Knowledge Base · Full Research Corpus
Everything behind this dossier, made navigable. 13 experts across two research rounds — 8 in round 1 (hardware, RF, cabling, market, quote, architecture, timeline, floor-plan geometry) and 5 gap experts in round 2 commissioned by an adversarial completeness critic — produced the 12 domain dossiers below, plus 14 fold-in gaps no domain owned. Each finding carries its evidence grade; prices anchored to live PH listings are marked verified, figures extrapolated from the ~77-₱-per-USD-list channel multiplier are marked as estimates.
VERIFIED confirmed against primary sources during research (techspecs.ui.com, NTC/BIR/BFP texts, live PH retailer listings) · LIKELY expert derivation or market-calibrated estimate · UNCERTAIN unpublished / building-specific — must be confirmed with the PMO or vendor.
Domain dossiers
One accordion per expert domain. Inside each: the expert's summary, every finding with its confidence grade, and the expert's recommendations. Where a finding duplicates another domain's (the PoE++ error was independently found by nearly every expert), the duplicate is condensed with a pointer to the owning domain.
R1 Hardware
U7 Pro XGS / UCG-Fiber / switch verified specs, PoE classes, PH channel pricing & stock.
Expert summary. The client's starting assumption is directionally right but under-scoped in three places: AP count, switch choice, and PoE class. The U7 Pro XGS (verified on techspecs.ui.com) is a tri-band 8-stream WiFi 7 AP (2.4 GHz 2x2/23 dBm, 5 GHz 4x4/29 dBm, 6 GHz 2x2/24 dBm) with a single 10 GbE RJ45 uplink, a 160 m2 coverage claim, and a hard PoE++ (802.3bt) requirement at 29 W max — which means the PHP 1,500 "PoE+ injector" on the Prowatcher quote cannot legitimately power it. For 530.62 m2 and ~150 staff (300-450 concurrent client devices), 5 APs is thin; 7 APs is the professional design (3 along the 178 m2 open-plan west strip, 1 conference SW, 1 meeting room NW, 1 reception/elevator core, 1 pantry/multi-purpose south), and at 29 W max each, 6-7 APs (174-203 W nominal) exceed the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE's 155 W budget — the USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (10x 10GbE PoE++, 400 W, 1U rack, US$699) is the correct switch. The UCG-Fiber (reused) remains a valid gateway/controller: 2x 10G SFP+, 1x 10GbE RJ45, 4x 2.5GbE, 5 Gbps IDS/IPS, 50+ UniFi devices and 500+ clients, runs Network/Protect/Access/Talk simultaneously, with an NVMe slot for future cameras — sized adequately but without HA. The 6 GHz band is legal in the Philippines (NTC MC 002-07-2024, 5925-6425 MHz indoor LPI at 24 dBm), so WiFi 7 6 GHz works, though only the lower 500 MHz — plan 80/160 MHz channels for 7-AP reuse. Philippine street pricing anchors: the Prowatcher quote's unit prices are fair (~1.3x US list: XGS PHP 22,700 vs US$299; UCG-Fiber PHP 21,900 vs US$279; PC Express sells the non-XGS U7 Pro at PHP 14,650), giving an estimated full BOM of roughly PHP 285,000 VAT-ex / PHP 319,000 VAT-inc including 6 new APs, the 10-port PoE++ switch, Cat6A structured cabling, rack, and UPS. All runs from the central server room are under ~40 m, well within Cat6A's 100 m. The biggest unresolved scope question is whether the 150 desks need wired drops — the planned 8-port switch implies a WiFi-only office, which must be confirmed. Given Ubiquiti's chronic PH stock issues (PC Express shows out-of-stock on U7-series) and the mid-August deadline, ordering should happen by mid-July.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| U7 Pro XGS verified specs (techspecs.ui.com) | WiFi 7 tri-band, 8 spatial streams: 2.4 GHz 2x2 MU-MIMO, 23 dBm, 4 dBi, 688 Mbps (BW40); 5 GHz 4x4 MU-MIMO, 29 dBm, 6 dBi, 8.6 Gbps (BW240); 6 GHz 2x2 MU-MIMO, 24 dBm, 6 dBi, 5.8 Gbps (BW320). Coverage claim 160 m2 (1,750 ft2); 500+ concurrent clients (marketing figure - design at 40-60/AP). One 10 GbE RJ45 port (10/5/2.5/1 GbE). Power: PoE++ (802.3bt), 42.5-57 V DC, 29 W max. Mounting: ceiling and wall, Lite Mount included (works on suspended T-rail drop ceilings; optional recessed/flush mounts sold separately). Dimensions 215 mm dia x 32.5 mm, 800 g. Includes dedicated real-time spectral-analysis scanning radio (the key differentiator vs U7 Pro/Pro XG along with 10GbE and 29 dBm 4x4 5 GHz). No PoE injector included in box. | VERIFIED |
| Vendor quote PoE class error: PoE+ injector cannot power U7 Pro XGS | Prowatcher's line item 'PoE+ Injector for U7 Pro - PHP 1,500' is 802.3at (25.5 W delivered at device); the U7 Pro XGS officially requires PoE++ (802.3bt) at up to 29 W. Ubiquiti community threads confirm PoE+ is not a supported powering mode for the XGS. Correct part is a U-PoE++ injector or (better) PoE++ switch ports for all APs. UCG-Fiber's single PoE+ out port (30 W budget) is spec-marginal for one XGS and should not be relied on. | VERIFIED |
| UCG-Fiber verified specs - adequate as gateway/controller for this site | Ports: 2x 10G/1G SFP+ (one configurable WAN), 1x 10 GbE RJ45, 4x 2.5 GbE RJ45 (port 4 = PoE+ out, 30 W); up to 6 WAN ports for multi-WAN failover/load-balancing. IDS/IPS throughput 5 Gbps. Manages 50+ UniFi devices and 500+ clients; runs Network, Protect, Access, Talk, Connect simultaneously; NVMe slot up to 2 TB (needed only if Protect cameras added); quad-core Cortex-A73 2.2 GHz, 3 GB RAM; 29.4 W max, 54V adapter included; 212.8 x 127.6 x 30 mm desktop (3rd-party/UACC rack shelf needed for rack mounting). This deployment = ~8 UniFi devices and 300-450 clients: within spec but near the client-count comfort zone; no HA/shadow-mode pairing on UCG-Fiber (that is EFG/UDM-Pro class), so it is a single point of failure. | VERIFIED |
| Switch: USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE is PoE-budget-limited at 6+ APs; USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE is the right fit | USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (US$499): 8x 10GbE RJ45 all PoE++ (60 W/port), 2x 10G SFP+, 155 W total PoE budget, desktop/wall form factor. 5 APs x 29 W = 145 W nominal (fits, 6% headroom); 6 APs = 174 W and 7 APs = 203 W exceed budget on nameplate. USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (US$699, store.ui.com): 10x 10GbE PoE++ up to 90 W/port, 400 W budget, 2x 10G SFP+, 1U rackmount - powers 7 APs (203 W nominal) with 97 W spare and rack-mounts properly. Uplink to UCG-Fiber via 10G SFP+ DAC. USW-Pro-8-PoE (gigabit ports) ruled out for WiFi 7; USW-Flex-2.5G-8-PoE (US$199, 8x 2.5GbE PoE++, 196 W with 210 W AC adapter) can power 6 APs but caps each AP backhaul at 2.5 G. | VERIFIED |
| 2.5G vs 10G per-AP uplink: 10G is futureproofing, not a day-one necessity | Real-world WiFi 7 per-client throughput on the XGS's 2x2 6 GHz / 4x4 5 GHz radios is ~1-2 Gbps peak; office traffic is internet-dominated, and Cebu business fiber (PLDT/Converge/Globe) is typically 1-2 Gbps (10 Gbps plans exist but are premium). A 2.5 G uplink per AP would rarely saturate in this office; however, the XGS's value proposition IS the 10GbE port + spectral radio, and 10GbE switch ports remove any backhaul question for the AP's ~15 Gbps aggregate PHY. Verdict: keep 10G since XGS APs are already chosen; if cost-cutting, the U7 Pro (US$189 / PHP 14,650 at PC Express, 2.5GbE, PoE+) is the rational value alternative for the non-dense zones. | LIKELY |
| AP count: 7 recommended for 530 m2 / 150 staff, not 5 | 150 staff × 2–3 WiFi devices = 300–450 concurrent clients; at the professional 40–60-clients/AP density band that is 6–8 APs. Full capacity math and per-AP coordinates are owned by RF Design (below). All cable runs from the central server room are ~20–40 m routed — well within 100 m. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
| 6 GHz is legal in the Philippines - lower band only | NTC Memorandum Circular 002-07-2024 (effective July 2024) opened 5925-6425 MHz for indoor RLAN at 24 dBm (250 mW) LPI, 14 dBm outdoor. WiFi 6E/7 6 GHz works, but only 500 MHz is available (not the full 1200 MHz to 7125 MHz): one 320 MHz channel maximum, so a 7-AP deployment should run 80 MHz (or 160 MHz) 6 GHz channels for reuse. UniFi firmware applies the PH regulatory domain automatically when country is set correctly. | VERIFIED |
| US list prices (store.ui.com, July 2026) | U7 Pro XGS US$299; UCG-Fiber US$279; USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE US$499; USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE US$699; USW-Flex-2.5G-8-PoE US$199; U7 Pro US$189 (comparison). | VERIFIED |
| Philippine street pricing: Prowatcher unit prices are fair (~1.3x US list, standard PH import markup) | Verified anchors: U7 Pro XGS PHP 22,700 VAT-ex (Prowatcher, Jan-2026) vs US$299; UCG-Fiber PHP 21,900 VAT-ex vs US$279; U7 Pro PHP 14,650 (PC Express, currently out of stock). Implied PH multiplier ~76-78 PHP per USD-list VAT-ex. Estimates from that multiplier: USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE ~PHP 53,000-56,000 VAT-ex; USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE ~PHP 38,000-40,000 VAT-ex; USW-Flex-2.5G-8-PoE ~PHP 15,000-16,000. PH channel: MEC Networks Corp (mec.ph) and iConnect Technologies are authorized Ubiquiti distributors; retail via PC Express (pcx.com.ph), IT Warehouse (itwarehouse.ph), Benson.ph, AWB Networks. | LIKELY |
| USP-RPS is not a UPS and does not apply here | USP-RPS is a redundant DC power supply for specific rack-mount USW-Pro/Aggregation switches with an RPS port; it is not battery backup and is not compatible with UCG-Fiber or the Pro XG desktop family. Correct resilience for Cebu (frequent brownouts/voltage sags) is a third-party line-interactive pure-sine 1-1.5 kVA UPS with AVR (APC Smart-UPS/Eaton class); total protected load is ~250-300 W (gateway 29 W + switch chassis ~60 W + 203 W PoE), giving roughly 15-30 min runtime on a 1 kVA unit. | LIKELY |
| Structured cabling: Cat6A F/UTP or U/FTP for all AP drops | 10GBASE-T needs Cat6A for headroom (Cat6 tops out at ~55 m); worst-case run ~35–45 m routed. Full cable/containment/testing spec is owned by Structured Cabling (below). One extra point unique to this expert: in multi-tenant Cebu towers 2.4/5 GHz congestion is high — the XGS's dedicated spectral-scanning radio genuinely earns its keep. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
| Prowatcher install line items do not scale to the new office | The ₱7,000 installation + ₱380 materials covered a single AP at the old office; a 7–8-drop pull with conduit, termination, testing and commissioning realistically runs ₱25,000–45,000 in Cebu. Full quote deconstruction under Quote Analysis. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
Recommendations
- Deploy 7x U7 Pro XGS total (6 new + 1 reused): 3 along the open-plan west strip at ~9-12 m spacing, 1 conference room (SW), 1 covering both meeting rooms (NW), 1 reception/elevator core, 1 pantry/multi-purpose hall (south). Do not go below 6.
- Buy the USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (US$699 / est. PHP 53,000-56,000 VAT-ex) instead of an 8-port: 400 W PoE++ budget powers all 7 APs at nameplate with ~97 W headroom, all ports are 10GbE, and it is 1U rack-mountable. Only fall back to USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (155 W) if the design is frozen at exactly 5 APs.
- Reuse the UCG-Fiber as gateway/controller (it manages 50+ devices / 500+ clients and this site needs ~8 devices); uplink it to the switch with a 10G SFP+ DAC. Delete the PoE+ injector from any new quote - all APs power from the PoE++ switch.
- Cable everything in Cat6A: 8 drops (7 APs + 1 spare), 24-port Cat6A keystone patch panel, 9U wall-mount rack in the server room, Cat6A patch cords. All runs are under ~45 m.
- Add a 1-1.5 kVA line-interactive pure-sine UPS with AVR (APC/Eaton class, ~PHP 12,000-30,000) - essential in Cebu; UniFi's USP-RPS is not a UPS and is incompatible with this hardware anyway.
- Provision dual WAN on the UCG-Fiber (primary fiber into 10G SFP+ or 10GbE RJ45 WAN, secondary ISP into a 2.5GbE port) - 150 staff cannot ride a single Cebu ISP.
- Order hardware by mid-July 2026: Ubiquiti stock in the PH channel is chronically spotty (PC Express shows U7-series out of stock) and the deadline is mid-August. Source hardware from an authorized distributor (MEC Networks, iConnect) and get a fresh survey-based installation quote for 7-8 pulls - compare Prowatcher against a structured-cabling contractor.
- RF config at cutover: set country = Philippines (6 GHz 5925-6425 MHz enables automatically), 6 GHz at 80 MHz channels, 5 GHz at 40 MHz in the dense open plan, enable min-RSSI and medium TX power for clean roaming across 7 APs; let the XGS spectral radios drive channel optimization.
- Resolve the desk-wiring question before finalizing the BOM - if any of the ~150 desks need wired ports, the switching layer changes completely (48-port PoE access switches, larger rack, bigger UPS).
R1 RF Design
Capacity math, the 7-AP placement plan, PH spectrum law, channel plan, coverage radii.
