Chicago Network Solutions is a locally-owned low voltage and network services company serving businesses across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. From structured cabling and commercial WiFi to security camera installation, VoIP, and complete network buildouts, we deliver clean, reliable, and scalable systems that keep your business connected.
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Five core service categories built to handle every layer of your business network, from the cable in the wall to the camera on the ceiling.
Structured cabling, Cat6, Cat6A, fiber optic, data cabling, ethernet wiring and POS retail cabling, installed clean and tested. The physical backbone of every reliable network.
Network rack buildouts, MDF and IDF rooms, commercial WiFi installation, and full network design and implementation for offices, warehouses and multi-site businesses.
Ongoing network maintenance, troubleshooting and 24/7 emergency support to keep your business connected and your downtime minimized.
Security camera installation, access control systems and intercom systems for offices, retail spaces, warehouses and multi-location businesses across Chicago.
VoIP phone systems, PA systems, digital signage and video display systems that keep your team and your customers connected and informed.
From single office fit outs to multi site rollouts, these are the kinds of operations that rely on the cabling behind their walls every day. Different buildings, different code exposure, the same standard of work.
Most contractors will not talk price until they have walked your site, and there is a real reason for that. The same twenty drops can differ by a wide margin depending on the building. So here is the honest version: the nine things that genuinely move your number, ranked by how much they move it.
Price per drop falls as the count rises. The crew, lift, cable reels and test gear mobilise once, so a twelve drop office costs considerably more per drop than a two hundred drop warehouse.
The single largest variable in Chicago. The Chicago Electrical Code is stricter than the national standard and requires cable in raceway where a suburban job would allow open cable on J hooks. That means more labour, more material, more time.
Open plenum ceiling with accessible tile is the fastest. Hard lid drywall, plaster, concrete deck, masonry and tight above ceiling space all add hours, and sometimes add patching and paint back to the scope.
Cat6 is the baseline for commercial data. Cat6A costs more per foot and takes longer to terminate, but it is what you want for 10 Gigabit or a high draw PoE device such as a camera or access point.
If the ceiling space returns air, code requires plenum rated cable. It costs noticeably more per foot than riser rated cable, and the requirement is not negotiable.
A wall mount bracket against a floor standing cabinet, the number of patch panels, cable management, the ground bar, and the labour to dress and terminate every pair all sit inside this line.
Working around staff, customers or patients slows everything down. Nights and weekends carry a labour premium, and a tenant space may only permit cabling work outside business hours.
Certification testing every drop and issuing the report takes real time. A bid that leaves it out is cheaper on paper and worth far less the first time something fails.
Where a permit is required, the fee and the time to pull it and meet the inspector belong in the number. Confirm in writing which party carries this.
We price from a site walk, because pathway, ceiling access and conduit are the three things that decide your number and none of them can be judged over the phone. The figure in your quote is the figure on your invoice.
The same crews handle a one-room fit-out and a multi-state programme. These are the four ways most Chicago projects reach us.
We let the work speak. Filter by sector to see what the job actually involved for businesses like yours.
Network and cabling for new tire center builds and remodels across Chicagoland, including ground-up infrastructure on new construction and live remodels that had to stay trading throughout.
Scope. Meraki network racks. WiFi access points. Cat6 throughout. POS relocated to temporary sales trailers. Weather-resistant outdoor runs.
Complete network infrastructure, POS cabling and WiFi for a growing Chicago-area deli, built for high-volume daily transactions on a tight opening timeline and coordinated with an out-of-state IT team.
Scope. Structured cabling and WAP deployment. Toast POS installed and integrated. Commercial audio and camera setup.
Standardised network upgrades across multiple gym locations spanning three states, replacing legacy WiFi 5 across large footprints without closing a single club.
Scope. Full facility WiFi 7 upgrades. Faulty camera replacement and troubleshooting. Digital signage integration.
