Free Tool
Structured cabling cost estimator
A quick ballpark for what a set of network drops costs to install, no email required. For a real number, we walk the site.
Ballpark installed cost
$2,600 to $4,000
20 drops at roughly $130 to $200 per drop, installed.
What is in a drop
- Labor to pull, terminate, and test: about $120 per drop.
- Commodity cable and jacks (about 150 ft per run): $44 per drop.
Cabling and jacks only. Active hardware (switches, access points, cameras, phones) is not included and is scoped separately.
This is a planning ballpark, not a quote. It covers labor plus commodity structured cabling (bulk Cat5e/Cat6/Cat6a and keystone jacks) only, and uses typical run lengths inferred from facility size rather than measured runs. Real pricing depends on the site walk: pathway access, firestopping, riser and closet work, and existing conditions. Get a scoped quote for an actual number.
Want a real number for your space?
Norvet walks the site, scopes the pathways, and manages the install with licensed crews, then hands you the documentation.
Request a cabling quoteCommon questions
How much does a network drop cost to install?
It depends mostly on cable type, run length, and how hard the pathway is to work. Labor to pull, terminate, and test is the larger share; the cable and jacks are a smaller commodity cost, and hard ceilings and long runs push it up. Rather than quote a fixed figure, the estimator above works out a ballpark from your inputs. Get a scoped quote for a real number.
What is included in this estimate?
Labor plus commodity materials only: bulk Cat5e, Cat6, or Cat6a cable and the keystone jacks at each end. It does not include active hardware such as switches, wireless access points, cameras, or phones, which are scoped separately, and it does not include riser, firestopping, or closet buildout beyond the drop itself.
Why a range instead of an exact price?
Because the real number depends on the site walk. Two buildings with the same drop count can differ a lot once you account for pathway access, ceiling type, cable distance, firestopping, and existing conditions. The estimator gives an honest ballpark; a scoped quote gives the actual figure.
Does the cable type change the cost much?
Somewhat. Cat6 costs a bit more than Cat5e in both cable and termination effort, and Cat6a costs meaningfully more because the cable is thicker and pricier and takes more care to terminate and test. The estimator reflects that.
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Norvet MSP. (2026). Structured Cabling Cost Estimator [Computer software]. https://norvetmsp.com/cabling-cost-estimatorLink to this tool
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<a href="https://norvetmsp.com/cabling-cost-estimator" title="Structured Cabling Cost Estimator by Norvet MSP">Structured Cabling Cost Estimator</a> by Norvet MSP