Expert summary. 5x U7 Pro XGS is NOT enough for this office: 150 staff means ~300 Wi-Fi devices (laptop+phone), and 5 APs = 60 devices/AP, well above the 30-50/AP comfort zone for video-call-heavy offices (Cisco/Meraki high-density guidance) — I recommend 7 APs (buy 6 new, reuse 1), giving ~43 devices/AP, ~76 sqm/AP (in line with UniFi's 1 AP per ~95 sqm high-performance rule), and 15-25% peak airtime per AP instead of 30-40%. Placement is anchored to the actual DRAFT-02 plan (I read the floor-plan tiles in the scratchpad): 3 APs in a vertical string down the 27-m western open-plan strip at ~9.5 m spacing, 1 dedicated AP in the 27.5-sqm conference room (SW), 1 over the multi-purpose-hall/lounge south zone, 1 in the hallway at reception/server-room (center), and 1 at the meeting-room mouth (NW), all ceiling-mounted, all ≥3 m from the elevator core RF shadow. Two hard findings change the client's bill of materials: (a) 7 APs at 29 W nameplate = 203 W, which exceeds the 155 W budget of any 8-port UniFi PoE++ switch, so the switch must be the USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (400 W, 10x10GbE PoE+++, US$699); and (b) the Philippines NTC (MC 002-07-2024) only opened 5925-6425 MHz at 250 mW EIRP indoor — so 320 MHz and even 160 MHz channel plans are off the table (only 6x 80 MHz channels exist) and 6 GHz EIRP must be capped at 24 dBm. Channel plan: 5 GHz at 40 MHz (7 unique channels, no reuse, dense APs anchored on non-DFS 36-64/149-161 because Mactan airport radar can trigger DFS), 6 GHz at 80 MHz on all APs (one far-pair reuse), 2.4 GHz enabled on only 3 of 7 APs (ch 1/6/11, low power). Expected -65 dBm cell radius for the U7 Pro XGS at PH-legal EIRP: ~16 m open / ~11.5 m through one drywall on 5 GHz, ~15 m open / ~9 m through one drywall on 6 GHz (log-distance model, n=2.8, 8 dB fade margin). Budget lands at roughly PHP 258k VAT-ex / PHP 289k VAT-in using Prowatcher's own unit pricing (their PHP 22,700/AP is a fair ~76 PHP-per-USD-MSRP rate) — versus their old-office PHP 59.9k single-AP quote; installation must be re-quoted per-drop after survey. Hardware should be ordered by ~15 July to hold the mid-August deadline given UniFi's chronic PH stock thinness.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| 5 APs is insufficient — deploy 7x U7 Pro XGS | 150 staff ≈ 300 associated devices (laptop+phone) with ~60% active concurrency (~180 devices). 5 APs → 60 devices/AP, above the 30-50/AP high-density comfort band (Cisco HD design guide; Meraki HD guide). 7 APs → 43 devices/AP (~26 active, i.e. ~13 per radio across 5/6 GHz) and 530.62 sqm / 7 = 76 sqm/AP, matching the 1-AP-per-75-95-sqm high-density office norm (UniFi recommends ≥1 AP per 95 sqm for performance). Aggregate demand ~500-720 Mbps (180 active x 3-4 Mbps video-call/cloud mix) = 70-105 Mbps/AP = 15-25% peak airtime at 40 MHz 4x4 5 GHz (~450 Mbps effective TCP), leaving all-hands headroom; with 5 APs the same load runs 30-40% airtime with enclosed rooms (conference 27.52 sqm, meeting rooms 20.43+22.35 sqm) served only by bleed-through. | VERIFIED |
| AP-1 'Open-North' at (4.5, 27.0), ceiling | Centers the northern half of the 27-m western open-plan strip: the vertical 8/8/7/4 bench rows at top plus the first horizontal 10-desk rows; 9.0-9.5 m to AP-2 and 7.3 m to AP-7; every desk in its cell sits within ~8 m line-of-sight (≥ -58 dBm on 5 GHz at Medium power). 5 GHz ch 36/40MHz, 6 GHz 80MHz, 2.4 GHz OFF. | LIKELY |
| AP-2 'Open-Center' at (4.5, 18.0), ceiling | Heart of the highest seat density — the middle 10-desk bench rows (~50 seats within 8 m); equidistant (9.0-9.5 m) from AP-1 and AP-3 giving contiguous -60 dBm overlap for roaming down the strip; also reaches Pods 01-03 and Collab 01-03 across the hallway (~7 m, one partition). 5 GHz ch 149/40MHz (non-DFS anchor), 6 GHz 80MHz, 2.4 GHz ON ch 1 low power. | LIKELY |
| AP-3 'Open-South' at (4.5, 8.5), ceiling | Covers the southern 10/10/8 bench rows and the production entrance/hallway funnel; 9.5 m from AP-2; 6.3 m (one drywall) from the conference room but conference gets its own AP; keeps the densest strip on 3 dedicated cells. 5 GHz ch 44/40MHz, 6 GHz 80MHz, 2.4 GHz OFF. | LIKELY |
| AP-4 'Conference' at (3.0, 2.3), in-room ceiling | Dedicated AP for the 27.52 sqm SW conference room (12+ seats, all-hands video calls): isolates meeting airtime from the open-plan cells and guarantees 6 GHz in-room (6 GHz loses 5-7 dB per drywall vs 3-4 dB at 5 GHz, so bleed-through 6 GHz is marginal). 5 GHz ch 60/40MHz low power, 6 GHz 80MHz (reuse far pair with AP-7), 2.4 GHz OFF. | LIKELY |
| AP-5 'South-Amenity' at (11.0, 3.8), ceiling | One cell for the whole southern amenity band: multi-purpose hall 42.41 sqm (events/townhalls — the burst-load room), lounge SE (~4.6 m), pantry 15.43 sqm (~4 m), clinic 7.22 sqm through one wall (~4.8 m, ≈ -60 dBm). Suggest installing the REUSED U7 Pro XGS here (lowest-criticality daily zone). 5 GHz ch 153/40MHz, 6 GHz 80MHz, 2.4 GHz ON ch 6 low power. | LIKELY |
| AP-6 'Reception-Core' at (11.3, 11.5), hallway ceiling | In front of reception (23.13 sqm) / server room: covers reception, Pod A-01/B-01, the main entrance/exit lobby (4-6 m east) and the pantry's north edge; shortest cable run (~5 m to the rack); positioned ~1.5 m clear of the server-room and elevator-core metal masses. 5 GHz ch 157/40MHz, 6 GHz 80MHz, 2.4 GHz OFF (2.4 from AP-5/AP-2 floods this area). | LIKELY |
| AP-7 'Meeting-North' at (6.8, 34.0), corridor ceiling at meeting-room mouth | Serves Meeting Room 01 (20.43 sqm NW, 10-seat) through one drywall (~5 m, ≈ -58 to -62 dBm on 5 GHz), the north bench tips, storage NE (7.95 sqm, 7.7 m + walls, non-critical) and the fire-exit corridor. The NW block (5.99 m deep) plausibly holds BOTH meeting rooms (20.43+22.35=42.8 sqm ≈ 5.99x7.2 m); if MR02 is confirmed there and is video-heavy, move AP-7 inside MR01/MR02 partition line or add an 8th AP. 5 GHz ch 64/40MHz, 6 GHz 80MHz (reuse with AP-4, 31 m + core between), 2.4 GHz ON ch 11 low power. | LIKELY |
| PoE budget forces the 10-port switch: USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE, not an 8-port | Independently confirms Hardware: 7 × 29 W = 203 W nameplate > the 155 W budget of the only 8-port 10G PoE++ UniFi switch. USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (400 W, 10× 10GbE PoE++, 2× SFP+, US$699) powers 7 APs with ~197 W headroom and 3 spare ports; UCG-Fiber (reused) is adequate as gateway/controller (50+ devices, 500+ clients, 5 Gbps IPS). (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| Philippines 6 GHz is legally limited to 5925-6425 MHz @ 250 mW EIRP indoor — no 320 MHz plan | NTC Memorandum Circular No. 002-07-2024 (effective 20-Jul-2024) opened only the lower 500 MHz: 250 mW (24 dBm) EIRP indoor LPI, 25 mW EIRP VLP; 6425-7125 MHz remains unavailable. Consequence: max 6x non-overlapping 80 MHz channels (or 3x 160 / 1x 320) — use 80 MHz; the U7 Pro XGS 6 GHz chain (24 dBm + 6 dBi = 30 dBm) must be capped ~6 dB below max (set console country = Philippines and verify EIRP). Other PH caps: 2.4 GHz 100 mW EIRP; 5 GHz 200 mW (5150-5350) / 250 mW (5470-5850) EIRP — so the AP's 35 dBm 5 GHz capability is capped at ~24 dBm EIRP regardless of settings. | VERIFIED |
| Coverage radius at -65 dBm (U7 Pro XGS at PH-legal EIRP) | Model: log-distance PL(d)=PL(1m)+10n·log10(d), n=2.8 (open office incl. furniture/bodies), 8 dB shadow-fade margin, drywall 4 dB @5 GHz / 6 dB @6 GHz / 3 dB @2.4 GHz (iBwave/Ursa Major material data). 5 GHz @24 dBm EIRP: 15.9 m open, 11.5 m through 1 drywall, 8.3 m through 2. 6 GHz @24 dBm EIRP: 14.7 m open, 9.0 m through 1 drywall, 5.5 m through 2. 2.4 GHz @20 dBm EIRP: 20.6 m open. At 'Medium' TX (≈20 dBm EIRP, recommended for the open-plan trio to shrink cells): 5 GHz 11.4 m open / 8.3 m one wall. Ubiquiti's own rating is 160 sqm (≈7 m radius) per AP — consistent with a -60 dBm design cell. | LIKELY |
| RF settings: min-RSSI -75, 40 MHz on 5 GHz, band steering, 2.4 GHz on 3 APs only | 5 GHz: 40 MHz on all 7 APs = 7 unique channels with zero reuse (PH has 36-64 + DFS 100-144 + 149-161); anchor the 4 dense APs on non-DFS 36/44/149/157 (Mactan-Cebu airport ~10 km — DFS radar hits plausible), meeting/conference on 60/64. 6 GHz: 80 MHz, PSC-aligned, 6 channels, single far-pair reuse. 2.4 GHz: only AP-2/AP-5/AP-7, 20 MHz ch 1/6/11, TX Low — 3 cells of ~20 m cover the whole floor; 7 radios would be 4+ overlapping cells on 3 channels. Min-RSSI -75 dBm (UniFi's documented starting point) on all APs; 802.11k/v + fast roaming ON; band steering 'Prefer 5G/6G'; MLO enabled on the corporate SSID; min data rate 12 Mbps (2.4) / 24 Mbps (5); TX power Medium on open-plan APs, Low-Medium in conference/meeting cells. | VERIFIED |
| Prowatcher's unit pricing is fair; their install line does not scale to this job | ₱22,700/AP ≈ US$299 MSRP × ~76 PHP-per-USD channel rate — fair. The old ₱59,897.60 quote was a one-AP job; re-quote per-drop (₱3,500–5,000 Cebu market) and drop the PoE+ injector line. Full deconstruction under Quote Analysis. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| Do-not-place zones and mounting rules | Keep APs ≥3 m from the elevator core (x≈12.6-17.64, y≈15.1-24.7 — 3 shafts + machine metal = hard RF shadow; nothing E-W propagates through it, which is why the east corridor gets its own coverage from AP-6/AP-1 angles), ≥1.5 m from the server-room enclosure and structural columns, never inside the drop-ceiling plenum or above grid tiles (mount on-tile with a T-bar kit or on hard ceiling, antenna down, 2.6-2.8 m typical PH fit-out height), not in corners, and ≥2 m from lighting ballasts/cable trays. Min inter-AP spacing here 6-7 m, target 9-12 m (achieved: 9.0-9.5 m in the open strip). | LIKELY |
Recommendations
- Deploy 7x U7 Pro XGS (buy 6 new @ ~PHP 22,700, reuse 1 from the old office) at the coordinates given in findings; do NOT proceed with only 5 — it fails both the devices-per-AP (60 vs 30-50) and the room-isolation tests.
- Change the switch line item from '8-port PoE TBD' to USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (400 W PoE+++, 10x 10GbE, US$699 / est. PHP 53k): 7x29 W = 203 W nameplate exceeds every 8-port option's 155 W budget. Uplink UCG-Fiber via 10G SFP+ DAC; keep the reused UCG-Fiber as gateway/controller (spec: 50+ devices, 500+ clients — adequate).
- Run certified Cat6A from the server room to all 7 positions (~250 m total, longest ~35 m); demand a fluke-style certification report per link and put WiFi acceptance criteria in the PO: ≥ -65 dBm on 5 GHz everywhere, ≥ -60 dBm at every desk, verified by post-install survey before the 50% completion payment.
- Set console country = Philippines before adoption (caps 5 GHz at 24 dBm EIRP and 6 GHz LPI at 24 dBm/250 mW legally); channel plan: 5 GHz 40 MHz unique per AP (dense APs on non-DFS 36/44/149/157), 6 GHz 80 MHz (never 160/320 — only 5925-6425 MHz exists in PH), 2.4 GHz on 3 APs only (ch 1/6/11, Low).
- Enable min-RSSI -75 dBm, 802.11k/v + fast roaming, band steering prefer-5/6 GHz, MLO on the corporate SSID; separate guest SSID on its own VLAN with rate limit; wire (don't WiFi) meeting-room TVs and printers.
- Do a 2-3 hour AP-on-a-stick validation at AP-2, AP-6 and AP-7 positions before drilling (drop-ceiling metal grid, ducting and the elevator core can shift optimal spots by 1-2 m); import the floor plan into UniFi Design Center (design.ui.com) for the client-facing coverage map.
- Order all hardware by ~15 July 2026: PH UniFi channel stock is thin and U7 Pro XGS/Pro XG 10 PoE are frequently backordered; mid-August deadline leaves one restock cycle of slack.
- Re-bid installation per-drop (PHP 3,500-5,000/drop, Cebu market) and consider a second quote from a structured-cabling contractor: Prowatcher is CCTV-first — fine for pulling cable, but require the RF acceptance survey contractually.
- Add a 1 kVA line-interactive UPS in the server room for gateway+switch (7 APs + switch + UCG ≈ 250 W real draw ≈ 15-20 min ride-through of Cebu brownouts).
- Plan the old→new office cutover: the reused UCG-Fiber and U7 Pro XGS can only move after the old office goes dark — if there is an overlap period, buy 7 new APs and keep the old unit as cold spare (adds PHP 22,700).
R1 Structured Cabling
Cat6A selection, containment, PEC separation rules, termination, Fluke certification deliverables.
Expert summary. For a 530 sqm, 150-staff Cebu office, 5 APs is under-provisioned: plan 7-8 U7 Pro XGS (4 along the 27 m open-plan west side, 1 conference SW, 1 meeting rooms NW, 1 south zone pantry/multi-purpose, 1 reception/lobby), which keeps every run under ~35 m from the central server room. At those lengths Cat6A U/UTP (CM/CMR or LSZH) is the correct 2026 pro choice for 10GBASE-T to WiFi 7 APs — F/UTP buys nothing at 5-8 loosely bundled short runs and adds bonding/grounding failure modes; Cat6 would technically carry 10G under 37-45 m but should not be specified for a new fit-out. Philippine practice (verified against a Philippine government structured-cabling TOR) is EMT or flexible metallic conduit stubs plus cable tray/J-hooks above the drop ceiling, PEC Chapter 8 (mirroring NEC 800) with 50 mm minimum separation from power (300 mm from parallel unshielded power as good practice), and plans signed by a licensed Electronics Engineer (RA 9292) with a PCAB-accredited contractor for the auxiliary/fit-out permit. One 305 m Cat6A box covers 7-8 single drops (~150-180 m used); pull 2 boxes if you add a spare drop per AP location while the ceiling is open — strongly recommended in a new fit-out. Critical error found in the old Prowatcher quote: it pairs a PoE+ injector with the U7 Pro XGS, which is a PoE++ (802.3bt, 29 W max) device — under-powering it disables radios; the right power source is a USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (8x 10GbE PoE++, 155 W, US$499, est. PHP 38-45k) which exactly fits 7-8 APs plus an SFP+ DAC uplink to the reused UCG-Fiber. Server room side: a 9U-12U wall rack (PHP 6-9k) with 24-port keystone patch panel, 1 kVA line-interactive UPS, and an 8 mm2 bond to the electrical ground bar; the 4.97 sqm room needs confirmed cooling/exhaust. Total budget lands around PHP 340k VAT-ex (~PHP 382k VAT-in) for the 7-AP build including containment, fire-stopping, labor and 10% contingency — order the switch and APs now, PH channel lead times of 2-6 weeks threaten the mid-August deadline more than the physical works do. Contract deliverables must include 100% Fluke DSX (Level III/IIIe) permanent-link or MPTL certification reports per drop, TIA-606-C labeling, and as-built drawings; the new fit-out is the single biggest cost lever — rough-in before ceiling boards close cuts labor roughly in half versus working above a finished ceiling.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| U7 Pro XGS is PoE++ (802.3bt), 29 W max — the old quote's PoE+ injector is a spec error | Same corpus-wide verified spec error (see Hardware / Quote Analysis): an 802.3at injector delivers only 25.5 W at the device vs 29 W max draw — the AP boots but browns out or disables radios under load. Every AP port must be 802.3bt or a 60 W injector. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| 5 APs is under-provisioned for 150 staff; 7-8 is the right count | Concurs with RF Design (owner of the count): 300–450 associated devices, 40–60 active clients/AP design limit. This expert's distinct point: 6 GHz propagation — not floor area — is the binding constraint, hence 4 APs at ~7 m spacing along the open-plan run in its variant. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
| Cable choice: Cat6A U/UTP, CM/CMR or LSZH jacket; F/UTP unnecessary here; don't spec Cat6 | All runs on this plan are 12-35 m. Alien crosstalk — the 10GBASE-T limiter that motivates F/UTP — is a bundle-density problem; 5-8 loosely-routed short runs don't trigger it. F/UTP requires 360-degree shield termination and bonded panels/jacks; pigtail-grounded shields lose up to ~90% effectiveness and PH installers routinely get this wrong, making a bad F/UTP install worse than good U/UTP. Cat6 carries 10G to ~37-55 m per TIA TSB-155 but has no headroom and no place in a new 2026 fit-out. Pros in 2026 pull Cat6A U/UTP (23 AWG) to WiFi 7 APs, one per AP, often plus a spare. | VERIFIED |
| Jacket/fire rating: PEC adopts NEC listings (CM/CMR/CMP); LSZH not mandated by Philippine code but often required by premium landlords | The PEC mirrors the NEC including Chapter 8 (Article 8.0 Communications Circuits). CMP (plenum) is only required if the ceiling void is used as return-air plenum — most PH commercial towers use ducted return, so CM/CMR is code-acceptable above the drop ceiling. Cebu Class-A landlords (Ayala/Cebu IT Park/CBP-type towers) commonly require flame-retardant IEC 60332-1 or LSZH in their fit-out guidelines rather than UL CMP. Must verify against THIS building's fit-out manual — a PHP ~5-10k/box price delta. | LIKELY |
| Containment standard in PH office fit-outs: EMT for homerun/backbone stubs, PVC or flexible metallic conduit for horizontal, tray along the hallway spine, all anchored to slab | Primary source (MARINA government structured-cabling TOR): 'All conduits for the backbone cables shall be EMT pipe with connector coupling'; horizontal homerun conduits PVC with coupling; cable trays min 300x100 mm with 30% spare, powder-coated or hot-dip galvanized, supports permanently anchored to the ceiling/slab. For an office this size the economical compliant scheme is: 25 mm (1") EMT stub-ups out of the server room, a light-duty wire-basket tray or J-hooks every 1.2-1.5 m along the hallway ceiling spine, and 20 mm flexible conduit (or open J-hook run) for the last few meters to each AP box. Data cables must never rest on ceiling tiles or tie to ceiling hanger wires. | VERIFIED |
| Separation from power: 50 mm code minimum (PEC Ch.8 = NEC 800.133), 300 mm good practice from parallel unshielded branch circuits, cross at 90 degrees | PEC follows the NEC rule: communications cables at least 50 mm from light/power conductors unless either is in a raceway or metal-sheathed. TIA-569 best practice adds ~300 mm from open/unshielded power runs and ~120 mm from fluorescent/ballast fixtures. Keep runs clear of the elevator machine room and any VFD feeders near the core. | VERIFIED |
| Licensing/permits: RA 9292 requires a licensed Electronics Engineer (ECE/PECE) to sign auxiliary/electronics plans; contractors for this trade are PCAB-accredited | RA 9292 (Electronics Engineering Law, 2004) reserves sign-and-seal of electronics installation documents to Professional Electronics Engineers; government TORs additionally require PCAB Category B 'Communication Facilities' accreditation plus one licensed EE and one licensed ECE on staff. For a commercial fit-out in Cebu City the building official + landlord will expect the data cabling shown on PECE-signed auxiliary drawings within the fit-out permit; BFP inspects fire-stopping for the occupancy/FSIC. | VERIFIED |
| Termination: MPTL or biscuit jack at the AP end; 24-port keystone patch panel at the server room; both certifiable | TIA-568.2-D recognizes MPTL (field-terminated RJ45 plug direct into the AP) for ceiling devices — cleanest for UniFi APs; the alternative is a surface-mount biscuit box/jack above the ceiling within 1 m of the AP plus a factory Cat6A patch cord. Either is professional; certify as MPTL or permanent link accordingly. Server side: all drops land on a 1U 24-port Cat6A keystone patch panel — never direct-to-switch. | VERIFIED |
| Rack: 9U-12U wall-mount fits UCG-Fiber + switch + panel + UPS with headroom; bond rack to electrical ground | Stack: patch panel 1U + cable organizer 1U + USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE 1U + shelf for UCG-Fiber 1U + rackmount/tower 1 kVA UPS 2U + 2-3U spare (future NVR/ONT/CCTV) = 9U minimum, 12U comfortable; 600 mm wide, >=450 mm deep. PH retail: Toten 6U ~PHP 4,850, 9U ~PHP 5,900. Grounding: bond rack/panel to the nearest panelboard ground bar with an insulated copper bonding conductor (8 mm2 / #8 AWG typical), per PEC grounding articles; mandatory anyway, and prerequisite if any shielded cabling is ever used. The 4.97 sqm room must have cooling/exhaust — a sealed room in Cebu ambient (30-34 C) with 150-300 W of continuous load will overheat a UPS. | VERIFIED |
| Cable run estimate for THIS plan: 8 runs total ~160-180 m; longest ~31-35 m; one 305 m box for single drops, two boxes with spares | Star at (8.5, 15) m from SW corner, hallway-ceiling Manhattan routing x1.2 factor + ~5 m per run (rack riser, drop, 3 m service loop, termination slack): AP1 open-plan S (5,8) ~18 m; AP2 open-plan C (5,15) ~12 m; AP3 open-plan N (5,22) ~18 m; AP4 open-plan far-N (5,29) ~26 m; AP5 meeting rooms NW (5,33) ~31 m; AP6 conference SW (4,4) ~24 m; AP7 south zone (11,4) ~21 m; AP8 reception/lobby (12,13) ~12 m. Totals: 5-AP minimal ~114 m, 7-AP ~150 m, 8-AP ~162 m; +10% offcuts = 165-180 m. All well under 45 m, so 10GBASE-T is unconditional. 1x 305 m box suffices for 8 single runs; 2 boxes if pulling a spare per location (~330-360 m). | LIKELY |
| Switch: USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE is the correct model — 8x 10GbE PoE++, 155 W budget, 2x SFP+ for the UCG-Fiber uplink | This expert accepted the 8-port switch on real-world draw (~13–18 W/AP ≈ 120–145 W for 8) with monitoring. Later experts overruled it once fixed devices and cameras entered the port budget — the corpus consensus is a 400 W class switch (see Network Architecture and Wired LAN & AV). Kept for the record. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| Testing/certification deliverables (contract language) | (1) 100% of links certified with a Level III/IIIe field tester (Fluke DSX series) to TIA-568.2-D Cat6A permanent-link or MPTL limits: wire map, length, propagation delay/skew, IL, RL, NEXT/PSNEXT, ACR-F/PSACR-F — the same parameter list the PH government TOR mandates; deliver LinkWare PDF + native .flw files. (2) TIA-606-C labeling both ends + panel ports (e.g., SR1-PP1-01 <-> AP-01), tamper-resistant machine-printed black-on-white. (3) As-built drawings: AP coordinates, routes, conduit/tray sizes, penetration locations. (4) 12-month workmanship warranty minimum. (5) Post-deployment WiFi validation heatmap (UniFi Design Center predictive now, on-site verification at handover) + per-AP iperf3 throughput proof. | VERIFIED |
| Prowatcher quote sanity: unit prices fair, but it's a 1-AP CCTV-company quote that doesn't scale to this scope | Unit prices fair (~30% PH channel markup — a usable benchmark); labor must be re-quoted: ₱30,000–60,000 labor + ₱25,000–35,000 containment/consumables for this scope. Demand the Fluke certification deliverable explicitly — a CCTV-first integrator will not volunteer it. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
Recommendations
- Go to 7 APs minimum (8 preferred): 4 spaced ~7 m apart along the open-plan west side, 1 conference SW, 1 meeting-rooms NW, 1 south zone (pantry/multi-purpose), 1 reception/lobby. Run UniFi Design Center predictive placement on the actual floor plan before drilling.
