Wayne
“A Wi-Fi-first strategy still depends on the quality of the cabling behind every access point. Gard needed the Level 5 infrastructure upgraded without disrupting its working week, so our team had a very clear window in which to complete the installation.Wayne Connor, Managing Director, ACCL
We installed two Excel Cat6A cables to each of the 11 Wi-Fi locations and tested every link against our own 3 dB performance criteria, rather than simply accepting an industry-standard pass. It means Gard has not only the infrastructure it needs for the current Wi-Fi upgrade, but additional performance assurance and flexibility for the future.
It is a good example of what we mean when we talk about Wi-Fi being an infrastructure project, not simply a wireless hardware installation.”
“Very professional company, good at understanding our need and efficient delivery of new building network and Wi-Fi infrastructure. An extra star for making it easy for me to remotely organise this from Norway. Now this office is rigged much better for the future.”Brigt Valland, Vice President, Head of IT Operations, Technology, Gard AS
Frequently asked questions
What Wi-Fi infrastructure work did ACCL complete for Gard (UK) Limited?
ACCL upgraded the structured cabling infrastructure supporting the Wi-Fi network across Level 5 of Gard (UK) Limited’s office at The Minster Building in London. The project involved installing new Excel Cat6A cabling to 11 wireless access point locations, with two dedicated Cat6A cables provided at each location.
Why did Gard need to upgrade its Wi-Fi cabling infrastructure?
The upgrade was required to support Gard’s move towards a Wi-Fi-first workplace strategy. As employees increasingly rely on wireless connectivity for laptops, mobile devices, cloud applications and collaboration platforms, the infrastructure connecting each wireless access point becomes a critical component of the office network.
How many Wi-Fi access point locations were cabled?
ACCL installed new structured cabling to 11 Wi-Fi access point locations across Level 5. Each location received two dedicated Cat6A cables, resulting in a total of 22 new Cat6A connections supporting the wireless infrastructure.
Why were two Cat6A cables installed to each Wi-Fi access point location?
Installing two cables to each wireless access point location provides greater flexibility. The additional connection can accommodate future network requirements, changes in wireless technology or additional equipment without requiring new cabling to be installed to the AP position.
Why was Excel Cat6A cabling used for the Wi-Fi upgrade?
Excel Cat6A provides a high-performance structured cabling platform suitable for modern enterprise wireless networks. Cat6A can support network speeds of up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet over the full 100-metre channel and is well suited to applications where wireless access points are powered using Power over Ethernet.
What is a Wi-Fi-first office?
A Wi-Fi-first office is a workplace where wireless connectivity becomes the primary method employees use to connect laptops and mobile devices to the corporate network, rather than relying predominantly on fixed Ethernet connections at individual desks. Although employees connect wirelessly, Wi-Fi-first offices still depend upon a high-performance wired network behind the scenes.
Can an office Wi-Fi cabling upgrade be completed over a weekend?
Yes. With appropriate surveying, planning and access arrangements, ACCL can undertake commercial Wi-Fi infrastructure upgrades outside normal working hours. For Gard, the cabling installation and testing programme was carried out over a single weekend.
How did ACCL test the new Cat6A cabling?
On completion, ACCL tested the newly installed Cat6A links to verify their performance. In addition to meeting the applicable industry requirements, the installation was assessed against ACCL’s 3 dB Infrastructure Assurance criteria, designed to provide additional performance headroom rather than accepting links operating close to the minimum pass or fail threshold.
Why is structured cabling important when upgrading office Wi-Fi?
The performance of an enterprise Wi-Fi network is not determined by the wireless access points alone. Every AP ultimately depends upon its connection to the wired network. Poor-quality, incorrectly specified or underperforming cabling can create a bottleneck behind otherwise capable wireless equipment.
Does ACCL provide Wi-Fi infrastructure upgrades for other London offices?
Yes. ACCL designs, installs, tests and upgrades structured cabling and Wi-Fi infrastructure for commercial offices and organisations throughout London and the UK. Services include structured cabling, fibre optic backbones, wireless access point cabling, Wi-Fi surveys, network cabinet infrastructure and network testing.
Need a Wi-Fi-first network upgrade in London?
ACCL can survey, design and install the structured cabling infrastructure behind modern commercial Wi-Fi networks, including out-of-hours and weekend projects where disruption must be kept to a minimum.
Book a Wi-Fi survey or discuss your project 0333 900 0101