Nothing published in that sector yet. Tell us about your site and we will walk you through comparable work.
A cabling job is not finished when the cable is in the ceiling. It is finished when you are holding the documentation that lets you manage the system without calling us. Here is exactly what gets handed over.
Every outlet, every patch panel port and both ends of every cable carry a matching label to a consistent scheme. Six months later your IT team can trace a port to a desk without pulling ceiling tile.
Each run is tested with a calibrated tester and the results are handed to you as a report, pass or fail, drop by drop. That report is your proof the cable meets its category rating, and your leverage if anything is ever disputed.
A floor plan marked with the real drop locations as installed, not as originally drawn. This is the document your next contractor, your alarm vendor and your AV installer will all ask for.
What is mounted where in the cabinet, and which patch panel port lands at which outlet. Hand this to a new network engineer and they are productive on day one.
Written warranty terms on workmanship, manufacturer warranty documentation where applicable, ceiling tile replaced, cable debris removed and the space left the way we found it.
Structured cabling installed, labeled and tested by our own Chicago-based crews.
For nearly two decades, Chicago Network Solutions has helped Chicagoland businesses build the network infrastructure that powers their operations. Founded in 2007 by Kyle Nowack, a Chicago-based network infrastructure specialist, our work is built on one simple principle: Structured Cabling, Structured Success.
We design, install, and support low voltage systems for offices, retail stores, warehouses, medical clinics, restaurants, schools, and multi-location businesses. Whether you need a single-office Cat6 install or a multi-state network rollout, we deliver reliable network infrastructure that minimizes downtime, scales with growth, and is built to last.
From the first site walk to the final cable test, every structured cabling installation is labeled, documented, and engineered for long-term performance. That is the difference between hiring a contractor and hiring a network partner.
Every project runs through the same six stages, so you always know what happens next, who is on your site and what you are holding at the end of it.
We walk the building, look at the ceiling, the pathways and the IDF, and scope against how the space is actually used and the growth you are planning for.
A low voltage design built around your floor plan, your traffic load and the code exposure of your building, with the cable category and pathway method named before anyone quotes.
Cable runs, rack builds and equipment mounting by our own Chicago crews, sequenced around how your building runs, including nights and weekends where that is the only option.
Every drop tested with a calibrated tester, then the network tuned and configured so the system performs to the category rating you paid for.
Scheduled checkups and proactive monitoring, so faults are found on a planned visit rather than on the morning your business cannot take payments.
Ongoing technical support and 24/7 emergency response. When you call, you reach our team, not a national call centre queue.
Network infrastructure is not the place to cut corners. Here is what separates us from the other low voltage contractors quoting your job.
Founded by Kyle Nowack in 2007. Nearly two decades across IT management, network infrastructure and structured cabling installation, on the tools and on the site.
We are not a national chain. We know the Chicago Electrical Code, the building managers and the conduit requirements that change the moment you leave the city limits.
Every cable labelled, every rack dressed, every drop certified. You are handed as built drawings and a port map, not a tangled closet and a phone number.
From a single office Cat6 install to a multi-state rollout, every build is specified for the next five years of growth, not just the next five months.
We quote from a site walk, then the figure in your quote is the figure on your invoice. Scope changes are agreed before the work, never after it.
When you call, you reach our team. When something is wrong, we respond the same day, and 24/7 where the outage is stopping you trading.
Every building type carries its own constraints, its own code exposure and its own reasons a job runs late. Pick yours to see how we scope the work.
If you are collecting three quotes, they are almost certainly not quoting the same job. Six questions will tell you which ones are genuinely comparable, and they will tell you that before you commit.
A line that reads "install network cabling" tells you nothing. You want Cat6 or Cat6A stated explicitly, and riser or plenum stated explicitly. If the ceiling is a return air plenum and the bid quietly priced riser cable, that bid is not comparable to one that priced plenum.