- Order long-lead items THIS WEEK: USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE and 6-7x U7 Pro XGS. PH channel stock for new UniFi SKUs is frequently indent (2-6 weeks) — this is the main threat to the mid-August deadline, not the works.
- Specify Cat6A U/UTP 23 AWG, CM/CMR (or LSZH if the landlord's fit-out manual requires it / if the void is return-air plenum, then CMP). Do NOT accept Cat6 or copper-clad-aluminum (CCA) — require solid pure-copper, Fluke-certifiable.
- Pull 2 cables to each AP location while the ceiling is open (one live, one spare/future) = 2x 305 m boxes; the marginal cost is ~PHP 15-20k now vs. 5x that after the ceiling closes.
- Drop the PoE+ injector from any new quote; power all APs from the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (802.3bt). Uplink switch to UCG-Fiber with a 10G SFP+ DAC.
- Containment: 25 mm EMT stub-ups from the server room, wire-basket tray or J-hooks (max 1.5 m spacing) along the hallway ceiling spine, 20 mm flexible conduit for final AP whips; maintain 300 mm from parallel power, cross at 90 degrees, never lay cable on ceiling tiles or tie to ceiling hanger wires, route AROUND the elevator core (north or south), never through it.
- Terminate AP ends as MPTL (field RJ45 plug) or biscuit jack + factory cord; land everything on a 24-port Cat6A keystone patch panel in a 12U wall rack; bond the rack to the electrical ground bar with 8 mm2 copper.
- Coordinate NOW with the fit-out contractor: get data cabling onto the PECE-signed auxiliary drawings in the fit-out permit, and schedule rough-in BEFORE ceiling boards/tiles close (target mid-July). This is the single biggest cost/schedule lever.
- Contractually require: 100% Fluke DSX Level III certification reports (PDF + .flw) per link, TIA-606-C labeling, as-built drawings, fire-stopped penetrations with intumescent sealant at any rated wall, 12-month workmanship warranty, and a post-install WiFi heatmap validation.
- Get 2-3 competing quotes (Prowatcher plus at least one structured-cabling-first Cebu contractor with PCAB accreditation); benchmark hardware against the verified unit prices and keep hardware supply separable from labor if a vendor marks up gear heavily.
- Confirm server-room cooling/exhaust for the 4.97 sqm room and put the rack on a 1 kVA line-interactive UPS (~9 min runtime at this load; gateway+switch+APs ~200 W).
R1 Cebu Contractors & Market
PCAB/RA 9292 legal layer, Cebu vendor landscape, ISP plans, install-labor calibration.
Expert summary. For a 530 sqm, ~150-seat office in Cebu City, the planned 5x U7 Pro XGS + UCG-Fiber design is directionally right but should grow to 6 APs (3 over the 178 sqm open-plan west side, 1 NW meeting cluster, 1 reception/core, 1 south multi-purpose/pantry zone) with 8 Cat6A drops pulled (2 spares) from the central server room — worst-case runs are only ~45 m, well inside spec. Legally, a fit-out of this value requires a PCAB-licensed contractor (RA 4566 exemption stops at PHP 50,000) and the electronics/structured-cabling plans in any building-permit path must be signed by a licensed Electronics Engineer under RA 9292; building PMOs additionally demand a permit-to-work, contractor insurance (COI), worker gate passes, and usually after-hours schedules for noisy work. The Prowatcher quote is a useful price anchor but shows ~31-35% markup over US MSRP on hardware (U7 Pro XGS PHP 22,700 VAT-ex vs $299 ≈ PHP 17,300) and its PHP 7,000 install was a mobilization-dominated single-AP job that must not be scaled linearly; also its "PoE+ injector" is under-spec since the U7 Pro XGS requires PoE++ (802.3bt, 29 W max). Prowatcher is primarily a CCTV/fire-alarm/security integrator — competent for small jobs, but a dedicated cabling/ICT firm is the better fit, and Cebu has several: iConnect Technologies (authorized Ubiquiti distributor with a Cebu office), HPS ICT (Mandaue, Siemon certified installer), Foxcon Total Solutions, Above Infranet, InstallersPH, and TechTalk Networks. The correct switch is the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (8x 10GbE PoE++, 2x SFP+, US$499, ~PHP 38-42k landed) — 10G matches the APs' XGS ports — but its 155 W PoE budget is paper-tight for 6 APs at max draw (174 W), fine at typical draw (~100 W), with the UCG-Fiber's 30 W PoE port as overflow. For internet, Converge FlexiBIZ Plan 18000 (1000/500 Mbps, PHP 18,000/mo, PHP 5,000 install, 24-mo lock-in) is the verified best published business plan, with RISE (present across Cebu IT Park buildings) or PLDT iGate as quote-based dedicated options and a cheap diverse second line (Globe GFiber Biz 800 Mbps at PHP 2,499/mo promo) for UCG-Fiber multi-WAN failover; GPON handoffs arrive as RJ45 from the ISP ONU (no media converter — use the UCG-Fiber's 10G RJ45 WAN), while true DIA can hand off fiber straight into its 10G SFP+ WAN. Total core budget lands around PHP 240,000-280,000 VAT-inclusive excluding ISP; the critical path is ordering the internet circuit and the APs now, since DIA provisioning (30-60 days) and thin PH stock of U7 Pro XGS are the two items that can blow the mid-August deadline.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| PCAB license is legally required for this job (RA 4566) | The Contractor's License Law (RA 4566) requires a PCAB-licensed contractor for construction contracting above PHP 50,000 project cost — a ~PHP 250k cabling fit-out is squarely covered. Government TORs for structured cabling (e.g., MARINA) additionally demand PCAB 'Communication Facilities' classification plus a licensed ECE and electrical engineer on staff. Any candidate vendor can be checked in ~1 minute at pcab.construction.gov.ph/verify. Enforcement on small private fit-outs is loose in practice, but the building-permit/PMO path makes compliance the safe default. | VERIFIED |
| RA 9292: electronics/structured-cabling plans need an ECE sign-off in the permit path | Under the Electronics Engineering Law of 2004 (RA 9292), electronics/communications plans — explicitly including data/structured cabling and auxiliary (ELV) systems — submitted with a building or fit-out permit must be signed and sealed by a licensed Electronics Engineer (ECE/PECE). The 2026 Philippine commercial fit-out checklist (Corebilt) confirms 'Electronics/Communications Plans: ECE-signed'. The architect's DPWH-headed draft plan suggests a formal permit route is active, so budget for an ECE-signed low-voltage sheet. | VERIFIED |
| Landlord/PMO typically requires permit-to-work, COI, gate passes, CSHP | Philippine Class A/B office buildings (pattern per RCBC Plaza and DBP fit-out guidelines) require: PMO 'Permit to Renovate/Work', contractor business permit + PCAB copy, certificate of insurance/all-risk coverage, submitted worker name lists with IDs for gate passes, hauling and after-hours schedules (drilling/noisy work often restricted to nights/weekends), sometimes a refundable fit-out bond. DOLE requires a Construction Safety & Health Program for construction activity; a full-time safety officer only kicks in at 15+ workers or PHP 3M+ (not this job). | LIKELY |
| Prowatcher hardware pricing is ~31-35% over US MSRP; PH street can be tighter | Prowatcher (Jan-2026, VAT-ex): U7 Pro XGS PHP 22,700 vs US MSRP $299 (≈PHP 17,300 at ~58/USD) = +31%; UCG-Fiber PHP 21,900 vs $279 (≈PHP 16,200) = +35%. Calibration: InfoBahn (Manila reseller) lists the U7 Pro at PHP 13,000 vs $189 MSRP (≈PHP 10,900) = +19%. So 20-25% over US MSRP is achievable through the authorized channel; expect to negotiate ~PHP 19,500-21,000/unit for U7 Pro XGS on a 5-unit order. | VERIFIED |
| The old quote's PHP 7,000 install is mobilization-heavy — do not scale linearly | Effectively a minimum call-out charge for one AP. A grouped 8-drop ceiling job in one mobilization prices at ₱2,000–4,000/drop labor → ₱25,000–45,000 total (2–3 days, 3–4 techs). Full deconstruction under Quote Analysis. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
| U7 Pro XGS requires PoE++ (802.3bt), 29 W max — the quoted 'PoE+ injector' is under-spec | Same corpus-wide verified finding — see Hardware. Any new BOM must use 802.3bt switch ports or U-PoE++ injectors. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| Right switch = USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE, but PoE budget is paper-tight | Proposed the 8-port with the UCG-Fiber's single 30 W PoE+ port as overflow at 6 APs. Superseded by the 400 W-class consensus (see Network Architecture / Wired LAN & AV) once 7 APs + printers/TVs/cameras were counted. Useful verified detail retained: a 2.5G PoE+ switch cannot legitimately power these APs. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| UCG-Fiber handles the ISP handoff directly — no media converter needed | UCG-Fiber ports (official specs): 1x 10G SFP+ WAN + 1x 10GbE RJ45 WAN (up to 6 WAN total for failover), 2x 10G SFP+ LAN, 4x 2.5GbE LAN, 30 W PoE out, 5 Gbps IDS/IPS routing, manages 50+ UniFi devices / 500+ clients. GPON ISPs (PLDT/Globe/Converge) hand off RJ45 from their ONU — plug straight into the 10G RJ45 WAN (request bridge mode + static IP). A dedicated (DIA) circuit delivering fiber LC can terminate directly in the SFP+ WAN with the provider-specified transceiver. | VERIFIED |
| AP count: 6 recommended for 530 sqm / 150 staff, not 5 | This expert landed on 6 APs + 8 drops (2 spares); the corpus consensus settled on 7 (RF Design owns the math). Directionally identical: capacity — not coverage — drives the count; worst run ≈ 45 m, trivially within spec. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
| Cebu vendor landscape: real candidates exist; Prowatcher is a security integrator, not a cabling house | Candidates: (1) iConnect Technologies — authorized Ubiquiti distributor + dealer, Unit 11L Avenir Bldg, Archbishop Reyes Ave, Cebu City, (032) 252-1122 — both equipment source and integrator; (2) HPS ICT Inc., Mandaue City — Siemon Certified Installer, dedicated structured cabling; (3) Foxcon Total Solutions Inc. (ftsi.com.ph) — Cebu cabling/communication-systems contractor; (4) Above Infranet Solutions — Cebu-based network infrastructure/deployment across Visayas-Mindanao; (5) InstallersPH — structured cabling, serves Cebu City/Mandaue/Lapu-Lapu, 6+ years; (6) TechTalk Networks — Cebu City structured cabling + auxiliary/ELV; (7) IT Warehouse (itwarehouse.ph) — official Ubiquiti dealer, quote-based; (8) MEC Networks Corp (Quezon City) — national Ubiquiti distributor for supply; (9) Prowatcher Security Systems Inc. — Capitol Centrum, N. Escario St, Cebu, +63 32 416 7413, branches in Gilmore/Pampanga — product lines are fire alarm, intrusion, CCTV, access control, PA/intercom, 'wireless network systems'. Prowatcher can execute a 6-AP job and knows the account, but TIA-568-grade certified Cat6A work is more natural to a dedicated cabling firm; use Prowatcher as one of three competing quotes. | VERIFIED |
| Internet: Converge FlexiBIZ 1G/500M at PHP 18,000/mo is the best verified published plan | Verified from convergeict.com/sme: FlexiBIZ Plan 18000 = up to 1000/500 Mbps for PHP 18,000/mo (tiers from 100/50 at PHP 2,000 to 800/400 at PHP 15,000); PHP 5,000 installation, 24-month lock-in, symmetric-leaning fiber with daytime double-speed variants. Cheap diverse second line: Globe GFiber Biz Plan 2499 (800 Mbps promo, free install) or Converge's consumer 1 Gbps at PHP 2,599. Dedicated (CIR 1:1) options: RISE — physically present in Cebu IT Park buildings (The Link, TGU Tower, Skyrise 1, Cebu IT Towers 1/2, i2/i3) with sub-10-min support response claims, quote-based; PLDT iGate DIA and Globe Business DIA are custom-quoted (historically roughly PHP 150-500/Mbps/mo — order of magnitude, not a quote); DCTech (dctechmicro.com) is a Cebu-founded (1989) local ISP with 'DataConnect' symmetric business fiber and 24/7 local helpdesk. Broadband-class installs typically land in 5-15 business days in lit buildings; DIA with building-entry permits commonly takes 30-60 days — that is the deadline risk. | LIKELY |
| Ubiquiti PH channel: buy through authorized distribution for warranty; stock is thin | Authorized channel: MEC Networks Corp (Quezon City HQ, national distributor) and iConnect Technologies (authorized distributor/dealer with a Cebu office); IT Warehouse is an official dealer. Warranty/RMA runs through the local distributor (typically 12 months; Prowatcher quoted 12-mo parts + services). Grey imports (Shopee/Lazada/Ubuy) save little and lose local RMA. Availability warning: InfoBahn showed the plain U7 Pro 'Sold out'; U7 Pro XGS (launched 2025) has thin PH stock — distributors quote 2-4 week indent lead times on WiFi 7 gear, so a July order is needed for mid-August. Buying hardware through the chosen installer keeps a single warranty throat at ~5-10% premium — acceptable; buying separately from iConnect/MEC saves that margin but splits accountability. | LIKELY |
Recommendations
- Upgrade the design from 5 to 6x U7 Pro XGS (1 reused + 5 new) and pull 8 Cat6A F/UTP drops (2 spares) from the central server room: 3 APs across the open-plan west strip at 10-12 m spacing, 1 in the NW meeting/conference cluster, 1 at reception/elevator core, 1 over the south multi-purpose/pantry zone; validate with the installer's site survey and UniFi Design Center before drilling.
- Choose the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (10GbE PoE++, 155 W, ~US$499 / est. PHP 38-42k) over any 2.5G PoE+ switch — the APs are 802.3bt devices with 10G uplinks; if a 7th AP is ever added, power it from the UCG-Fiber's 30 W PoE port or a U-PoE++ injector rather than upsizing the switch.
- Run a 3-quote tender in week of July 6: iConnect Technologies (authorized Ubiquiti + integrator, Cebu), one dedicated cabling firm (HPS ICT Mandaue or Foxcon FTSI or Above Infranet), and Prowatcher as incumbent comparison; require in each quote: PCAB license number (verify at pcab.construction.gov.ph/verify), ECE-signed as-built/low-voltage plan, TIA-568 test reports per drop, itemized VAT-ex pricing, and 12-month parts+labor warranty.
- Do not scale Prowatcher's PHP 7,000 single-AP install linearly: target PHP 25,000-45,000 total labor for the 8-drop grouped job plus ~PHP 25,000-35,000 materials, and push hardware unit prices toward +20-25% over US MSRP (~PHP 19,500-21,000 per U7 Pro XGS) using the InfoBahn/distributor benchmark as leverage.
- Order internet circuits NOW (first week of July): primary Converge FlexiBIZ Plan 18000 (1000/500 Mbps, PHP 18,000/mo, PHP 5,000 install) or a RISE dedicated quote if the building is RISE-lit; add a diverse-provider backup (Globe GFiber Biz 800 Mbps, PHP 2,499/mo) and configure UCG-Fiber multi-WAN failover; request bridge mode + static IP on the primary.
- Ask the landlord/PMO for the fit-out guidelines immediately and fold the cabling scope under the main fit-out contractor's permit if one is engaged — its ECE-signed electronics sheet covers the cabling and avoids a separate permit cycle; otherwise budget 2-3 weeks for permits, COI, and gate-pass processing.
- Sequence for the mid-Aug deadline: vendor selected + hardware ordered by July 17; cabling + AP mounting (3-5 working days, likely some after-hours) by Aug 1; ISP activated and cutover + 1-week soak by Aug 8, leaving a 1-week buffer.
