Almost every building has two types of installation. The electrical installation supplies lighting, sockets and equipment. The low-current installation serves security, communications and building management systems—cameras, access control, fire detection and alarm systems, data networks, sound systems and intercoms. These are often assigned to different teams at different times. This leads to problems that coordinated planning can prevent.
What problems arise when planning is separate?
- Cable routes cross or turn out to be overcrowded
- Power supplies are missing for cameras, readers or communications cabinets
- Additional chasing is required after renovation is complete
- There is no suitable space, ventilation or dedicated circuit for the communications cabinet
- The systems cannot be interconnected
Each of these problems costs time and money, and some are only discovered once the premises are already in use.
Start with a list of systems
The first step is to identify which low-current systems the building will need, now and in the foreseeable future. Even if video surveillance will not be installed for another year, it is easier to provide conduits and power supplies during the main installation work.
Plan cable routes together
Power and low-current cables are usually laid along separate routes or in separate sections of a cable tray. Planning the routes together establishes where each type of cable will run, the separation between them and where space is available for future expansion.
Plan power supplies early
Many low-current devices need power: recording devices, fire alarm control panels, access controllers, amplifiers and active network equipment. These supply points must be included in the electrical installation, often with dedicated circuits from the distribution board. Adding them later usually results in extension leads and improvised solutions.
Allocate space for the communications cabinet
The communications cabinet is at the heart of the low-current infrastructure. It needs a suitable room or recess with access, ventilation and power. When its location is determined early, cables from across the building can be brought together in an organised way.
Consider integration
Some systems need to work together. The fire detection and alarm system can activate voice alarms and release emergency exit doors. Access control can be linked to video surveillance. These connections require cables and coordinated settings, which are easiest to plan at the outset.
A single contractor coordinating the work, or clear coordination between contractors
When one team is responsible for both electrical and low-current installations, coordination is handled internally. If different companies install the systems, responsibilities must be clearly defined and a shared cable routing plan must be in place. In either case, it is useful to have one person overseeing the interfaces between systems.
What to prepare before the conversation
- A list of the systems you need
- Building plans
- The locations of the main distribution board and communications cabinet
- Requirements for interconnecting systems
- The stage of construction or renovation
VANGARD GROUP installs both electrical and low-current systems, so we can help with coordinated planning from the very first site survey.