Furukawa Structured Cabling: 6 Questions to Ask Before Your Installer Starts

If you're pricing out a structured cabling project, Furukawa will come up at some point. Maybe you found this page because you searched for 'serviço de cabeamento estruturado Furukawa' — structured cabling service using Furukawa components. Or maybe you're just comparing Cat6 and Cat6A quotes from local contractors. Either way, here's the angle most blog posts skip: I'm the person who reviews finished cabling work before it's accepted. Nothing leaves our operation without a quality check. Over the last four years, that's meant reviewing roughly 200 cabling projects a year — maybe 220, I'd have to check our CRM. In 2024, I rejected about 14% of first submissions. Not because the cable was bad. Because the installer didn't deliver what they promised.

Here's what I'd want you to know before you sign anything.

1. Does the Furukawa brand actually matter?

Yes, but not for the reason most people think.

People think premium cable makes the network faster. That's backwards. Good cable makes the network consistent. Furukawa has been making optical fiber, copper cable, and connectors for a long time — they're not a brand you need to worry about. But the brand name on the box won't fix a bad termination. The cable is the foundation. The workmanship is the building.

So, brand matters. Brand alone isn't enough.

2. What does 'serviço de cabeamento estruturado Furukawa' include?

If you've searched that phrase, you probably want someone to supply and install Furukawa structured cabling. In my experience — 300-ish projects, maybe 280, I'd have to check — the deliverable should include at least:

• design and pathway planning
• cable pulling, termination, and testing
• test reports for every permanent link
• labeling and as-built documentation
• a clear handover so your IT team knows what was installed

If the quote only says 'supply and install', ask what testing costs extra. Some contractors quote cheap and then bill surprises. That's where total cost thinking comes in.

3. Why do cheap structured cabling quotes end up expensive?

A few years back, a customer accepted the lowest bid for an office fit-out. The quote came in $800 below the next one. Then the certification test showed 11 failed links out of 120. Re-terminating meant another site visit, a week of disrupted work, and an extra $1,400 in labor. The 'cheap' quote ended up costing more than the middle quote. That pattern has shown up in at least four projects I reviewed personally.

The parts that disappear from low quotes are usually these:

• testing every link with a calibrated field tester
• labeling per TIA-606 and updating as-built drawings
• cable management that actually looks like cable management
• someone on the contractor's side checking the work before the customer sees it

Low price is a feature of what's left out. Simple.

4. Is Cat6 enough, or should I pay for Cat6A?

It depends on your situation. I can only speak to typical office environments. If your horizontal cabling runs are under 55 meters and you don't plan on 10-gigabit to the desk, Cat6 can be enough. But if you're pulling cable into a building that will outlive your current network, Cat6A gives you more headroom. According to TIA-568.2-D, Category 6A performance extends up to 500 MHz and supports 10GBASE-T over the full 100-meter channel. Cat6, per IEEE 802.3an, supports 10GBASE-T on shorter links — up to 55 meters.

That said, I've signed off on plenty of Cat6 projects. A small office with no 10G need is a different calculus from a hospital or a data center. Don't let anyone shame you into Cat6A if you genuinely don't need it. Don't let anyone talk you out of it if you're upgrading a building you'll keep for ten years.

5. What's the most overlooked part of a cabling handover?

Test results. It's not even close.

We didn't have a formal post-installation audit process at my company for a long time. Cost us when a contractor's punch list looked perfect but 14 of 120 links failed field testing. The contractor argued the cable was fine. The cable was fine. The terminations weren't.

Now I treat test reports like receipts. If you don't have them, the work didn't happen. Ask for the actual files from a field tester — not a summary page. Check that the tester's calibration certificate is current. That's the difference between 'trust me' and evidence.

6. Does the Furukawa warranty cover me if I use any installer?

Usually not — or at least, not in the way people assume. With any major manufacturer, warranty coverage depends on using compatible components and having the work done by qualified installers. If a contractor mixes cable, patch panels, and connectors from different lines, the warranty can get messy. I'm not picking on Furukawa. That's standard manufacturer logic.

Before you sign, ask for the warranty terms in writing. Find out what 'authorized installer' means and whether a non-certified crew can void the coverage. A cheap quote from an uncertified contractor might cost you more than the labor savings. That's a hidden cost no one puts on the invoice.

One last note: if you're reading this from Brazil, and you searched 'serviço de cabeamento estruturado Furukawa' to find a local provider, the same rules apply. Ask for the manufacturer's official partner list. Verify the installer's certification. And make sure the test reports are part of the price.