- Reuse the UCG-Fiber and one U7 Pro XGS from the old office but plan a controlled decommission (factory-keep configs, re-adopt at new site); confirm with Prowatcher whether their 12-month warranty survives relocation by a different installer.
- Buy the 5 new APs and switch either bundled with the winning installer (single warranty throat) or direct from iConnect/MEC if the installer marks up >10%; avoid Shopee/Lazada grey stock — no local RMA.
- In the server room (4.97 sqm), spec a 9U wall rack, Cat6A patch panel, UPS (1kVA line-interactive) and label/test every drop; terminate all 8 drops even if only 6 APs mount now.
R1 Quote Analysis
Line-by-line deconstruction of the Prowatcher Jan-2026 quote: pricing, spec errors, T&C red flags.
Expert summary. The Prowatcher quote is legitimate but padded on hardware and structurally risky on terms. U7 Pro XGS at PHP 22,700 ex-VAT is ~23% above the USD-converted $299 MSRP (PHP ~18,420 at 61.62 PHP/USD) and ~10% above expected Cebu street price (~PHP 20,700 ex-VAT, calibrated against PC Express selling the U7 Pro at PHP 14,650 vs $189 MSRP); the UCG-Fiber at PHP 21,900 ex-VAT is ~13% above expected (~PHP 19,300). The most serious technical error: they quoted a PoE+ injector, but the U7 Pro XGS officially requires PoE++ (802.3bt, 29W max draw) — a PoE+ injector is under-spec, suggesting limited UniFi design depth from a CCTV-first integrator. The PHP 7,000 install fee is effectively a minimum call-out charge for one AP (acceptable), but must never be extrapolated linearly to 6 APs (would be PHP ~44k); a fair 6-drop new-fit-out install in Cebu is PHP 25,000-33,000 including commissioning. For the new 530 sqm office with ~150 staff (300-450 concurrent clients), 6 APs total is the right count (XGS covers ~160 sqm and 500+ clients each), so buy 5 new plus reuse 1; pair with the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE ($499 MSRP, 8x 10GbE PoE++, 155W budget) and power the 6th AP from the reused UCG-Fiber's own 30W PoE port to stay inside the switch's PoE budget. Fair projected total for the full scope (5 new APs, 10G PoE++ switch, ~200m/1 box Cat6A, patch panel, 9U rack, 1kVA UPS, labor, testing, commissioning) is ~PHP 209,300 ex-VAT / ~PHP 234,400 VAT-inclusive. T&C red flags to renegotiate: 'installation cost depends on survey' (quote not firm), 50% down with PDC and retention of title, prices changeable without notice, and a 12-month vendor warranty that may undercut Ubiquiti's own manufacturer warranty. Given the mid-August deadline (~6 weeks) and PH stock/lead-time risk on the XGS and the 10G switch, hardware should be ordered by mid-July regardless of which installer wins; recommend a light 3-quote tender (Prowatcher requote vs 2 structured-cabling/IT integrators, optionally buying hardware direct from MEC Networks, the official PH Ubiquiti distributor) with a keep-Prowatcher decision gate.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| U7 Pro XGS quoted ~10% above expected PH street price | US MSRP $299 (store.ui.com, verified). At 61.62 PHP/USD (BSP/PhilNews 2026-07-02) straight conversion = PHP 18,424. PH street calibration: PC Express lists the U7 Pro ($189 MSRP) at PHP 14,650 VAT-inc = 1.26x conversion; applying the same importer ratio to the XGS gives ~PHP 23,200 VAT-inc / ~PHP 20,700 ex-VAT expected. Prowatcher's PHP 22,700 ex-VAT (PHP 25,424 VAT-inc) is ~PHP 2,000/unit (~10%) high — negotiable, not egregious. | VERIFIED |
| UCG-Fiber quoted ~13% above expected street | US MSRP $279 (store.ui.com, verified; Micro Center $249.99). Conversion = PHP 17,192; expected PH street ~PHP 19,300 ex-VAT. Prowatcher's PHP 21,900 ex-VAT is ~PHP 2,600 (~13%) padded. Moot for the new office: the UCG-Fiber is being reused, so this line should not reappear. | VERIFIED |
| SPEC ERROR: quoted PoE+ injector cannot properly power a U7 Pro XGS | Official techspecs.ui.com: U7 Pro XGS power method is PoE++ (802.3bt), max consumption 29W — above the ~25.5W deliverable at the device end of a PoE+ (802.3at) injector. Ubiquiti's correct part is the U-PoE++ 60W 802.3bt injector (~$29 USD). The PHP 1,500 price itself is fair for a branded injector, but it is the wrong standard — and in the new design injectors are unnecessary (PoE++ switch + UCG-Fiber PoE port). This mistake in a 4-line quote signals limited UniFi design experience. | VERIFIED |
| Installation PHP 7,000 + 380 = minimum call-out, not a scalable rate | PHP 7,380 (~$120) turnkey for one AP drop including mobilization/demob, pulling, termination, testing, commissioning is fair-to-cheap vs US benchmarks ($200-350/Cat6A drop) and reflects PH labor cost; treat it as a crew-day minimum. Linear extrapolation to 6 APs (PHP ~44,300) would be heavily padded. Fair Cebu pricing for 6 drops in a new fit-out with open ceilings: mobilization ~PHP 4,000 + PHP 2,000-3,000/drop pull-terminate-test + PHP 8,000 UniFi commissioning = PHP 25,500-33,000 total labor. The PHP 380 materials line for connectors+cables+pipes is implausibly small — real consumables for 6 drops run PHP 15,000-20,000 (cable box excluded). | LIKELY |
| 6 APs is the right count for 530.62 sqm / ~150 staff; 5 new + 1 reused | Landed on 6 APs; the corpus consensus is 7 (see RF Design). Agrees on the essentials: capacity-driven count, longest run ~35–40 m ceiling-routed, one 305 m Cat6A box covers the AP drops with spare. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
| Switch choice: USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE ($499) — but PoE budget is tight at 6 APs | Proposed 5 APs on the 8-port switch (145 W nameplate) + the 6th on the UCG-Fiber's verified 30 W PoE output. Superseded by the 400 W-class consensus. Estimated PH street for the 8-port: ~₱34,500 ex-VAT (1.26× import ratio). (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| Prowatcher is a CCTV/security-first integrator, not a Wi-Fi specialist | prowatchersecurity.com + Facebook/LinkedIn: core lines are fire alarm, intrusion, IP CCTV, access control/biometrics; brands Dahua, Hikvision, ZKTeco, AVTECH, Huawei, Ruijie — Ubiquiti is one of many resale lines. Branches Cebu (Capitol Centrum, N. Escario), Gilmore, Pampanga. Competent for cable pulls; RF design (channel plan, 6 GHz, roaming tuning) should be specified by you, not assumed from them. MEC Networks Corporation (mec.ph) is the official Ubiquiti PH distributor and a direct hardware-sourcing alternative. | VERIFIED |
| Exchange rate and supporting component prices | USD/PHP 61.62 on 2026-07-02 (peso down 9.3% YoY — FX risk on any re-quote). Verified PH prices: APC Easy UPS BV1000I-MS 1000VA/600W = PHP 5,720 (PC Express); 9U wall-mount rack w/ glass door = PHP 5,900 (DynaQuest, Toten); Cat6A 305 m box (D-Link 23AWG on Lazada PH) estimated PHP 8,000-12,000 (listing confirmed available, exact price not displayed; Belden Cat6 = PHP 12,500 as upper anchor). | VERIFIED |
| VAT arithmetic on the old quote is correct but the anchor is stale | 53,480 x 12% = 6,417.60 → 59,897.60 checks out. However the quote is dated 13-Jan-2026 and their T&Cs allow price change without notice; with the peso ~9% weaker YoY, a re-quote could come in higher — lock pricing at PO with 30-day validity. | VERIFIED |
Recommendations
- Order hardware by mid-July regardless of installer choice: PH stock of U7 Pro XGS and USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE is thin (PC Express shows U7-series items out of stock/pre-order), and import lead time is 2-4 weeks against the mid-August deadline. Get stock confirmation in writing before issuing any PO.
- Split the decision: source hardware from the cheapest of (a) Prowatcher re-quote, (b) MEC Networks (official Ubiquiti PH distributor, mec.ph), (c) direct import via store.ui.com; contract installation labor separately if the bundled premium exceeds ~10%.
- Design: 6x U7 Pro XGS total (buy 5, reuse 1), USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE as the single PoE++ 10G switch, reuse UCG-Fiber as gateway/controller and use its 30W PoE port for the 6th AP. Delete the PoE+ injector line entirely — wrong standard for the XGS and redundant.
- Target prices to negotiate: U7 Pro XGS <= PHP 20,500-21,500 ex-VAT (they quoted 22,700); if they hold at 22,700, ask them to throw in the injector-replacement and commissioning instead. Whole-project fair value ~PHP 209k ex-VAT / ~PHP 234k VAT-inc — treat anything above PHP 260k VAT-inc as padded.
- Contract terms to demand: (1) fixed lump-sum price issued AFTER a free/credited site survey, before PO — refuse 'installation cost depends on survey' as a post-PO variable; (2) 30/70 or 40/60 payment instead of 50/50, final payment against acceptance tests; avoid PDCs, pay by bank transfer on milestones; (3) 30-day price validity locked at PO (their 'prices may change without notice' clause + weak peso is real exposure); (4) delete or cap retention-of-title once final payment clears; (5) warranty: manufacturer (Ubiquiti) warranty passed through in full via authorized channel (proof of MEC sourcing), plus 12-month workmanship on cabling; confirm units are not grey imports or RMA is void.
- Acceptance criteria to write into the PO: per-drop cable certification/qualification report (all 6 links), labeled patch panel and as-built drawing, UniFi controller adoption with agreed SSID/VLAN plan, post-install Wi-Fi validation walk (RSSI >= -65 dBm in all named rooms including conference, meeting 01/02, pantry, multi-purpose hall), and handover of all admin credentials to Software Club (not vendor-held).
- Keep-or-switch decision gate (score Prowatcher, keep if >=4/5): (1) new-scope re-quote within 10% of the PHP 234k VAT-inc benchmark; (2) shows >= 2 reference UniFi deployments of 5+ APs (not CCTV); (3) accepts fixed price post-survey + warranty pass-through + revised payment terms; (4) confirms hardware stock allocation by ~Jul 18 and install window in the first week of August; (5) commits to per-link test reports and the acceptance criteria above. If they fail the gate, tender to 2 Cebu structured-cabling/IT integrators with the same one-page scope so quotes are comparable.
- Schedule for the mid-August deadline: Jul 4-11 survey + 3 quotes; Jul 14 award + PO + hardware order; Jul 28-Aug 8 cabling during fit-out (cheapest while ceilings are open — coordinate with the fit-out contractor NOW so containment/conduit goes in before ceiling closure); Aug 11-14 AP mounting, commissioning, validation walk; keeps ~2 weeks of buffer.
R1 Network Architecture
VLAN/SSID plan, 802.1X vs PPSK, Entra ID RADIUS, WPA3 strategy, guest-WiFi privacy compliance.
Expert summary. For the new 530.62 sqm Cebu office (150 staff, ~300-400 concurrent WiFi clients), the client's 5-AP / 8-port-switch assumption is under-provisioned in two verified ways: capacity (150 dense seats in the 178 sqm open plan means 5 APs would carry 75+ devices each; 7x U7 Pro XGS at roughly one AP per 75 sqm is the right count) and power (the U7 Pro XGS requires PoE++ 802.3bt at 29W max, so the quoted PHP 1,500 PoE+ injector and any 8-port PoE+ switch cannot run it at full capability, and 5-7 APs at 29W overruns the 155W budget of the only 8-port PoE++ option). The pragmatic fix is one USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE (8x 2.5GbE PoE++ + 16x GbE PoE+, 400W, 2x SFP+, PHP 69,000 locally) as the single server-room switch, feeding 7 APs and leaving 16 ports for printers, meeting-room TVs and future CCTV, uplinked over SFP+ to the reused UCG-Fiber. The UCG-Fiber is verified comfortably sufficient: 5 Gbps IDS/IPS, zone-based inter-VLAN firewalling, 500+ client rating, integrated RADIUS with RadSec — full IPS at 1 Gbps fiber line rate with 5x headroom. Logical design: 4 VLANs + optional CCTV VLAN (MGMT, CORP /23, GUEST, IoT/printers) carried on only 3 SSIDs to keep WiFi 7 beacon overhead negligible (stay at or under 4 SSIDs per band — UniFi itself caps at 4 with meshing on). For auth, the cybersecurity-appropriate target is 802.1X EAP-TLS tied to Entra ID via Intune Cloud PKI (USD 2/user/mo add-on) plus a RadSec-capable cloud RADIUS (RADIUSaaS ~EUR 1.50/user/mo); day-one fallback is UniFi per-user PPSK (free, VLAN-assigning, but manual offboarding). Guest WiFi should be voucher-based with no personal-data collection to stay trivially compliant with the Philippine Data Privacy Act (RA 10173) — a data-collecting captive portal would trigger consent, privacy-notice, retention and DPO obligations under the NPC's IRR. Total incremental capex lands around PHP 306,000 VAT-ex (~PHP 342,000 net of 12% VAT) including 6 new APs, the 24-port PoE++ switch, rack/UPS/patch-panel and ~13 Cat6A drops — versus reusing the UCG-Fiber and one existing U7 Pro XGS. Deadline risk is low on hardware (all SKUs stocked by PH distributors) but the structured-cabling survey, ISP fiber provisioning lead time, and ceiling type must be confirmed in July to hold the mid-August date.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| UCG-Fiber passes the capability check with large margin | Verified specs: 5 Gbps IDS/IPS throughput, stateful + zone-based L7 firewall with 55,000+ IPS signatures, manages 50+ UniFi devices and 500+ clients, ports 2x 10G SFP+ + 1x 10GbE RJ45 WAN + 4x 2.5GbE, integrated RADIUS server AND RADIUS-over-TLS (RadSec). At a 1 Gbps fiber WAN it runs full IDS/IPS plus inter-VLAN firewalling with ~5x headroom. This deployment is 9 UniFi devices and ~375 peak clients — inside rating but near the client ceiling, so do not also route a future 2nd floor through it. | VERIFIED |
| U7 Pro XGS requires PoE++ (802.3bt), 29W max — the quoted PoE+ injector is wrong for it | Same corpus-wide verified finding — see Hardware. PoE+ delivers only 25.5 W at the device; every AP port on whatever switch is chosen must provide 802.3bt. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| An 8-port PoE switch is mathematically too tight for this AP count | The only 8-port PoE++ UniFi option, USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (8x 10GbE PoE++ 60W/port, USD 499), has a 155W total budget: 5 APs x 29W = 145W (94% on paper), 7 APs = 203W (over). It also leaves zero ports for printers/TVs/CCTV. USW-Pro-Max-16-PoE (USD 399) is worse: only 4 of its 16 ports are PoE++ / 2.5GbE. Correct sizes: USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE (8x 2.5GbE PoE++ + 16x GbE PoE+, 400W, 2x SFP+, USD 799 / PHP 69,000 at XBSAsia PH) or premium USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (10x 10GbE all-PoE+++, 400W, USD 699). | VERIFIED |
| AP count: 7x U7 Pro XGS, not 5 — capacity-driven, not coverage-driven | Concurs with RF Design: 300–375 concurrent clients ⇒ ~50 devices/AP at 7 APs vs 75+ at 5 (degraded). Adds one thing: cable an 8th spare drop into the SW conference room while the ceiling is open. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
| 3 SSIDs is the right count; UniFi effectively caps at 4 per band | Each SSID beacons per band per AP at the lowest basic rate; UniFi guidance and community consensus: keep SSIDs to a minimum, and enabling wireless meshing hard-limits UniFi APs to 4 SSIDs per band. Plan: (1) 'SWC-Corp' 5+6 GHz, (2) 'SWC-Guest' 2.4+5 GHz with portal + client isolation + 10/10 Mbps rate limit, (3) 'SWC-IoT' 2.4 GHz WPA2-PSK for printers/TVs. VLANs ride behind these — you do not need an SSID per VLAN (PPSK/RADIUS assign VLANs on one SSID). Disable meshing (all APs wired), raise 2.4/5 GHz minimum basic rate to 12-24 Mbps. | VERIFIED |
| VLAN plan (5 networks) with zone-based firewalling on the UCG-Fiber | VLAN 10 MGMT 10.20.10.0/24 (APs, switch, gateway UI — no SSID); VLAN 20 CORP 10.20.20.0/23 (needs ~400 addresses at 150 staff x 2-3 devices; a /24 would exhaust); VLAN 30 GUEST 10.20.30.0/24 (isolated, internet-only); VLAN 40 IoT/PRINT 10.20.40.0/24 (printers, TVs; allow CORP->IoT for printing, deny IoT->CORP); VLAN 50 CCTV 10.20.50.0/24 (future UniFi Protect, no internet). DHCP served by UCG-Fiber per VLAN (corp lease 12h, guest 2h); DNS via UCG with DoH/filtered upstream; no on-prem AD (Entra shop) so no internal DNS zone dependency. | LIKELY |
| PPSK vs 802.1X: both are native UniFi features; 802.1X wins for 150 staff at a security company | UniFi supports Private Pre-Shared Keys with per-key VLAN assignment on one SSID (works with all client types, zero extra cost) and RADIUS-assigned VLANs via 802.1X (WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise clients only). At 150 users, PPSK means 150 manually lifecycle-managed keys with no Entra tie (offboarding is manual, though UniFi's API allows scripting). 802.1X EAP-TLS gives per-user certificates auto-revoked with the Entra account — the right target for Dedale. Note: UCG-Fiber's built-in RADIUS server authenticates only LOCAL UniFi user entries — it cannot validate against Entra ID, so it is fine for VPN/wired MAC auth but not as the corp WiFi IdP. | VERIFIED |
| Entra-integrated RADIUS: cloud RadSec provider + Intune Cloud PKI is the standard 2026 pattern | Entra ID has no native RADIUS; password-based EAP (MSCHAPv2) cannot work against cloud-only Entra, so EAP-TLS with certificates is the path. Verified pricing: Microsoft Cloud PKI = USD 2/user/mo standalone add-on on Intune Plan 1 (or included in Intune Suite, USD 10/user/mo, list June 2026); RADIUSaaS ~EUR 1.50/user/mo up to 275 users and supports Microsoft Cloud PKI + native RadSec — which the UCG-Fiber explicitly supports, giving TLS-encrypted RADIUS to the cloud with no on-prem proxy VM. Alternatives: SecureW2 (RADIUS+PKI bundle, quote-based), Portnox (NAC-grade, quote-based), EZRADIUS/IronWiFi (budget, from ~USD 14/mo). On-prem FreeRADIUS/NPS is not recommended: no AD on site and it adds a server to patch. | VERIFIED |
| WPA3 strategy: transition mode on 2.4/5 GHz, WPA3-only is mandatory on 6 GHz | 6 GHz forbids WPA2 by spec — any SSID broadcasting on 6 GHz must be WPA3-only (and WiFi 7 MLO requires WPA3). Verified gotchas: WPA2/WPA3 transition mode exists only for Personal/PSK, not Enterprise, and some legacy clients (Android <=9, old Marvell-chipset laptops, older IoT) misbehave even in transition mode. Design: SWC-Corp as WPA3-Enterprise on 5+6 GHz (corp fleet is modern Windows/Mac — verify); SWC-Guest as WPA2/WPA3 transition on 2.4+5 GHz only; SWC-IoT as WPA2-PSK 2.4 GHz. PMF: required on WPA3-only, optional on transition. | VERIFIED |
| Philippine DPA (RA 10173): a data-collecting captive portal creates real obligations; a voucher portal avoids nearly all of them | Collecting names/emails/mobile numbers at a guest portal is 'processing of personal information' under RA 10173 and its amended IRR: requires freely-given, specific, informed consent evidenced by written/electronic means, a privacy notice at point of collection, purpose limitation, a retention schedule, breach notification to the NPC within 72 hours, and a designated DPO. NPC registration of data processing systems applies at >=250 employees or >=1,000 records of sensitive personal information (NPC Circular 16-01/2022-04 criteria). Recommended: UniFi voucher-based guest access handed out at reception with NO personal data fields — DHCP/firewall logs still count as limited processing, so keep guest logs to 30 days and mention guest WiFi in the office privacy notice. | VERIFIED |
| Management/backup: Site Manager + cloud config backup are built in; UCG restore is config-only | unifi.ui.com Site Manager gives remote multi-site management; with the gateway tied to a Ubiquiti account, automatic cloud backups are available and a replacement gateway restores the whole network config (same-or-newer UniFi OS required). Recommended policy: UI account with enforced MFA (hardware key for admins), weekly scheduled local backup additionally pulled off-box (their TRMM/Forgejo can archive the .unf), firmware 'Official' channel only — APs/switches auto-update in a Sunday 02:00 PHT window, gateway updated manually after a 2-week soak, never Early Access in production. Alerting: Site Manager notifications + webhook into Teams; the spectral-scanning radio in the XGS gives per-AP RF interference visibility. | VERIFIED |
| Server room (4.97 sqm) build-out: 12U rack, 24-48 port patch panel, ~23-port budget, UPS sized for brownouts | Port budget beyond WiFi: 8 AP drops (7 live + 1 spare) + 3 printers + 2 meeting-room/conference TVs + 4 future CCTV + 2 SFP+ uplinks + ~4 misc/wired-desk = ~23 ports -> the 24-port PoE switch is right-sized with the 8-port idea definitively rejected. Fit a 12U wall rack, 24-port Cat6A patch panel (48-port frame if budget allows), horizontal manager, PDU, and a 1.5 kVA line-interactive UPS (Visayas grid brownouts are routine; ~500W max load = UCG 60W + switch 210W full PoE + headroom gives ~20-30 min runtime). Heat: ~400-500W continuous in 5 sqm needs a dedicated split-type AC or transfer fan — confirm with fit-out contractor. UCG-Fiber accepts the ISP fiber directly on SFP+ or via ONU; add the USD 19 NVMe tray + 1TB drive if UniFi Protect CCTV is wanted later (5-8 cameras, 10-14 days retention). | LIKELY |
| Local pricing anchors verified | Prowatcher Jan-2026 quote: U7 Pro XGS PHP 22,700, UCG-Fiber PHP 21,900 (vs US MSRP USD 300 / USD 279 — ~1.3x import factor, normal for PH). XBSAsia.ph lists USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE 400W at PHP 69,000 (US MSRP USD 799). PH distributors: MEC Networks (official UBNT distributor), XBSAsia, Benson Computers (Cebu branch exists). Hardware availability is not a deadline risk; installation labor will re-quote after survey ('depends on survey' per Prowatcher terms). | VERIFIED |
Recommendations
- Buy 6 additional U7 Pro XGS (PHP 22,700 ea) for 7 total including the reused unit; place 4 along the open-plan west side, 1 NW meeting rooms, 1 central reception/lobby, 1 south pantry/multi-purpose zone; pull an 8th spare Cat6A drop to the SW conference room now while cabling is cheap.
