Guides & Checklists

New office IT setup checklist: connectivity, cabling, Wi-Fi, phones and move day

A step-by-step IT checklist for a new office or office move: connectivity lead times, cabling, Wi-Fi survey, phones and the PSTN switch-off, and move day.

By Dig IT SolutionsUpdated 8 September 20266 min read

Short answer

Setting up IT in a new office starts with ordering connectivity, because leased lines can take weeks to months to install. Then survey the space for cabling and Wi-Fi, plan the comms cabinet, decide on phones ahead of the PSTN switch-off, configure security for the new network, and schedule move day so staff arrive to working desks, internet and phones.

An office move or a new office is the point where IT decisions become expensive to reverse. Cabling laid before the furniture arrives costs a fraction of cabling laid after, and an internet line ordered late means weeks of staff working on a 4G router. This checklist sets out what to do and when, from the moment you know the address to the end of the first week.

Start with connectivity, before anything else

Connectivity has the longest lead time of anything in a new office, and everything else depends on it.

Order as soon as you have the address, ideally before the lease is signed. A leased line can take from several weeks to three months or more, and longer if the building needs civil works or a wayleave from the landlord.
Check what the building already has. Serviced and managed offices often have connectivity in place. Ask what it is, who else shares it and whether you can have your own line.
Choose the right type. A leased line gives a guaranteed speed and a service level. Full fibre broadband is cheaper, faster to install and adequate for many offices under fifty people. Copper broadband is a last resort.
Order a failover. A 4G or 5G router on a different provider covers the gap if the line is late and stays as the backup afterwards.
Confirm the demarcation point. Know where the provider's line will terminate and make sure the comms cabinet is planned there or cabled to it.

This is the step our new office IT setup service is built around, because it is the one that most often goes wrong.

Survey the space

Before the fit-out is finalised, walk the space with whoever will do the cabling and Wi-Fi:

Desk positions and counts, including growth over the lease term.
Printer, meeting room, reception and display positions.
Comms cabinet location: ventilated, lockable, near the demarcation point, away from water and the kitchen.
Wi-Fi survey: wall construction, glass partitions, floor plates and where staff will actually sit.
Power: enough sockets at desks and a dedicated circuit for the cabinet.
Landlord constraints: listed buildings, shared risers, rules on drilling and on where equipment can go.

Structured cabling

Cabling is the part of a fit-out that is hardest to change later, so do it once and properly:

Item	Recommendation
Cable standard	Cat6 for most offices, Cat6a where speeds above 1Gbps to desks or access points are likely
Outlets per desk	Two, with a few spare positions for growth
Fixed positions	Every printer, access point, meeting room display, desk phone and camera cabled back to the cabinet
Patch panel	Labelled, with a diagram kept in the cabinet and in your documentation
Testing	Every run tested and certified before the ceilings close
Timing	Before flooring, furniture and decoration

Our structured cabling service covers the design and installation, including fibre between buildings or floors where copper will not do.

Wi-Fi

A single router in the corner covers the corner. An office needs managed access points placed according to the survey, cabled back to the switch, and controlled from one console. Design for:

Coverage across every working area, including meeting rooms and the kitchen where people take calls.
Capacity for every laptop and phone at peak, not just coverage.
Separate networks for staff, guests and any devices such as printers, displays or cameras.
Bandwidth control on the guest network.

Our office Wi-Fi page explains the survey and design process.

The comms cabinet

Everything meets in the cabinet, so plan it rather than letting it accumulate:

Router or firewall, sized for the connection and with the failover router connected.
Switches with enough ports for every outlet plus twenty per cent spare, with power over Ethernet for access points, phones and cameras.
Patch panel, cable management and labels.
An uninterruptible power supply so a brief power cut does not take the network down.
Space and cooling for any server or backup appliance.
A lock, and a diagram of what is where.

Phones

Do not order new analogue lines. Ofcom confirms the PSTN switch-off is due by January 2027, and any line installed now will need replacing. A VoIP system uses the internet connection and works on desk phones, laptops and mobiles. The move is a good time to consolidate.

