By Cabling For U, Auckland network cabling and relocation specialists.
The most stressful part of an office move isn’t the furniture — it’s the moment day-one staff sit at new desks and the internet doesn’t work. Good cabling planning prevents 95% of that pain. Here’s our 12-point checklist for an Auckland office relocation that stays on schedule.
Step 1: Survey the new site before you sign
- Confirm UFB/fibre is available at the new address (check Chorus availability tool)
- Identify where the ONT will land and how close it is to the comms room
- Check ceiling void access for cable pathways
- Verify power capacity for server rack, UPS and HVAC
- Look for fire-rated walls that will need compliant penetrations
Step 2: Order the fibre early
Chorus business fibre installations in Auckland can take 10–40 working days depending on whether civil works (trenching) are required. Order as soon as lease is signed. This is often the critical path.
Step 3: Plan the desk layout before cabling
Cable to the furniture, not just the walls. Get the final desk layout agreed with the business before cabling starts. Every change after the cable is in-wall costs time and money.
Step 4: Cable count calculation
Typical Auckland office move needs:
- 2 Cat6A outlets per desk
- 1 Cat6A per AP position (1 per 150 m²)
- 1 Cat6A per printer/MFD
- 1 Cat6A per door intercom/access reader
- Cat6A and PoE per CCTV camera
- 20% spare at the patch panel
Step 5: Spec and order equipment
- Switch with enough PoE budget for current + 25% headroom
- Wi-Fi APs for new footprint
- Patch panel (24, 48 or 96 port)
- Wall or floor cabinet sized for switch + ONT + UPS + patch + growth
- UPS sized for 20–30 min runtime
- PDUs for clean rack cable management
Step 6: Run the cable during fit-out
Your builder will be working on gib, ceilings, flooring. The cheapest cabling time is before the ceiling tiles go up and the carpet goes down. Coordinate with the main contractor for access windows, and get cabling in early.
Step 7: Test and certify every run
Fluke DSX channel test every cable, before anyone plugs anything in. Get printed reports. This is the point of no return — if a cable is a fail, now is when you re-pull it, not two weeks after staff arrive.
Step 8: Commission switches and APs on-site
- Configure VLANs (staff, guest, voice, cameras, IoT)
- Set up Wi-Fi SSIDs and guest captive portal
- Link new switch to existing ISP router for pre-move testing
- Run site survey on new Wi-Fi before go-live
Step 9: Pre-move validation day
A few days before move-in, bring one workstation and phone on-site to validate:
- Wired and Wi-Fi both work at representative desks
- VoIP test call inbound and outbound
- VPN connection to old office resources if needed
- Printing from a sample desk
- CCTV feeds are up and recording
Step 10: Cutover weekend
Most Auckland office moves cut over on a Friday night or Saturday. Our standard script:
- Friday 5pm — old office DNS/services cut
- Saturday — equipment moved from old to new site, reconnect servers
- Sunday — soak test, cloud sync, user account spot-checks
- Monday 7am — dedicated floor walkers for first hour of staff arrival
Step 11: First week support
Always plan dedicated on-site support for week one. Small issues — a faulty patch cord, a misconfigured printer, a lost SSID password — compound if no one is there to fix them.
Step 12: Decommission the old site
Don’t forget the old office:
- Recover patch panel, switch, APs (if landlord allows)
- Terminate internet service at the old site
- Hand over old site in condition required by lease
- Archive any site documentation
Typical Auckland office relocation cabling budgets (2026)
- 10-person office move: $6,000–$10,000 including cable, switch, APs and labour
- 25-person: $14,000–$22,000
- 50-person with security and AP redesign: $30,000–$55,000
- 100+ person multi-floor: $70,000–$150,000+
Budget 15–20% contingency. Office moves always have one surprise.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does a typical Auckland office relocation cabling project take?
From initial survey to staff day-one, expect 6 to 12 weeks. Fibre provisioning from Chorus is usually the longest single item at 4 to 8 weeks. Cable pulling and commissioning is typically 1 to 2 weeks for a 25-person office.
Can you do the cabling during our fit-out?
Yes — and it's cheaper. We coordinate with your main contractor to pull cables before ceiling tiles are installed and terminate once the fit-out is complete. Total cost drops 20 to 30% vs doing cabling after the fit-out.
What happens if fibre isn't ready by move day?
We recommend having a 4G or 5G failover router on-site for the first week of any Auckland move. It bridges the gap if Chorus delivery slips, so staff still have basic internet access on day one.
Can you move my existing network equipment to the new site?
Yes. We decommission, transport and recommission switches, servers, UPS units, cameras and APs from the old to new site as part of the relocation package. Usually done on the cutover weekend.
How do I minimise staff downtime on move day?
Three things matter: fibre and cabling tested before staff arrive, dedicated on-site IT support for day one, and a pre-move validation with real workstations and phones a few days before. These together keep typical staff downtime under 30 minutes.
Do I need to tell my landlord about new cabling?
Yes. Most Auckland commercial leases require landlord consent for any structural work including cable trays and penetrations. We provide a scope letter you can send to the landlord with the cable pathway and any patching included.
Planning a move?
Tell us your current site, new site, staff count and timeline. We’ll produce a cutover plan and fixed quote. Book a free survey or call 0800 222 546.
Take the next step
Get a free pre-relocation site survey at both locations before the move starts.