- Replace the 8-port switch idea with one USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE (PHP 69,000, 400W, 8x 2.5GbE PoE++ for the APs + 16x GbE PoE+ for printers/TVs/CCTV, 2x SFP+ uplink to the reused UCG-Fiber). Do NOT buy the quoted PoE+ injector — it cannot fully power a U7 Pro XGS. Premium alternative if 10G-to-AP is wanted: USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (USD 699) plus a small non-PoE switch for copper drops.
- 3 SSIDs / 5 VLANs: SWC-Corp (WPA3-Enterprise, 5+6 GHz, VLAN 20 = 10.20.20.0/23), SWC-Guest (WPA2/WPA3 transition, 2.4+5 GHz, VLAN 30, client isolation + bandwidth cap + voucher portal), SWC-IoT (WPA2-PSK, 2.4 GHz, VLAN 40); VLAN 10 mgmt with no SSID, VLAN 50 reserved for CCTV. Meshing off, minimum basic rate 12-24 Mbps, band steering on.
- Auth: go 802.1X EAP-TLS against Entra ID — Intune Cloud PKI add-on (USD 2/user/mo) issuing device certs + RADIUSaaS (~EUR 1.50/user/mo, RadSec straight to the UCG-Fiber, no on-prem VM). If procurement of the RADIUS subscription slips past the office opening, launch on UniFi per-user PPSK on SWC-Corp (free, per-key VLANs) and migrate — do not launch on a single shared corporate PSK.
- Guest compliance: use UniFi's voucher system (reception prints time-limited codes) with zero personal-data fields on the portal; retain guest/DHCP logs max 30 days; add one paragraph to the company privacy notice naming guest WiFi, purpose, and retention; confirm the Cebu entity's DPO registration with the NPC covers this site.
- Management: enforce MFA on the Ubiquiti account, weekly local .unf backup exported off-box (TRMM job) in addition to Ubiquiti cloud backups, firmware Official channel only with APs/switches auto-updating Sunday 02:00 PHT and gateway updated manually after 2-week soak, alerts webhooked to Teams.
- Order the ISP fiber NOW (RISE/Converge/PLDT/Globe business fiber, 1 Gbps dedicated; Cebu enterprise installs commonly take 4-8 weeks) and strongly consider a second cheap broadband on the UCG-Fiber's second WAN port for failover — 150 idle staff costs more per hour than a backup line costs per month.
- Server room: 12U wall rack, 24-port Cat6A patch panel (48-port frame preferred), 1.5 kVA line-interactive UPS, dedicated cooling confirmed with fit-out; terminate all ~13 drops (8 AP + 5 fixed) on the panel with certification test reports (Fluke or equivalent) as an acceptance condition in the installer's contract.
- Get a revised Prowatcher (or competing structured-cabling contractor) quote against this exact bill of materials with the site survey done in July; hold the 50%/50% terms and 12-month warranty, and add penalty/latest-completion language keyed to the mid-August deadline.
R1 Timeline
Week-by-week Gantt to Aug 15, critical path (ISP + ceiling closure), holidays, 5G failover.
Expert summary. The mid-August 2026 deadline is achievable in the 6-week window, but only if three things happen this week (Jul 6-10): (1) submit TWO parallel ISP applications — RISE (Cebu-focused, publicly benchmarked 1.8-week average business install via their in-house Pathfinders team) plus PLDT Enterprise or Converge FlexiBIZ as backup, since enterprise fiber provisioning in PH commonly runs 4-8 weeks when building-entry facilities are missing and is the longest pole; (2) issue the equipment PO with 50% down, because U7 Pro XGS and the 10G PoE switch are frequently indent (import) items in PH with 2-4 week lead; (3) lock the cable-pull window with the fit-out contractor BEFORE the suspended ceiling closes — the plan is still "DRAFT 02", so construction sequencing is the real critical path alongside fiber. Design-wise, 5 APs is coverage-adequate (U7 Pro XGS covers ~160 sqm each) but capacity-marginal for ~150 staff (~300+ concurrent devices) concentrated in a 178-sqm open-plan zone; I recommend 7 APs total (buy 6, reuse 1). Critically, the U7 Pro XGS is a PoE++ (802.3bt, 29W max) device — the old Prowatcher quote's "PoE+ injector" is undersized, and the switch must be PoE++ 10GbE: the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (8x10GbE PoE++, 155W budget, US$499, est. PHP 36,000-42,000 landed) is the right fit, with one U-PoE++ injector as headroom insurance since 7 APs x 29W worst-case (203W) exceeds the 155W budget on paper (typical draw ~15W/AP = ~105W is fine). The UCG-Fiber has NO USB modem support, but any of its 7 ports can be configured as a secondary WAN — so buy an Ethernet-out Smart/Globe 5G CPE (~PHP 8,000) THIS WEEK as day-one connectivity and permanent failover, which de-risks any fiber slip entirely. No Philippine holidays fall inside the Jul 6-Aug 15 window (Ninoy Aquino Day Aug 21 and National Heroes Day Aug 31 are both after the deadline, but they bite immediately if the project slips). Total estimated capex is ~PHP 290,000 VAT-inc excluding ISP recurring fees, roughly 5x the old single-AP office quote, consistent with 6 new APs, a 10G PoE++ switch, ~250m of Cat6A, rack/UPS, and 7-drop certified installation.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| GANTT W1 (Jul 6-10) — Decisions + all orders. Owner: Paul | Mon-Tue: approve AP count (7 total: 3 along the 27m open-plan west spine at ~9m spacing, 1 conference/meeting SW, 1 meeting NW/storage north, 1 reception/elevator core, 1 pantry/multipurpose south) and budget (~PHP 290k). Issue PO with 50% down for 6x U7 Pro XGS + USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE + 1x U-PoE++ injector + materials (get quotes from Prowatcher AND one structured-cabling contractor + MEC Networks/iConnect distributor pricing). Submit ISP applications to RISE and PLDT Enterprise/Converge FlexiBIZ in parallel; ask landlord same day which ISPs already have building-entry facilities. Request landlord permits: riser access, ceiling work, server-room power. Buy Smart/Globe 5G Ethernet-out CPE off the shelf (~PHP 8k). MILESTONE Fri Jul 10: PO issued + 2 ISP applications lodged + fit-out contractor confirms ceiling-close date. | LIKELY |
| GANTT W2 (Jul 13-17) — Site survey + server room readiness. Owner: vendor + ISP + landlord | Joint site survey with installer and ISP(s): verify ceiling type/void, mark 7 AP positions + cable routes on DRAFT 02 plan, confirm server room (4.97 sqm) has dedicated circuit, AC/ventilation and earthing. Sign ISP contract (RISE avg install 1.8 wks from here = ~Jul 29). Order rack (9U wall-mount), UPS 1kVA, Cat6A box, patch panel. MILESTONE Fri Jul 17: survey report + final AP layout signed; ISP survey done; ceiling-close date locked with fit-out GC. | LIKELY |
| GANTT W3 (Jul 20-24) — Cable pull while ceiling is OPEN. Owner: vendor (Paul supervises) | Pull 7x Cat6A F/UTP drops from central server room star point (runs ~20-45m each, ~250m total, one 305m box); terminate on patch panel + ceiling jacks; certify/qualify every link for 10G. Install rack, PDU, UPS. 2-3 days work for a 2-man crew in an open-ceiling fit-out. Equipment delivery target end of W3 (2-3 wk indent from Jul 7 PO). MILESTONE Fri Jul 24: all 7 links certified; hardware on site or in Cebu customs-cleared. | LIKELY |
| GANTT W4 (Jul 27-31) — Network build + AP mounting + fiber install target. Owner: Paul + vendor + ISP | Stage and adopt everything on the (reused) UCG-Fiber: firmware, VLANs (corp/guest/IoT/mgmt), SSIDs, PPSK or 802.1X, min-RSSI/band steering for high density. Mount 7 APs after ceiling tiles go in (coordinate with GC — APs are the LAST ceiling trade). RISE fiber install lands this week if applied Jul 6-8 (1.8-wk avg); bring 5G CPE online as WAN2 regardless. MILESTONE Fri Jul 31: all APs adopted and broadcasting on temporary 5G uplink at minimum; fiber live = stretch goal. | LIKELY |
| GANTT W5 (Aug 3-7) — Commissioning + acceptance. Owner: Paul + vendor | Fiber cutover (or continue on 5G if slipped — service still usable); WAN failover test (pull fiber, verify <1 min switchover); full walk-test heatmap at desk height across all 15 zones incl. pods and clinic; roaming test (802.11r) along the 27m open-plan run; load test with ~30 devices on one AP; fix punch list; vendor testing/commissioning sign-off per quote terms (50% completion payment gate). MILESTONE Fri Aug 7: acceptance test passed, WiFi production-ready. | LIKELY |
| GANTT W6 (Aug 10-14) — BUFFER + handover. Owner: Paul | One full week of float before the Aug 15 deadline: absorb ISP slip (worst realistic case for PLDT/Converge with existing building facilities), late equipment, or re-pull of a failed link. If all green: documentation, as-built drawing vs final (non-draft) floor plan, spare-parts note, staff onboarding of SSID/PPSK, decommission old-office gear. HARD DEADLINE Sat Aug 15. Next PH holidays (Aug 21 special day, Aug 31 regular holiday) only threaten a slipped project. | VERIFIED |
| CRITICAL PATH = ISP fiber + ceiling-close window (not equipment) | RISE (Cebu BPO-focused ISP, present in Skyrise/IT Park buildings) publicly benchmarks 1.8-week average business installs via its own Pathfinders division; Globe consumer installs run 7-10 days in Visayas where facilities exist; but enterprise/dedicated circuits (PLDT DIA/Beyond Fiber, Converge iBiz) commonly take 4-8 weeks, and a building with NO existing entry facilities for your chosen ISP can blow past the 6-week window entirely. Applying to two ISPs in parallel in W1 and confirming building facilities with the landlord is the single highest-leverage action. | LIKELY |
| U7 Pro XGS is PoE++ (802.3bt), 29W max — the old quote's PoE+ injector is undersized | Same corpus-wide verified finding — see Hardware. Procurement consequence: the PO must swap the ₱1,500 PoE+ injector for PoE++ (U-PoE++) and the switch must be 802.3bt on every AP port. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| PoE budget caveat on the 8-port switch with 7 APs | 203 W nameplate vs 155 W budget; real draw ~105–125 W fits but with zero headroom. Superseded by the 400 W-class switch consensus (see Wired LAN & AV). Mitigation this expert priced: U-PoE++ injectors at ~₱2,500 each. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | VERIFIED |
| UCG-Fiber failover: NO USB modem — use an Ethernet-out 5G CPE on a second WAN port | Verified on techspecs.ui.com and community.ui.com: UCG-Fiber (10G SFP+ WAN, 10GbE RJ45 WAN, 4x 2.5GbE LAN, 1 PoE+ port) supports configuring ports as secondary WAN for automatic failover, but has no USB modem support, and Ubiquiti's U-LTE Backup product is US-carrier-locked (unusable in PH). Buy a Smart or Globe 5G CPE with Ethernet out (~PHP 6,000-10,000 + ~PHP 1,000/mo prepaid load) THIS WEEK: it is day-one internet if fiber slips AND the permanent failover afterward. Reusing the old office's UCG-Fiber is fine — it scales far beyond this site (5 Gbps IDS/IPS routing) and runs the UniFi controller for all APs. | VERIFIED |
| 5 APs is coverage-OK but capacity-marginal; recommend 7 (buy 6, reuse 1) | Concurs with RF Design: coverage math says 3.3 APs, capacity math says 6–8; the 178 sqm / ~150-seat open plan alone needs 3 APs at ~9 m spacing. The concrete elevator core shadows RF — no single central AP covers through it. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
| Cabling scope: 7 Cat6A drops, ~250m, 2-3 crew-days, must precede ceiling closure | Server room is the star point, roughly central in a 17.64m x 37.54m footprint; worst-case ceiling-routed runs to NW/SW corners are ~35-45m, average ~30m, total ~250m incl. service loops — one 305m box of Cat6A F/UTP. Use Cat6A (not Cat6) to carry the AP's 10GbE at these lengths. In an active fit-out with the ceiling grid open, pulling and certifying 7 drops is 2-3 days for a 2-person crew; the same work after ceiling closure costs 2-3x and risks tile damage. The floor plan is DRAFT 02 — get the ceiling-close date from the fit-out GC in writing during W1. | LIKELY |
| Equipment procurement: assume 2-4 week indent in PH; order W1 | Ubiquiti's official store does not ship to PH; supply is via distributors (MEC Networks Corp, iConnect Technologies) and integrators like Prowatcher (who quoted a U7 Pro XGS at PHP 22,700 in Jan-2026, ~35% over the US$299 list — normal PH import markup). U7 Pro XGS and USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE are current but not commodity items locally: verify in-stock vs indent at PO time and require a delivery date in the PO; 2-3 weeks indent still lands in W3 comfortably, 4 weeks eats the W4 slack. | LIKELY |
| Holiday check: window Jul 6-Aug 15 is clean | Per Proclamation No. 1006 (2026 holidays): no regular or special non-working day falls between Jul 6 and Aug 15, 2026. Ninoy Aquino Day (special, Fri Aug 21) and National Heroes Day (regular, Mon Aug 31) are after the deadline — they only matter as a warning that a 1-2 week slip collides with two long weekends of vendor/ISP unavailability. Also note July-Oct is peak typhoon/rainy season in the Visayas: outdoor ISP aerial/riser work can lose days to weather. | VERIFIED |
| Vendor fit: Prowatcher is CCTV-first — dual-quote the cabling | Concurs with Contractors & Quote Analysis: keep Prowatcher as a bidder (knows the account, can source Ubiquiti) but benchmark against a structured-cabling contractor at ₱3,500–5,000/certified drop, and tie printed per-link certification to the 50% completion payment. (condensed — duplicate of another domain's finding) | LIKELY |
Recommendations
- THIS WEEK (by Fri Jul 10): issue the equipment PO with 50% down — 6x U7 Pro XGS, 1x USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE, 1x U-PoE++ injector, Cat6A materials — with a contractual delivery date; U7 Pro XGS/10G switch are typically 2-4 week indent items in PH.