Count the drops on the plan yourself. A bid that is materially cheaper is often cheaper because it is quoting fewer drops, or quoting one drop where you need two at a desk.
Conduit, sleeves, J hooks, firestop at every rated wall penetration and drywall patch back are real costs. If they are absent from the bid they are not absent from the job, they are a change order waiting to happen.
Ask for the report as a deliverable in writing. "We test as we go" is not the same thing as a drop by drop certification report with your name on it.
In Chicago this matters more than most buyers expect. Get the answer in the document, not in a conversation.
This is where bids are won unfairly. The cheapest number on your desk is very often the one that excluded the most. Line the exclusions up side by side and the real ranking usually changes.
Kyle began his career in IT management in 2007 before moving to hands on low voltage and network infrastructure work. He founded Chicago Network Solutions with one aim: clean, reliable, scalable installations that Chicago businesses can depend on for the long term.
Today Kyle and the CNS team serve hundreds of local businesses with the same hands on, locally rooted approach the company started with. He walks the sites, he scopes the work, and he is the person you call if something is not right.
Low voltage cabling refers to electrical systems operating at 50 volts or less, including data cabling, ethernet wiring, fiber optic, security camera wiring, VoIP phone cabling, and audio-visual systems. Every modern business in Chicago relies on low voltage infrastructure to power networks, phones, cameras, WiFi, and digital signage. Without clean, properly installed low voltage cabling, every other system in your office will eventually fail.
Cat6 supports up to 1 Gbps at 100 meters and 10 Gbps at shorter distances, making it ideal for most office, retail, and small commercial buildouts. Cat6A supports 10 Gbps at the full 100 meters and offers better shielding, making it the choice for data centers, healthcare facilities, and high-bandwidth environments. We install both depending on your facility and traffic load. Learn more about Cat6 cabling.
Yes. While Chicago Network Solutions is Chicago-based, we have managed multi-state network rollouts for clients like VASA Fitness and Discount Tire. We deliver consistent install specs, documentation, and quality across every location, whether you are deploying across Illinois or across multiple states.
Yes. We provide network maintenance, troubleshooting, and 24/7 emergency network support. Whether you need scheduled checkups or same-day response to a connectivity issue, our support team is available across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
It depends on the size of the facility and the number of drops. A small office of 10 to 20 drops can be completed in one to two days. A full retail buildout or warehouse install can take one to two weeks. Multi-location rollouts are scheduled in phases. Every project starts with a free site assessment and a clear timeline before any work begins.
Yes. Chicago Network Solutions is fully licensed and insured for commercial low voltage work across Chicago and Illinois. Documentation is available upon request before any project begins.
Price is driven by the cable category, the number of drops, and above all by how much of the run has to sit in conduit, which the Chicago Electrical Code requires in more situations than surrounding suburbs do. Ceiling construction, plenum rated jacket, rack and termination work, after hours access and certification testing all move the figure. We price from a site walk and give you a fixed written number rather than a per drop estimate over the phone.
It depends on the scope and the building. Some low voltage work is permit exempt, and some, particularly anything involving conduit, rated wall penetrations or fire alarm interface, is not. We confirm the requirement for your specific scope before work starts and state in the proposal which party pulls the permit and meets the inspector, so it is never left as an assumption.
Yes. A great deal of commercial cabling work happens in buildings that cannot stop trading, so evening, overnight and weekend scheduling is routine, as is working floor by floor or zone by zone to keep staff and customers clear of the work area. Tell us your access constraints early, because they affect both the sequence and the price.
Yes. Every drop is certification tested and you receive the results drop by drop, along with as built drawings showing the real installed locations, a rack elevation, a patch panel port map and a consistent labelling scheme at both ends of every cable. That package is what lets your own team manage the system afterwards without calling us.
Code exposure and conduit requirements change the moment you leave the city limits, which is one of the reasons we quote from a site walk rather than before it. Pick your area to see how we scope work there.