Lobby Kiosk Network Setup for New Construction in Richmond, TX 77407

The kiosk decision that belongs at the drawings stage

In a finished building, a freestanding kiosk in open floor means scanning and coring concrete, patching finishes and working around occupied space. On a project that hasn’t poured its slab, the same result is a length of conduit and a floor box set in the forms. The difference is not a technology choice; it is a scheduling choice.

This side of Fort Bend County has seen steady new building around communities such as Aliana and Grand Mission: medical office buildings and urgent-care pads, retail centers serving new subdivisions, HOA amenity centers, schools and churches. Many of those lobbies end up with a check-in, visitor or self-order kiosk, and too often the kiosk is chosen after the finishes are already in.

A kiosk is also rarely alone. The same lobby usually needs Wi-Fi access points, cameras, perhaps an access-controlled door and a digital sign, all competing for pathway space, switch ports and PoE budget. Planning the kiosk is the natural moment to plan all of them together.

What to decide at each phase of construction

Floor boxes on a new slab: getting the details right

For open-floor kiosks, a recessed floor box with divided compartments for power and data is the usual approach; the divider keeps communications cable separated from power conductors, as the electrical code expects. On new work we pin the box position to the actual kiosk footprint, because a box that lands six inches outside the base becomes a trip hazard with a cord across it.

The electrician sets the box and power conduit. The data compartment gets its own conduit, 3/4-inch at minimum and 1-inch preferred, so Cat6 pulls cleanly and a second cable can be added later. Pull strings stay in, and bends are kept to sweeps rather than tight elbows.

Plenty of slabs in the area are post-tensioned, residential foundations especially and some commercial ones. After the pour, any penetration requires locating the tendons first. Setting the box before the concrete arrives avoids that problem entirely, which is why we ask for kiosk locations as soon as the floor plan stabilizes.

Finishes matter too. A floor box in polished concrete, tile or luxury vinyl plank needs the correct cover and flange, and the flooring installer should know where it sits before laying out the pattern.

Designing the kiosk network while the building is still a plan

• Telecom room placement. Keep every kiosk inside the 100-meter Ethernet channel of its switch, measured along the real cable route through ceilings and walls, not as a straight line on the plan.
• Segmentation from day one. Kiosks get their own VLAN; staff, guest Wi-Fi, cameras, access control and building systems get theirs. Doing this before move-in avoids re-addressing live devices later.
• Wi-Fi checked in the finished room. A predictive design is a starting point, but glass storefronts, tall lobby ceilings and metal furniture all change coverage, so we validate with a measurement walk after the furniture arrives.
• PoE and backup power. Size the PoE switch for tablet kiosks plus cameras and access points with headroom to spare, and put it on a UPS.
• Internet service. In a newly developed area, confirm early which providers actually serve the address and their install lead time; building fiber to a new pad can take weeks or longer. If the permanent circuit isn’t live by opening day, a cellular router can carry the kiosks in the meantime.

Does the electrician handle this, or do you need a low-voltage contractor?

On many projects the electrician sets boxes and conduit, while data cabling, network configuration and kiosk commissioning fall between trades. With no one assigned, they happen late. A low-voltage contractor earns its place when:

• kiosks, cameras, access control and Wi-Fi are all in scope and need one coordinated network plan;
• the kiosk vendor has network requirements the electrical drawings never mention;
• the owner or tenant expects tested cable results and documentation at handover;
• you are a tenant finishing out a new shell where the landlord provides nothing more than a conduit to the demarc.

We coordinate with the GC and electrician rather than replacing them. They own line voltage and the slab; we own the structured cabling, the network and the kiosk’s connection.

How EVOTECH fits into a Richmond build schedule

1. Plan review. We mark kiosk, access point, camera and telecom locations on the floor plan and send the data-pathway requirements to the GC and electrician.
2. Pre-pour check. Where open-floor kiosks are planned, we confirm floor-box positions and data conduit before the concrete crew arrives.
3. Rough-in. We pull Cat6, plenum-rated wherever the ceiling cavity is a return-air plenum, leave service loops and label both ends.
4. Trim-out. We terminate, dress the rack and test every link, keeping the results for handover.
5. Network build. Switch, firewall rules and VLANs are configured with the owner’s or tenant’s IT contact.
6. Commissioning. Each kiosk goes online, passes the vendor’s connectivity check, and is powered down and restored to confirm it recovers with nobody touching it.
7. Handover. You receive an as-built drawing with jack IDs, test results and a network summary.

What changes the cost on a new build

• When we’re brought in. Pre-pour and rough-in work is the least expensive route; retrofitting after finishes costs more for the same result.
• Device count: how many kiosks and other low-voltage devices share the pathways and closet.
• Floor boxes: whether open-floor locations need boxes and conduit.
• Equipment scope: whether the owner supplies network hardware or we specify it.
• Temporary cellular service for opening, if the permanent circuit runs late.
• Trips: a phased job needs several visits, and schedule slips can add more.

Every quote is itemized in writing after we review the plans or walk the site.

Problems that surface in the first month after opening

• Floor box in the wrong spot, because the kiosk model changed after the pour. Confirming the footprint before concrete prevents it.
• Cable damaged by other trades, such as a drywall screw through a run or a cable crushed under ductwork. Testing after the ceiling closes, not before, catches it.
• Kiosk left on a temporary network set up during construction and never moved to the permanent kiosk VLAN.
• Dust-clogged switch fans in a telecom room energized before drywall sanding finished.
• Nobody holds the credentials for the router or switch that the provider or a subcontractor installed.

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Frequently asked questions