- THIS WEEK: submit TWO ISP applications in parallel (RISE as primary — 1.8-week average business install, strong Cebu commercial-building presence; PLDT Enterprise Beyond Fiber or Converge FlexiBIZ as backup) and cancel the loser later; simultaneously ask the landlord/building admin which ISPs already have entry facilities and riser access in the building.
- THIS WEEK: buy a Smart or Globe 5G CPE with Ethernet output (~PHP 8,000) and a prepaid data SIM — plug it into a UCG-Fiber port configured as secondary WAN; this is both day-one internet if fiber slips and the permanent failover (the UCG-Fiber has no USB modem option and Ubiquiti's LTE Backup is US-only).
- THIS WEEK: get the ceiling-closure date in writing from the fit-out general contractor and book the cable pull for week 3 (Jul 20-24) while the grid is open; make the WiFi installer a named subcontractor in the fit-out schedule so trades don't collide.
- Upgrade the design from 5 to 7 APs total (buy 6 new, reuse 1): 3 along the 27m open-plan spine, 1 conference SW, 1 meeting NW, 1 reception/core, 1 pantry/multipurpose S — 150 staff at 1.2 sqm/seat density is a capacity problem, not a coverage problem.
- Choose 10G: USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (8x10GbE PoE++, 2x SFP+), uplinked to the UCG-Fiber over SFP+ DAC; do NOT reuse the old PoE+ injector on a U7 Pro XGS (it needs 802.3bt PoE++, 29W max).
- Cable in Cat6A F/UTP (one 305m box covers all 7 drops + slack) and make per-link 10G certification printouts a payment condition for the installer's 50% completion tranche.
- Dual-quote the installation: keep Prowatcher (knows the account, can source Ubiquiti) but benchmark against a dedicated Cebu structured-cabling contractor at PHP 3,500-5,000 per certified drop.
- Plan the old-office gear migration explicitly: the reused UCG-Fiber is the controller and gateway, so its move date = old office WiFi death date; stage and pre-configure the new switch and APs against it in W4 before physically relocating it, or temporarily adopt via UniFi Site Manager.
- Keep week 6 (Aug 10-14) as pure buffer; if the project slips past Aug 15, the next two weeks contain two holidays (Aug 21, Aug 31) that will slow vendors and the ISP further.
R2·GAP Server-Room MEP
Heat load, cooling, dedicated circuits, UPS engineering, surge/lightning, fire code, water.
Expert summary. The 4.97 sqm interior server room carries a design heat load of ~1,190 W (~4,100 BTU/h): 600 W IT (500 W worst case + 100 W future NVR/cameras), 50 W lighting, and ~540 W envelope gain through 24 sqm of interior partitions when the building's central aircon is off nights/weekends. With a 25% safety factor (~5,100 BTU/h), a 1.0 HP inverter split-type unit (PHP 24,000-24,500 for Daikin Amihan FTKE25AVA or Carrier Optima, per June-July 2026 PH retail) running 24/7 at setpoint 24-25 C is the right answer — building central AC cannot be relied on because Cebu office towers shut chillers after hours, and VECO ran actual rotational brownouts in May 2026. Expected aircon energy is roughly 100-180 kWh/month = PHP 1,300-2,500/month at VECO's mid-2026 all-in rate (PHP 12.57/kWh April, PHP 13.74/kWh June); the IT load itself adds ~182 kWh = PHP 2,300-2,500/month. Electrically, two dedicated PEC-compliant 20 A branch circuits (3.5 mm2 THHN Cu, one for rack/UPS, one for the ACU) plus a Type 2 SPD at the tenant panel and 14 mm2 rack bonding must be injected into the fit-out electrical drawings in July 2026 or it becomes chargeable rework; total added electrical scope is ~PHP 30,000-46,000. The generic '1-1.5 kVA line-interactive' UPS recommendation is validated at the top of that range: a 1.6 kVA pure-sine line-interactive unit (APC BR1600SI, PHP 33,350-34,990 verified) gives ~15-20 min at 250 W and ~9-12 min at 400 W — enough for genset transfer and short cuts, but NOT for VECO's 60-90 min rotational brownouts, so whether the building has a tenant-floor genset is the single most consequential open question. Online double-conversion (APC SMT1500IC PHP 73,000) is not warranted at this load; AVR handles Cebu's chronic voltage sags and double-conversion adds heat and cost without adding runtime. Fire compliance (RA 9514): one addressable smoke detector tied into the building FDAS, a clean-agent HFC-236fa portable extinguisher (Bronco, from PHP 3,800) instead of residue-spraying ABC dry chemical, and fire-stopped wall/ceiling penetrations — all of which must be closed out before the Fire Safety Inspection Certificate or occupancy slips past mid-August. Total one-time budget: ~PHP 125,000-140,000 capex plus ~PHP 4,000-5,500/month recurring energy.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Heat load: ~1,190 W design (~4,100 BTU/h), ~410 W typical | Room 2.4 x 2.05 x 2.7 m interior, 24.0 sqm partition walls + 4.97 sqm ceiling to plenum. IT 600 W design (250 W typical, 500 W worst, +100 W future NVR/PoE cams), lighting ~50 W (10 W/sqm LED), envelope ~540 W worst case (U~2.4 W/m2K drywall, dT 8 K when building AC is off and adjacent space drifts to 32-33 C vs 25 C setpoint; only ~135 W when neighbours are conditioned). With 25% safety factor: ~5,100 BTU/h -> a 0.5 HP unit (~4,500-5,000 BTU/h) has zero margin; 1.0 HP (~9,000-9,500 BTU/h) inverter at part load is the correct pick since it is the sole cooling (N, no redundancy). | VERIFIED |
| Building central AC cannot be assumed 24/7 — and VECO ran real rotational brownouts in 2026 | Cebu office towers typically shut central chillers nights/weekends (landlord must confirm). Separately, Visayan Electric implemented 60-90 minute rotational brownouts ('manual load dropping') across Metro Cebu starting 13 May 2026 under NGCP Visayas Red Alert, driven by ~866 MW of forced plant outages — so both cooling continuity and power continuity need tenant-side answers. | VERIFIED |
| VECO rate mid-2026: PHP 12.57/kWh (Apr) rising to PHP 13.74/kWh (Jun), residential all-in | Monthly series 2026: Jan 12.79, Feb 12.38, Mar 12.36, Apr 12.57, May 12.88, Jun 13.74 PHP/kWh (residential all-in; commercial/GS tariff differs slightly and should be confirmed on the actual VECO bill class). Drivers: WESM generation charges, peso depreciation, coal prices. Use PHP 12.5-14/kWh for planning. | VERIFIED |
| 24/7 running cost: aircon PHP 1,300-2,500/month; IT load PHP 2,300-2,500/month | Average cooling duty 500-900 W at inverter seasonal COP ~3.6 gives 100-182 kWh/month = PHP 1,277-2,506/month at PHP 12.6-13.74/kWh. The 250 W IT base load itself is 182 kWh/month = PHP 2,298-2,506. Whole-room recurring energy ~PHP 4,000-5,500/month; worst case (full 500 W IT + hot weekends) ~PHP 6,500/month. | LIKELY |
| 1.0 HP inverter split price verified: PHP 24,000-24,500 (branded), PHP 17,995 (TCL); install PHP 6,000-12,000 | June-July 2026 PH retail: Daikin Amihan FTKE25AVA 1.0 HP inverter ~PHP 24,000 (free install promos exist), Carrier Optima 1.0 HP inverter PHP 24,500, Panasonic 1.0 HP standard inverter PHP 34,063, TCL 1.0 HP PHP 17,995. Standard installation PHP 6,000-7,000 incl. ~10 ft copper line; extra pipe PHP 350-500/ft — critical here because the interior room means a 10-20 m line-set run to wherever the landlord allows the condenser (AC ledge, service balcony, or roof). Most mini-splits allow 15-20 m max equivalent pipe length. | VERIFIED |
| UPS pricing verified (PH, 2026): BR1600SI PHP 33,350-34,990; SMC1500IC PHP 63,000; SMT1500IC PHP 73,000 | APC Back-UPS Pro BR1600SI (1600 VA/960 W, pure sine, AVR, user-replaceable battery): PHP 33,350 at PCWorx, PHP 34,990 at Asianic. APC Smart-UPS C SMC1500IC (900 W): PHP 63,000 at XBSAsia (Jan 2026 listing; older SMC1500i is phased out at VillMan). APC Smart-UPS SMT1500IC (1000 W): PHP 73,000 at XBSAsia (Apr 2026). Eaton 5P1550 and Vertiv PSA1500MT3-230U are stocked by XBSAsia PH but price-on-request. | VERIFIED |
| UPS runtime: ~15-20 min at 250 W, ~9-13 min at 400 W — bridges genset transfer, NOT 60-90 min brownouts | From APC published runtime curves for 1.5-1.6 kVA VRLA units: BR1600SI ~15-20 min at 250 W, ~9-12 min at 400 W; SMT1500IC ~24 min at 250 W, ~13 min at 400 W. A 60-90 min VECO rotational brownout will outlast any 1.5 kVA unit at full rack load. Mitigation without buying a bigger UPS: shed PoE (APs) and keep only UCG-Fiber gateway + 5G CPE (~60-80 W) -> ~60-100 min runtime, preserving WAN/monitoring/alerts through the brownout. | LIKELY |
| Line-interactive pure sine validated over online double-conversion | At 250-400 W the failure modes in Cebu are sags/swells (AVR boost/trim handles these without battery hits) and outright outages (double-conversion adds zero runtime). Online double-conversion costs ~2x (PHP 70-120k class), dissipates 5-8% continuous losses into the room you are paying to cool, and buys nothing for this load. Verdict: 1.5-1.6 kVA line-interactive PURE SINE WAVE (required for PFC power supplies), e.g., BR1600SI or SMC1500IC. | VERIFIED |
| VRLA battery life in tropical service: 2-3 years, not the 3-5 year datasheet figure | VRLA life halves per ~8-10 C above 25 C. If the room genuinely holds 24-25 C the battery should reach 3-4 years; every cooling outage or a 30 C+ room cuts that toward 18-24 months. Budget a replacement cartridge (APCRBC series, ~PHP 6,000-12,000) at month 30 and put battery-date on the maintenance calendar. | LIKELY |
| Electrical scope per PEC: two dedicated 20 A circuits + EGC, ~PHP 22,000-30,000 if done during fit-out | Philippine Electrical Code (PEC 2017): Circuit 1 - dedicated 20 AT 2-pole breaker, 3.5 mm2 THHN Cu (L+N+3.5 mm2 EGC) in PVC/EMT to two grounded universal duplex outlets at rack height (1.4 m AFF) for UPS input; Circuit 2 - dedicated 20 AT ACU circuit, 3.5 mm2 THHN, to an ACU outlet/disconnect (Art. 4.40; a 1.0 HP inverter draws only ~4-5 A but must be a separate dedicated circuit). PH benchmark pricing: PHP 900-6,000 per added outlet, ~PHP 1,200/point labor; a dedicated homerun circuit in commercial fit-out realistically PHP 8,000-15,000 each including breaker, conduit, wire, labor. Doing this NOW inside the fit-out electrician's scope is marginal cost; after handover it is open-ceiling rework at 3-5x. | VERIFIED |
| Surge/lightning package: Type 2 SPD ~PHP 5,000-15,000 + bonding; Ethernet SPD NOT warranted indoors | The Philippines has among the highest lightning flash densities on earth, so a Type 2 SPD at the tenant distribution panel is mandatory good practice: Schneider Acti9 iPRD40 A9L40500 (1P+N, 40 kA) is EUR 57.77 (~PHP 3,700) in EU trade, realistically PHP 5,000-8,000 landed 1P+N or PHP 10,000-15,000 3P+N in PH channel, plus PHP 1,500-3,000 install. Rack point-of-use: the UPS itself + a surge-rated PDU strip (PHP 1,500-3,500). Rack bonding: 14 mm2 (6 AWG) green THHN from rack ground bar to panel ground bus (PHP 120-180/m + PHP 1,500-3,000 busbar kit). Ethernet-line SPDs (Ubiquiti ETH-SP-G2, PHP 840-1,200 verified at PCWorx/Wired Systems) are NOT needed because all Cat6A runs are internal to one floor with no roof/outdoor exposure — they become mandatory only if the 5G CPE gets an outdoor/window-mast antenna or any future camera goes on the roof/facade. | VERIFIED |
| Fire (RA 9514): FDAS tie-in + clean agent extinguisher (Bronco HFC-236fa from PHP 3,800) + fire-stopping | BFP expects: (1) smoke detection in every occupiable/technical room connected to the building's Fire Detection and Alarm System — one addressable smoke detector + loop programming by the building's FDAS contractor, ~PHP 3,500-8,000; (2) portable extinguisher within travel distance — recommend HFC-236fa clean agent (Bronco portable, PHP 3,800 verified base price, budget PHP 4,000-9,000 for a 5-10 lb unit; CO2 10 lb alternative PHP 9,000) because ABC dry chemical powder is corrosive and destroys electronics it touches; (3) fire-stopped penetrations where conduits/cable trays cross the room's rated partitions — intumescent sealant (3M CP 25WB+/Hilti FS-ONE), PHP 1,500-3,500 per tube, PHP 3,000-8,000 total. An unclosed FDAS tie-in or unsealed penetrations are classic Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (FSIC) blockers and the FSIC gates occupancy — schedule the FDAS contractor in July. | VERIFIED |
| Water: keep the sprinkler head, control the condensate | If the floor is sprinklered, BFP will not permit deleting the head in this room (clean-agent total-flooding exemptions need a full engineered system — overkill at 4.97 sqm); fit a wire cage guard (~PHP 500) and accept it. The real water risk is the aircon: mount the indoor unit on a wall NOT above the rack, slope the condensate drain to the nearest janitor/toilet stack (confirm one exists within reach, else add a condensate pump PHP 2,500-5,000), fit a drip tray under the indoor unit (PHP 500-1,500) and a leak/water alarm sensor on the floor below it and below the rack (PHP 500-2,500). | LIKELY |
| Layout fits with PEC working clearance | Room 2.4 x 2.05 m: door 0.9 m swinging OUT to corridor (frees floor area, better egress); 9-12U wall rack (600 mm wide, <=450 mm deep) centered on the 2.4 m wall opposite the door, bottom at ~1.3 m AFF - this preserves the PEC/NEC 110.26-equivalent 762 mm (30 in) working depth in front (actual clear ~1.3 m); UPS tower on a low shelf directly under the rack; tenant sub-panel + Type 2 SPD on the wall beside the door; ACU indoor unit high on the 2.05 m side wall blowing ACROSS the room (not onto the rack), condensate falling to a corner drain route away from all electronics; the remaining 2.05 m wall stays empty for the future NVR/camera expansion. | VERIFIED |
Recommendations
- 1. Install a dedicated 1.0 HP inverter split-type aircon (Daikin FTKE25AVA or Carrier Optima class), setpoint 24-25 C, running 24/7 — PHP 24,000-24,500 unit + PHP 6,000-12,000 installation incl. extended line set from this interior room to the landlord-approved condenser location. Do NOT rely on building central AC (assume chillers off nights/weekends until landlord proves otherwise). Recurring: PHP 1,300-2,500/month at VECO PHP 12.6-13.7/kWh.
- 2. Add a thermostat-controlled 200 mm transfer/exhaust fan to the corridor plenum as a failure fallback (opens a second cooling path when the split unit trips) — PHP 3,000-4,000 installed. Pair with a UniFi/any temp sensor alerting above 30 C (PHP 1,500-3,000).
- 3. Inject TWO dedicated 20 A branch circuits into the fit-out electrical drawings THIS MONTH (July 2026): 3.5 mm2 THHN Cu + 3.5 mm2 EGC each; Circuit A to 2x grounded duplex outlets at rack height for the UPS, Circuit B dedicated to the ACU with disconnect — PHP 8,000-15,000 per circuit (PHP 20,000-30,000 total) inside the fit-out scope; 3-5x that as post-handover rework.
- 4. Buy an APC Back-UPS Pro BR1600SI (1600 VA/960 W, pure sine, AVR, line-interactive) — PHP 33,350 (PCWorx) / PHP 34,990 (Asianic). Runtime ~15-20 min at 250 W, ~9-12 min at 400 W. Skip online double-conversion (SMT1500IC PHP 73,000) — no benefit at this load. Upgrade option if budget allows network-card management: SMC1500IC PHP 63,000.
- 5. Configure brownout load-shedding: on mains loss, drop AP PoE and keep only UCG-Fiber + 5G CPE (~60-80 W) on battery -> ~60-100 min ride-through of a VECO rotational brownout. Zero hardware cost (UniFi port power scheduling / manual runbook).
- 6. Budget a UPS battery replacement cartridge at month 30 (VRLA in tropics: 2-3 years real life, not 3-5) — PHP 6,000-12,000, recurring.
- 7. Fit a Type 2 SPD (Schneider Acti9 iPRD40 40 kA, 1P+N A9L40500 or 3P+N A9L40600 to match the tenant panel) at the tenant distribution panel — PHP 5,000-15,000 + PHP 1,500-3,000 install — plus a surge-rated rack PDU strip (PHP 1,500-3,500) and 14 mm2 (6 AWG) rack bonding conductor to the panel ground bus with a small ground bar (PHP 3,000-4,500 all-in). Skip Ethernet-line SPDs (all cabling internal); revisit (Ubiquiti ETH-SP-G2, PHP 840-1,200 each) only if the 5G CPE antenna or a camera ever goes outdoors.
- 8. Fire package per RA 9514: one addressable smoke detector tied into the building FDAS (PHP 3,500-8,000 incl. programming by the building's FDAS contractor — book them in July), one Bronco HFC-236fa clean-agent portable extinguisher 5-10 lb mounted just inside the door (PHP 3,800-9,000; choose clean agent over ABC dry chemical — powder destroys the electronics it saves), fire-stop all conduit/cable penetrations with intumescent sealant (PHP 3,000-8,000). These gate the FSIC and therefore occupancy.