Number porting is the step to start early. Porting your existing numbers to the new system takes time, and a number that has not moved by move day means missed calls. Our VoIP and business phone service handles the porting and the migration.

Alarm, lift and door entry lines also need attention, because many still use analogue lines that will stop working.

Security for the new network

A new office is a fresh start for security settings, so set them up properly from the start:

A business-grade firewall, not the router the connectivity provider supplied.
Separate networks for staff, guests and devices.
MFA enforced on every account, and conditional access that recognises the new office location.
Every device joining the new network already managed, patched and running endpoint protection.
Backups confirmed for any server that moves, and a full backup taken before it is unplugged.
CCTV and door entry planned on the network rather than added later. Our CCTV and physical security service covers this.

The NCSC's small business guide is a useful checklist for the settings themselves.

Move-day plan

The aim is that staff arrive to working desks, internet and phones. A workable sequence:

Two weeks before: connectivity live and tested, cabinet built, Wi-Fi installed and surveyed, phones configured, number port scheduled.
The day before: switch, firewall and access points confirmed, printers installed, docks and monitors on desks, a test user signed in at every position.
Move day: engineers on site from the start, servers or appliances moved and restored first, every user checked in, problems logged.
The day after: open issues resolved, old lines and services cancelled only once the new ones are confirmed, documentation updated.
First week: a review of anything that did not work, and a check that backups, monitoring and security are running on the new network.

Our office move IT service plans and runs this sequence, but the structure works whoever does it.

Common mistakes

Ordering internet after the lease is signed and discovering a three-month lead time.
Letting the fit-out contractor place the comms cabinet in a cupboard with no ventilation.
Cabling for the current headcount only.
Assuming the building's shared Wi-Fi is acceptable for business use.
Cancelling the old office's line before the new one is proven.
Moving a server without a tested backup.

What to do next

If you have an office move or a new office coming up, the connectivity order is the first thing to do and the one that cannot wait. Talk to an engineer through our contact page with the address and the target date, and we will tell you what is possible in the time available and what needs ordering this week.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should we order internet for a new office?

As soon as you know the address, ideally before signing the lease. A leased line can take from several weeks to three months or more from order to live, depending on the building, the distance to the nearest fibre and whether the landlord needs to sign a wayleave. Full fibre broadband is usually quicker where available. Order a 4G or 5G router as a temporary connection in case the line is late.

What cabling should a new office have?

Cat6 or Cat6a structured cabling from every desk, printer position, access point and meeting room back to a comms cabinet, with a patch panel and labelled outlets. Plan two outlets per desk and a few spare positions. Cabling is far cheaper before furniture and staff arrive than after, and it is the part of an office fit-out that is hardest to change later.

Can we just use Wi-Fi instead of cabling desks?

Wi-Fi is fine for laptops and phones, but access points themselves need cabling, and fixed items such as printers, desk phones, cameras and docking stations work better wired. A survey shows how many access points the space needs and where walls or glass will block signal. Most offices end up with cabled desks and docks plus Wi-Fi for laptops and visitors.

What should be in the comms cabinet?

The router or firewall, the switch or switches with enough ports for every outlet plus spare, the patch panel, the connectivity provider's equipment, an uninterruptible power supply, and space for a server or backup appliance if you have one. Lock it, ventilate it, label everything and keep a diagram. A tidy cabinet on day one saves hours on every fault afterwards.

Do we need a phone system in a new office?

You need a plan, because the PSTN switch-off due by January 2027 means new analogue lines are no longer the answer. A VoIP system runs over the internet connection, ports your existing numbers, and works from desk phones, laptops or mobiles. Order number porting early, because a number that has not moved by move day means missed calls.

What should happen on move day itself?

The network, internet and phones should be live and tested before staff arrive, ideally the day before. On the day, engineers set up desks, docks and printers, check every user can sign in, and stay on site to handle problems. Old equipment is removed, old lines are cancelled only after the new ones are confirmed working, and a short list of open issues is agreed before the engineers leave.