IP Paging System Installation Guide
– Do You Need a Contractor to Install an IP Paging System?
If you’re looking at an IP paging system for your facility and wondering what the real installation story is — whether you need to hire outside help, what your IT team actually needs to do, and what the total cost looks like — this post is for you.
A lot of customers come to us after receiving a quote from a traditional PA system installer. Those quotes are usually two to three times higher than ours. Naturally, the first question is: “What am I missing? What does installation with Linortek actually involve?”
The short answer is that Netbell IP paging systems are designed to work over your existing network. As long as you have an in-house IT department, and you are able to set up a VLAN over your existing network, you will be able to handle the IP paging system installation in-house. No dedicated wiring runs, no specialized contractors, and in most cases, no outside help at all.
What Your Facilities Team Can Handle
The physical installation of a Netbell IP speaker is straightforward enough for your maintenance team to complete — as long as your IT department can set up the PoE network for you. Here’s what it involves:
- Mount the speaker bracket to the wall or ceiling — typically two screws
- Run a Cat5 or Cat6 Ethernet cable from the speaker location to the nearest network switch
- Plug in the speaker — power and data both come through the single Ethernet cable (PoE)
That’s the physical side. No conduit, no low-voltage wiring license, no lift rental for complex overhead runs. If your team can mount a security camera, they can install a Netbell speaker.
What Your IT Department Needs to Do
The main task for IT is making sure a PoE-capable network switch is accessible at each speaker location. If your facility already has a managed network in place — which most do — this is often just a matter of running a cable to an existing switch or adding a small PoE switch to an existing rack.
The key requirements to pass along to your IT team:
- PoE or PoE+ network switch port for each speaker (speakers draw up to 30W each)
- Cat5 or Cat6 cable — maximum 328 feet (100 meters) from speaker to switch
- All speakers, the controller, and the scheduling PC on the same network segment
- Switch that supports IGMP snooping (for multi-zone systems)
For facilities with long distances between buildings or speakers that need to reach beyond 328 feet, the solution is simply to add a small intermediate switch in that area — a standard 8-port PoE switch costs $150–$400 and extends your reach as far as needed. Our full network requirements document walks your IT team through everything, and our technical support team is available by phone to assist them directly.
What Does an IP Paging System Installation Actually Cost?
The honest answer is that your total installation cost depends almost entirely on whether you already have a network switch near each speaker location.
- If your network is already in place: Your main expense is the Ethernet cable run and the mounting labor — typically a few hours of work for your maintenance team.
- If you need to add a PoE switch: Budget $150–$400 for a standard 8-port switch, available from any IT supplier.
- Software configuration: Linortek’s technical support team handles this remotely at no charge — we walk through the setup with your team over the phone.
How this compares to wired systems: A traditional hardwired PA system requires a licensed low-voltage contractor to run dedicated speaker wire throughout your facility, install an amplifier, and wire everything back to a central head unit. For a three-building facility, that scope of work easily runs $8,000–$20,000 in labor alone — before you buy any equipment. An IP paging system leverages the network you already have, which is why the total cost is often a fraction of that.
Build a Reliable Paging System with Linortek’s Netbell
Linortek’s Netbell IP paging systems are designed from the ground up to be installed and managed by your own team — no integrator required. Our hardware runs on its own built-in server, operates without cloud subscriptions or monthly fees, and is backed by direct technical support from our team in Winston-Salem, NC.
Visit our Netbell IP Paging System page or contact our team to get a quote for your facility.
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