- 9. Water management: indoor AC unit on the wall NOT above the rack; condensate sloped to nearest drain (or condensate pump PHP 2,500-5,000); drip tray PHP 500-1,500; two leak sensors PHP 1,000-2,500; wire guard on the sprinkler head PHP 500.
- 10. Layout: outward-swinging 0.9 m door; 9-12U wall rack on the 2.4 m wall opposite the door at 1.3 m AFF (keeps >762 mm PEC working clearance, actual ~1.3 m); UPS on shelf below rack; panel+SPD beside door; ACU high on the 2.05 m side wall blowing across the room; far wall reserved for future NVR/cameras. No new cost beyond items above.
- 11. Ask the landlord IN WRITING this month about: condenser location approval, genset coverage of tenant floors, central AC operating hours, sprinkler/FDAS as-builts (see open questions). Every one of these changes a line item above.
R2·GAP Customs / NTC Import
NTC permit-to-import trap, landed-cost comparison, warranty channels, BIR VAT/EWT mechanics, FX.
Expert summary. SUMMARY: Direct import (option c) is legal in theory but practically the wrong call for 6 access points on a July-14 deadline. WiFi radio gear (AHTN 8517.62) needs an NTC Permit to Import filed via the Philippine National Single Window BEFORE the shipment lands (valid 90 days, per-shipment, ~3 working days processing after payment), supported by an NTC Type Acceptance certificate that is normally held by the local authorized distributor, plus per-unit registration (PHP 100/unit for indoor devices under NTC MC 09-09-2003) — and Software Club would additionally need Bureau of Customs importer accreditation for a formal entry (~PHP 141,000+ shipment, far above both the PHP 10,000 de minimis and the PHP 50,000 informal-entry ceiling). Duty is 0% (ITA/MFN) but 12% VAT applies on CIF, so verified savings versus the local channel are roughly zero at standard Singapore prices (SGD 479/AP at sg.store.ui.com ≈ PHP 23,200 GST-inc, before freight, brokerage PHP 5,000–15,000 and VAT) and Ubiquiti voids warranty outside authorized channels — store.ui.com does not even ship to the Philippines. The killer argument: buying from an authorized PH distributor (MEC Networks, Manila; iConnect Technologies, Avenir Bldg, Cebu City — 20 min from any Cebu office) makes the distributor the importer of record, so NTC type acceptance, the import permit, customs and the seizure risk are entirely their problem, at a landed premium of only ~25–30% over converted US MSRP (~PHP 22,700–23,800 ex-VAT per U7 Pro XGS). The 12% VAT is fully recoverable as input VAT provided Software Club obtains a BIR-registered VAT sales invoice (under the EOPT Act, invoices — not official receipts — are the only valid input-VAT document since 2024; grey/Shopee sellers who can't issue one are effectively 12% more expensive). The PO should be split into a goods line (1% EWT if Software Club is a published Top Withholding Agent) and an installation-services line (2% EWT on contractors), both priced VAT-exclusive with VAT shown, with BIR Form 2307 issued to the vendor within 20 days of quarter-end. FX: USD/PHP is 61.62 today (2-Jul-2026) versus ~58.4–58.9 in January when the PHP 22,700 quote was struck — the peso is down ~9.3% YoY — so demand a fresh fixed-PHP quote with 30-day validity and no escalation clause; a 2–5% move on a PHP 300,000 order over 6 weeks is PHP 6,000–15,000 of exposure. Recommended path: RFQ to iConnect (Cebu) and MEC by July 7, order the in-stock channel by July 14, hardware on site by end-July, installation first half of August.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| NTC Permit to Import is mandatory for WiFi APs even though the bands are license-exempt | NTC MC 09-09-2003 (Wireless Data Networks and Devices) allows open/unprotected indoor use of 2.4 GHz (100 mW EIRP) and 5 GHz (updated by MC 002-07-2024, e.g. 5150–5350 MHz at 200 mW EIRP), but importation still requires: (1) a Permit to Import from NTC supported by pro-forma invoice listing make/model/quantity, (2) an NTC Type Acceptance/Type Approval certificate for the model, and (3) a Type Approval/Acceptance Registration Number per unit — PHP 100 per unit for indoor devices. The permit is per-shipment (per invoice), valid 90 days, filed via the Philippine National Single Window (account setup through BOC MISTG), processing ~3 working days after payment, and must be presented at the port of entry BEFORE arrival. | VERIFIED |
| KILLER ARGUMENT: buying from an authorized local distributor makes NTC compliance 100% the distributor's problem | The importer of record files the Permit to Import and holds the Type Acceptance certificate. Once units are lawfully imported and sold domestically, an end-user operating indoor 2.4/5 GHz WLAN needs no NTC station license or possession permit. iConnect Technologies (Unit 11L, Avenir Bldg, Archbishop Reyes Ave, Cebu City, tel 032-252-1122) and MEC Networks (mec.ph, Manila) are both self-described authorized Ubiquiti distributors. Buying from them transfers all NTC/customs/seizure risk to the seller for a ~25–30% premium over converted MSRP — cheap insurance on a PHP ~180,000 hardware order. | VERIFIED |
| Software Club CAN legally direct-import as an end-user, but it is slow, risky and needs BOC accreditation | The WTO import-licensing notification for PH radio equipment lists NTC-authorized end-user entities as an eligible importer category (no dealer permit strictly required for own-use), but in practice: the Type Acceptance certificate for the U7 Pro XGS could not be verified in NTC's public list (ntc5.ntc.gov.ph blocks access; no published Ubiquiti entry found), meaning Software Club may have to sponsor type acceptance itself (PHP 5,000–20,000 per model, up to ~5 weeks, paperwork-only review accepting FCC/CE reports). A ~PHP 141,000 commercial shipment is a formal customs entry (over the PHP 50,000 informal ceiling and PHP 10,000 de minimis), requiring BOC-CPRS importer accreditation the entity likely does not have (2–4 weeks to obtain, or PHP 10,000–25,000 for an importer-of-record service — which then captures the creditable import VAT). Realistic BOC hold without a pre-filed NTC permit: 1–4 weeks, with seizure as the worst case. | LIKELY |
| Duty is 0%; the only import tax is 12% VAT on CIF (+ brokerage) | Wireless access points and switches classify under AHTN/HS 8517.62 (e.g. 8517.62.49), which carries 0% MFN duty in the Philippines (ITA product). 12% VAT is charged on CIF value + duty (+ brokerage per BOC practice). De minimis is PHP 10,000 FOB (irrelevant here). Licensed customs broker fees run PHP 1,500–5,000 for standard shipments; door-to-door forwarder packages PHP 5,000–15,000. Import VAT is creditable input VAT only if Software Club is the importer of record with the import entry documents. | VERIFIED |
| LANDED-COST COMPARISON (6x U7 Pro XGS + 1x USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE, hardware only, PHP, ex-VAT unless noted) | (a) LOCAL INTEGRATOR (Prowatcher): APs 6 x ~23,800 (Jan quote 22,700 + ~4.7% FX drift) = 142,800; switch ~42,000 (integrator margin) = ~184,800 ex-VAT / ~207,000 VAT-inc. Lead 1–3 weeks. NTC/customs risk: none (theirs). Warranty: 1-yr authorized channel + integrator support. (b) AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR (MEC/iConnect): APs 6 x 21,500–23,000 = 129,000–138,000; switch 38,000–41,000 = ~167,000–179,000 ex-VAT / 187,000–200,500 VAT-inc — ~5–10% below (a). Lead 3–7 days if PH stock, 4–8 weeks if indent (XGS switch stock is thin — verify). NTC risk: none. Warranty: 1-yr, local RMA. (c) DIRECT IMPORT via Singapore (store.ui.com does NOT ship to PH; SG official store U7 Pro XGS = SGD 479 GST-inc ≈ PHP 23,200): standard-price case FOB ~SGD 3,667 ≈ PHP 177,500 + freight/insurance 8,000–15,000 + 12% VAT ~22,800 + brokerage 5,000–15,000 + NTC ~1,300–2,000 + IOR/accreditation 10,000–25,000 = ~225,000–257,000 VAT-inc — MORE expensive than local. Best case (Winpro SG clearance SGD 274/AP, unverified stock) lands ~159,000–175,000 VAT-inc, saving ~15–25% but with 3–6+ week lead, warranty loss and hold risk. Verdict: (b) wins; (c) is dominated on risk-adjusted cost and schedule. | LIKELY |
| Ubiquiti warranty is void outside authorized channels; direct-import RMA is at your own cost | Ubiquiti's published warranty (ui.com/support/warranty): products from unauthorized dealers 'do not carry a warranty from UBIQUITI'. Official webstore purchases get 2 years from delivery; authorized distributor/reseller purchases get 1 year from shipment (the clock may start at the distributor's invoice, not yours). Non-US customers RMA-ing to Ubiquiti pay their own shipping and 'all applicable duties and customs charges' both ways. Singapore units (WinPro/Ace) carry '2 Years Distributor Local Warranty In Singapore' — local to SG, useless in Cebu without paying return freight. MEC/iConnect local RMA turnaround is not published — ask in the RFQ (typical PH distributor swap: 2–6 weeks). | VERIFIED |
| Input VAT recovery requires a BIR VAT sales invoice — official receipts are dead since EOPT | Under RA 11976 (EOPT Act) and RR 7-2024/RR 3-2024, the (sales) INVOICE is the sole basis for input-VAT claims for both goods and services; ORs issued after 31-Dec-2024 are supplementary documents ineligible for input tax. The invoice must show the supplier's TIN, 'VAT-registered', Software Club's name/TIN/address, and VAT as a separate line. Grey-market/Shopee sellers who cannot issue a BIR-registered VAT invoice cost you the full 12% — a PHP 22,700 AP from a non-VAT seller is economically equal to PHP 25,424 from a VAT-registered one. | VERIFIED |
| EWT: 2% on the installation services, 1% on goods only if Software Club is a published Top Withholding Agent | Under RR 11-2018 (as amended, incl. RR 31-2020): TWAs — taxpayers published in the BIR's semi-annual list (June 15 / Dec 15) — withhold 1% on local purchases of goods and 2% on services from regular suppliers (6+ transactions/year) and on single purchases of PHP 10,000+. Independent of TWA status, payments to contractors (structured-cabling/installation = specialty contractor) are subject to 2% EWT by ALL payors. So: 2% on the PHP 30,000–45,000 labor line (PHP 600–900) applies regardless; 1% on the ~PHP 265,000 goods line (~PHP 2,650) applies only if Software Club appears on the TWA list — finance must check. Remit via 0619-E (monthly) / 1601-EQ (quarterly); issue BIR Form 2307 to the vendor within 20 days after quarter close (vendors routinely demand it before crediting). | VERIFIED |
| FX: USD/PHP 61.62 on 2-Jul-2026, peso down ~9.3% YoY and ~4.7% since the January quote | BSP reference/market data: Jan-2026 ~58.4–58.9 (BSP RERB 5-Jan-2026 = 58.8740), today 61.62 (PhilNews/TradingEconomics 2-Jul-2026); July forecast band 59.98–63.37. The PHP 22,700 Jan quote at ~58.9 implies ~PHP 23,770 at today's FX for the same USD cost — expect the re-quote to rise ~4–5%. On a PHP 300,000 order (~USD 4,870) over a 6-week PO-to-delivery horizon, a 2–5% peso move = PHP 6,000–15,000 exposure. Paying USD direct transfers this risk to Software Club AND usually forfeits the local VAT invoice. | VERIFIED |
| PEZA: zero-rating only helps if Software Club itself is a PEZA-registered enterprise, and IT-zone buildings gate deliveries | Under CREATE MORE (RA 12066) and PEZA MC 2025-052, VAT zero-rating on LOCAL purchases applies to goods/services directly attributable to the registered project/activity of a Registered Export Enterprise — the positive list explicitly includes computer hardware and office equipment. If Software Club is (or becomes) a PEZA RBE in a registered IT building, the distributor invoices at 0% VAT against Software Club's PEZA VAT zero-rating certification — saving the 12% cash-flow cost entirely. Merely renting in a PEZA building without RBE registration confers nothing. Logistics: PEZA IT zones/buildings require gate passes / bring-in permits for equipment and contractor materials — budget 2–5 extra working days of paperwork for the installer. Building name still unknown — flagged as open question. | VERIFIED |
| NTC fee magnitudes (for completeness of option c) | Filing fee ~PHP 300; Permit to Import fees are modest (hundreds of pesos, per NTC MC 19-12-2000 schedule); per-unit registration PHP 100 (indoor devices, MC 09-09-2003) = PHP 700 for 7 units; Dealer's Permit (not needed for end-use import) PHP 10,000 initial / 5,000 renewal; Type Approval PHP 5,000–20,000 per model if the U7 Pro XGS has no existing PH type acceptance. Total NTC cash cost of a compliant one-off import ≈ PHP 1,000–2,000 if type acceptance exists, PHP 6,000–22,000+ and up to 5 weeks if it does not. | LIKELY |
Recommendations
- 1. BUY LOCAL, AUTHORIZED — issue RFQs by Mon 7-Jul-2026 to iConnect Technologies (Cebu, 032-252-1122) and MEC Networks (mec.ph) for 6x U7-Pro-XGS + 1x USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (fallback USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE), asking: PHP price ex-VAT, VAT shown, in-stock vs indent lead time, RMA turnaround, and confirmation they are importer of record for NTC purposes. Target ~PHP 167,000–185,000 ex-VAT for the hardware; award by Thu 10-Jul, PO out before the 14-Jul deadline.
- 2. DO NOT direct-import (option c): store.ui.com does not ship to PH; Singapore standard pricing lands at ~PHP 225,000–257,000 VAT-inc (worse than local); the only savings scenario depends on an unverified SG clearance price, needs an NTC Permit to Import + type acceptance + BOC importer accreditation Software Club doesn't have, risks a 1–4-week customs hold against a 6-week runway, and voids the Ubiquiti warranty.
- 3. Let Prowatcher bid, but ONLY as installer or as full-package supplier quoted against the distributor price: cap acceptable integrator premium at ~10% over the best distributor quote (≈ PHP 18,000) for single-throat-to-choke value; otherwise buy hardware from the distributor and contract Prowatcher for installation only (PHP 30,000–45,000).
- 4. STRUCTURE THE PO in two lines (or two POs): Line 1 'Supply of network hardware' (goods — 1% EWT if TWA), Line 2 'Structured cabling & installation services' (2% EWT, applies regardless of TWA status). All prices VAT-EXCLUSIVE with 12% VAT as a separate line. Demand: BIR-registered VAT SALES INVOICE for goods and VAT (service) invoice for services showing supplier TIN + 'VAT-registered' + Software Club name/TIN/address and VAT broken out; a copy of the supplier's BIR Form 2303 (Certificate of Registration) with the PO; NO official receipts as primary document (invalid for input VAT since EOPT). Issue BIR Form 2307 to each vendor within 20 days after quarter close; remit EWT via 0619-E/1601-EQ.
- 5. FX PROTECTION in the PO: fixed PHP price, 30-day quote validity, 'no price escalation or currency adjustment' clause, 50% max downpayment with balance on delivery/acceptance. Do NOT pay USD direct (transfers a PHP 6,000–15,000 6-week FX exposure to Software Club and typically loses the local VAT invoice). Budget the July re-quote at +4–5% over the January PHP 22,700 figure (~PHP 23,800/AP ex-VAT).
- 6. Order NOW against the thin-stock risk: if neither distributor has the XGS switch in PH stock, take the USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE alternative or a stopgap USW-Pro-24-PoE rather than waiting on a 4–8-week indent; APs are the schedule-critical item and U7-series stock is demonstrably present in the PH channel (PC Express/XBSAsia list U7 Pro at PHP 14,456–14,650).
- 7. Confirm PEZA status of the new building before PO award: if Software Club is a PEZA-registered enterprise in a registered IT zone/building, have the distributor invoice at 0% VAT against the PEZA VAT zero-rating certification (saves ~PHP 36,000 cash flow) and book 2–5 working days for PEZA gate passes for the installer's equipment bring-in.
R2·GAP Physical Security Pre-Cabling
Camera & access-control design, UniFi Protect vs Hikvision, NPC CCTV rules, RA 9514 lock topology.
Expert summary. For Software Club's 530 sqm Cebu office I recommend a 7-camera, 2-controlled-door UniFi design that rides the already-decided UniFi/UCG-Fiber network rather than a Prowatcher Hikvision/Dahua NVR stack. Verified: the UCG-Fiber natively runs UniFi Protect (rated 8x 2K cameras — exactly our ceiling) with a user-fitted NVMe up to 2 TB, so no NVR appliance is needed; a 2 TB drive (₱19,500 verified at PC Express for Kingston NV3; ₱7,500–9,000 street) yields ~12–24 days continuous or 30+ days with motion-based recording on low-traffic cameras, with a 30-day auto-delete cap set in Protect for NPC compliance. Hikvision is roughly half the hardware cost (4MP dome ₱4,450 vs G5 Turret Ultra ~₱11,000 landed), but it is FCC-banned/NDAA-listed equipment — a reputational liability for a cybersecurity company — and it splits management into a second pane of glass. The single most time-critical action is pulling 12 Cat6A drops NOW while the ceiling is open (~₱33,000 at ₱2,750/drop) versus ~₱120,000–210,000 to retrofit at 5x; this decision expires when the ceiling closes before mid-August 2026. Access control: UniFi UA-Ultra ($129 each, all-in-one PoE reader+controller) on the main entrance (fail-safe maglock with REX, break-glass and fire-alarm relay per RA 9514) and on the server room (fail-secure strike, free lever egress); the fire exit gets no electric lock, only a contact and camera. The clinic interior is excluded and restroom-type spaces are prohibited outright by NPC Circular 2024-02 (the current CCTV rule — not "Advisory 2024-01", which is about cross-border transfer clauses). The added ~55–70 W and 9–10 PoE ports kill the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE option and, because cameras only need 1GbE, favor the USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE (400 W, 24 ports, $799) over the 10-port XG-10. Phase 1 (drops + entrance & server-room cameras + both doors controlled + NVMe + signage) lands at ~₱123,000; the full 7-camera build at ~₱185,000 excluding the ~₱52,000 switch upgrade the AP count already justified.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| UCG-Fiber can be the video platform — no NVR appliance needed, but zero 2K headroom | Ubiquiti techspecs: UCG-Fiber runs UniFi Protect for (15) HD / (8) 2K / (5) 4K cameras, has a PCIe Gen4 M.2 bay for a 'selectable NVMe SSD up to 2 TB' (third-party drives supported per UI storage-compatibility article), 4x 2.5GbE + 10GbE ports, and manages up to 50 Access hubs. Our 7x 4MP (2K-class) plan uses 7 of the 8 rated 2K slots — the 8th camera is the last one this gateway supports; expansion beyond that requires a UNVR (~US$299 + drives). | VERIFIED |
| 2 TB NVMe retention math: 30 days achievable only with motion-based recording on quiet cameras | At a realistic 1–2 Mbps average per 4MP camera (10.8–21.6 GB/day), 7 cameras write 76–151 GB/day; ~1.8 TB usable gives 12–24 days fully continuous. Setting entrance/reception/server-door to continuous and storage/fire-exit/open-plan to motion+smart-detection comfortably reaches 30 days. PH NVMe prices verified at PC Express: Kingston NV3 2TB ₱19,500, Samsung 990 Pro 2TB ₱27,000 (both listed, out of stock 2 Jul 2026); Lazada/Shopee official-store street price for NV3-class 2TB is ₱7,500–9,000. Endurance fine: ~28–55 TB written/year vs 640 TBW rating. | VERIFIED |
| PH street prices — UniFi ~2x Hikvision per camera | Verified: UVC-G5-Bullet ₱10,900 at pcx.com.ph; US store G5 Turret Ultra $129 (4MP, 4W PoE max, IP66, 30 m IR — ideal indoor/door camera), G5 Dome $179; PCX's 1.45x landed multiplier puts G5 Turret Ultra at ~₱10,500–11,500 in PH. Hikvision at PH dealer NiceDeal Enterprises: 2MP IP dome ₱3,250, 4MP dome DS-2CD1341G0-I ₱4,450, 4MP bullet ₱5,250, NVRs from ₱5,250 (4ch); an 8ch PoE NVR + 4TB surveillance HDD ≈ ₱16,000–22,000. Full 7-cam Hikvision stack ≈ ₱55,000–60,000 vs UniFi ≈ ₱95,000–100,000 (cams+NVMe). | VERIFIED |
| Hikvision/Dahua carry hard NDAA/FCC baggage — untenable optics for a cybersecurity brand | FCC banned new equipment authorizations for Hikvision/Dahua (Nov 2022); DC Circuit upheld it (Apr 2024); in Oct 2025 the FCC pushed major online retailers to delist millions of gray-market units; NDAA §889 names Hikvision as prohibited for any federally-linked buyer. Legal to deploy in the Philippines, but 'the cybersecurity company runs state-linked banned cameras' is a one-line reputational hit, and parts/firmware supply keeps tightening. UniFi (US vendor, locally-stored footage, no mandatory cloud) matches Dedale's self-host posture. | VERIFIED |
| The correct NPC instrument is Circular No. 2024-02, not Advisory 2024-01 | NPC Circular 2024-02 (issued 9 Aug 2024, effective 27 Aug 2024) repealed Advisory 2020-04 and now governs CCTV in public/semi-public areas; NPC Advisory 2024-01 is about model contractual clauses for cross-border transfers. Circular requirements: conspicuous notices at entry points; transparency/legitimate-purpose/proportionality; no fixed retention number — keep 'only as long as necessary' (a documented 30-day policy is defensible and matches the 2 TB sizing); monitoring must exclude restrooms, fitting rooms, lactation rooms; data subjects get access/copies after identity verification with date-time-location specifics, and a request lapses if incomplete after 30 days; footage integrity safeguards (time/date/location metadata) required. | VERIFIED |
| RA 9514 (Fire Code) forces the lock topology: fail-safe maglock at entrance, no lock on fire exit, fail-secure strike OK on server room | Under RA 9514/RIRR (aligned to NFPA 101), access-controlled doors on means of egress must unlock on fire-alarm activation and on power failure, with free mechanical egress and a marked manual release. Main entrance (egress path, likely glass door → maglock): fail-safe 600-lb maglock + REX + break-glass + FDAS relay wired to cut battery-backed PSU output. Fire exit (NE): panic hardware only, monitored contact + camera, never electrically locked. Server room (4.97 sqm, not on a required egress path): fail-secure electric strike with always-free inside lever — stays locked on power loss, which is what you want for the room holding all network gear. | VERIFIED |
| Switch decision tips decisively to USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE | Added load: 7 cameras x 4–6 W = 28–42 W, 2x UA-Ultra ≈ 26 W incl. strike power (maglock runs off its own battery-backed 12 V PSU, not PoE) → +55–70 W and 9–10 ports on top of 7 APs at ~150–175 W. Total ≈ 210–245 W across 17–19 ports. USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE (155 W, 8 ports) fails on both axes; USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE ($699, 400 W) fails on ports and wastes 10GbE on 4 W cameras; USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE ($799 ≈ ₱52,000–55,000 landed, 400 W, 24 ports) fits everything with ~40% power headroom. Prices verified on store.ui.com/techspecs. | VERIFIED |
| UA-Ultra makes UniFi Access cheap: US$129 per door all-in | Verified on store.ui.com: UA-Ultra $129 is a PoE reader with built-in single-door controller (NFC/mobile credential, DPS + REX inputs, 12 V lock output; not compatible with standalone hubs — it replaces them). Two doors ≈ ₱22,000 landed for the electronics vs a standalone RFID/keypad kit at ₱3,500–8,000 for the server room only — but the standalone gives no audit logs, no central revocation, shared-PIN risk, and nothing at the main entrance. For an ISO-27001-facing cybersecurity firm the per-event audit trail and instant offboarding revocation are worth the ~₱15,000 delta. | VERIFIED |
| 12 Cat6A drops now = ~₱33,000; the same work after ceiling closure ≈ ₱120,000–210,000 | Drop list (all home-run <45 m to the central server room): 7 camera positions (entrance door, reception, server-room door, NE fire-exit corner, storage room, open-plan north, open-plan south) + 1 spare camera drop (multi-purpose hall/pantry corridor) + 2 access drops (door-frame height at main entrance and server-room door) + 2 spares (elevator-lobby interior wall, conference corridor). 12 x ₱2,000–3,500 = ₱24,000–42,000 (mid ₱33,000). US benchmark confirms retrofit Cat6A commercial work runs $200–350/drop (₱11,600–20,300) — the ~5x factor holds. This option expires when the suspended ceiling closes (~early Aug 2026). | LIKELY |
| Server-room slab-to-slab wall check is a now-or-never fit-out item | With the ceiling grid open, a 5-minute visual confirms the 4.97 sqm server room's partitions run to the structural slab; if they stop at ceiling height, anyone can lift a tile and climb over the wall, defeating a ₱25,000 access-control door. Remediation while trades are on site ≈ ₱15,000–25,000 (extend gypsum/steel mesh over ~9–10 linear meters of partition). Add: solid-core/steel door + steel frame + closer + security hinges, door contact wired to the UA-Ultra DPS (door-forced/ajar alerts in UniFi), interior 12 V PIR on the aux input, camera C3 on the approach. | VERIFIED |
Recommendations
- 1. THIS MONTH (before ceiling closes, ~₱33,000): pull 12 Cat6A drops to the server room — 7 camera positions (main entrance door, reception, server-room door, fire-exit/NE corner, storage room, open-plan N, open-plan S), 1 spare camera (MPH/pantry corridor), 2 access-control drops at door-frame height (entrance + server room), 2 spares (elevator lobby wall, conference corridor). Same visit: verify server-room partitions are slab-to-slab and stub conduit to the entrance door frame.
- 2. Choose UniFi Protect on the UCG-Fiber over a Hikvision/Dahua NVR (₱0 platform cost vs ~₱16,000–22,000 NVR+HDD): single console with the network on VLAN 50, footage stays on-prem, and no FCC-banned/NDAA-listed brand on a cybersecurity company's ceiling. Concede that Hikvision is ~₱40,000 cheaper on 7 cameras and has better local RMA — mitigate by buying 1 spare camera (~₱11,000) and ordering 6–8 weeks early (PCX showed UniFi stock-outs).
- 3. Fit the 2 TB NVMe into the UCG-Fiber bay NOW, not later (verified PH: ₱19,500 Kingston NV3 2TB at PC Express; ₱7,500–9,000 via official Lazada stores — budget ₱10,000): recording starts day one, and set Protect retention cap to 30 days (auto-overwrite) as the NPC-facing policy. Recording mix: continuous on entrance/reception/server door, motion+smart on the rest → 30 days fits in 2 TB.
- 4. Cameras (7x G5 Turret Ultra, 4MP/4W/IP66, US$129 ≈ ₱11,000 landed, total ~₱77,000): C1 above main entrance facing in (face capture on entry), C2 reception overview also covering the server-room door approach, C3 tight on the server-room door + reader, C4 NE corner covering fire exit + storage door, C5 storage interior, C6/C7 open-plan wide overviews from N and S ends of the 30+ m west zone. NO cameras in clinic (health privacy), restrooms/lactation (prohibited by NPC Circular 2024-02), no audio recording, no aiming at individual screens — overview angles only.
- 5. Access control (~₱42,000–48,000 installed): 2x UA-Ultra (US$129 ea ≈ ₱22,000): main entrance = fail-safe 600-lb maglock (₱1,800–3,500) + battery-backed 12V/5A PSU (₱2,500) + FDAS relay in series (₱800) + REX + break-glass (₱1,200) — releases on alarm AND power loss per RA 9514; server room = fail-secure electric strike (₱1,500–2,500) with free inside lever. Fire exit: panic hardware only + monitored contact, never electrically locked. Reject the standalone-keypad-only option (₱8,000): no logs, no revocation, entrance left uncontrolled.
- 6. Switch: buy USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE ($799 ≈ ₱52,000–55,000 landed) — 7 APs (~150–175 W) + 7–8 cameras (28–48 W) + 2 UA-Ultra (26 W) ≈ 210–245 W over 17–19 ports; the XG-8 (155 W/8 ports) is disqualified and the XG-10 (10 ports) can't take the port count. Cameras need only 1GbE, so the Pro Max 24's port mix is the right fit.
- 7. NPC compliance package before go-live (≈₱1,600 signage + DPO time): A4+ signs at every entry point and in reception; CCTV section added to the employee & visitor privacy notices; footage-access SOP (identity verification, date/time/location required, 15-working-day target response, log every disclosure); CCTV added to the company's records of processing / NPC registration if registered; Protect RBAC limited to 2–3 named staff with view-audit enabled. Signage text: 'NOTICE: This area is under 24/7 CCTV surveillance operated by Software Club, Inc. for the legitimate purposes of premises security and the safety of employees and visitors, in accordance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and NPC Circular No. 2024-02. Cameras cover entrances, exits, and common work areas only; no audio is recorded. Footage is stored securely on-site, is accessible only to authorized personnel, and is automatically deleted after 30 days unless required for an incident investigation or legal proceeding. To request access to footage of yourself, contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@softwareclub.ph or at reception; identity verification and the approximate date, time, and location of the footage will be required.'
- 8. Server-room custody policy: named NFC cards + PIN (no shared credentials), access list limited to IT admin (Xerxis) + 1 deputy + facilities escort procedure, quarterly access review, break-glass mechanical key in a sealed signed envelope in the fire safe with a custody log, revocation tied to offboarding, door-ajar >60 s and door-forced alerts pushed from UniFi to the IT/security channel.
- 9. Phasing if budget is tight: Phase 0 now = drops + slab check (₱33,000, non-deferrable). Phase 1 at move-in (mid-Aug 2026) = C1 + C3 cameras, both doors controlled, 2 TB NVMe, signage ≈ ₱123,000 cumulative (₱111,000 with street-priced NVMe). Phase 2 (Q4 2026) = remaining 5 cameras + door contact/PIR ≈ +₱62,000 → full build ≈ ₱185,000 excluding the ₱52,000–55,000 switch (chargeable to the network budget the APs already justified).
- 10. Use Prowatcher for what they're good at — mounting, lock hardware, FDAS interface wiring, BFP paperwork — as labor on client-supplied UniFi hardware; do not accept a Hikvision/Dahua BOM substitution.
R2·GAP Wired LAN & AV Contingency
The priced A/B/C desk-wiring decision pack, meeting-room AV tiers, the final switch verdict.
Expert summary. The client's '8-port switch / WiFi-only' assumption is dead on arrival: the 7 Ubiquiti U7 Pro XGS APs draw up to 29 W PoE++ each (203 W total), exceeding the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE's 155 W budget, and 7 APs plus an uplink consume all 8 ports before a single printer is plugged in — so even the minimum realistic office (Option A) requires the USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE (verified PHP 63,750 at PC Express, currently out of stock) and ~23 certified Cat6A drops, totaling ~PHP 195,000. Option B (one drop per desk pair: ~93 drops, 14 ceiling poke-down power/data poles into the benching spine, 2x 48-port PoE switches, 42U floor rack, 3 kVA online UPS) lands at ~PHP 930,000 and adds ~6 install days; Option C (full 150-160 desk wiring, 178 drops, 4x 48-port switches) lands at ~PHP 1.59 M and 12-16 working days — it survives the mid-August deadline only if approved by 10 July with a second crew and frozen furniture coordinates. Floor boxes are the wrong pathway on this slab (Omni pop-up hardware is only ~PHP 2,200 but coring an occupied building is PHP 8-15k/point and messy); ceiling poke-down poles while the ceiling is open are the standard PH fit-out answer. Meeting-room AV, uncovered until now, adds ~PHP 706,000 for a sensible BYOD-USB tier (3x Logitech MeetUp 2 @ verified PHP 80,000, 75" + 2x 65" displays, 98" TCL 98P8K @ verified PHP 122,995 + PA for the multi-purpose hall) or ~PHP 961,000 + PHP ~83,500/yr licensing for native Microsoft Teams Rooms (Yealink A40+CTP25, $2,699 verified; Teams Rooms Pro $40/room/month verified; note Yealink A20 was discontinued Jan 2025 and Logitech Rally Bar is poor PH value at a verified PHP 316,500). Desk phones are a non-issue for a 2026 software company: Teams softphones cost zero; at most 2 handsets (reception, clinic) at ~PHP 4,500 each add under 10 W of PoE. My recommendation: approve Option B plus BYOD AV (~PHP 1.64 M combined) by Friday 10 July 2026 — mobilize 13 July, rough-in complete 22-24 July before ceiling closure; if only Option A is approved, spend ~PHP 50,000 now on 30% spare tray, two 50 mm conduit stubs and pole bases so B remains buyable later at ~1.2-1.5x instead of the 2-5x post-closure penalty.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| The 8-port switch is dead even for WiFi-only | U7 Pro XGS max draw is 29 W on PoE++ (802.3bt) per Ubiquiti tech specs; 7 APs = 203 W vs the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE's 155 W total budget, and 7 APs + 1 uplink = 8/8 ports used with zero fixed devices. Minimum viable switch is the USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE (400 W, 16 PoE++ ports). | VERIFIED |
| USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE PH street price PHP 63,750 — but out of stock | PC Express (pcx.com.ph) lists it at PHP 63,750 (below the client's PHP 69,000 assumption) but 'Out of Stock'; the APC 3 kVA UPS at PCX is also out of stock. Order via InfoBahn or an authorized distributor this week; expect 2-4 week lead times. | VERIFIED |
| Pro-Max-24-PoE covers Option A including modest camera growth | Option A uses ~18 active ports day one (7 APs, 3 printers, 2 reception, 1 clinic, 3 VC bars, 1 hall, 1 bench) leaving ~6 spare ports and ~180 W PoE headroom — enough for ~6 future UniFi cameras (5-13 W each). A >6-camera CCTV rollout needs a second switch. Caveat: the APs' 10G ports link at 2.5 GbE on this switch, which is fine for office traffic. | VERIFIED |
| 48-port switching for B/C must be import-estimated | USW-Pro-Max-48-PoE (720 W) is $1,299 on the US Ubiquiti store; no PH retail listing found, so landed PH estimate is PHP 95,000-115,000 each (USD 58 + duties/VAT/margin). Option B needs 2, Option C needs 4. | LIKELY |
| Pathway answer for the open plan: ceiling poke-down poles, not floor boxes | Omni floor pop-up outlet hardware is only ~PHP 2,200 (Lazada, verified) but slab coring + conduit in a fitted building runs PHP 8,000-15,000 per point and is disruptive; with the ceiling open, per-bench-row power/data service poles (est. PHP 6,000-12,000 installed, ~14 rows) dropping into the benching spine raceway are the standard PH fit-out method. Locally fabricated poles are common; imported Legrand tele-power poles cost more (~PHP 15-20k). | LIKELY |
| Cebu per-drop rate of PHP 3,500-5,000 (ceiling open) is corroborated | US commercial Cat6A benchmarks run $200-350 (PHP 11,600-20,300) per certified drop with labor at 60-70% of cost; PH labor rates put PHP 3,500-5,000 in the credible band. All horizontal runs here are under 45 m from the central server room, so no run-length premium. Post-closure the same drop is 2-5x. | LIKELY |
| Rally Bar is poor value in PH; Yealink A40 is the Teams Rooms sweet spot | Logitech Rally Bar = PHP 316,500 VAT-inc at definitive.ph (verified) vs Yealink MeetingBar A40 + CTP25 touch panel at $2,699 US (PH landed est. PHP 165-185k), Teams-certified, MDEP/Android 13, USB device mode for BYOD fallback. Yealink A20 was discontinued 31 Jan 2025 — do not buy A20-class stock. Logitech MeetUp 2 verified at PHP 80,000 (XBSAsia) anchors the BYOD tier. | VERIFIED |
| Teams Rooms Pro licensing is $40/room/month | Microsoft lists Teams Rooms Pro at $40.00/room/month paid yearly (2026 pricing): 3 rooms = ~PHP 83,500/yr at USD 58. BYOD-USB rooms need no room license — staff join from their laptops on existing M365 seats. | VERIFIED |
| Multi-purpose hall: 98-inch TV beats a projector | TCL 98P8K 98" 4K QLED verified at PHP 122,995 (Ansons, sale price from PHP 156,990) — brighter and zero-maintenance vs a ~6,000-lumen Epson EB-L laser projector of similar all-in cost in a glass-walled 42.4 sqm hall. Add 2x JBL EON715 powered PA (est. PHP 40k each, PH dealers confirmed), dual wireless mics and a small mixer: hall total ~PHP 261,000. | VERIFIED |
| Rack and UPS for B/C are cheap and verified | 42U floor cabinet from PHP 23,000 (Toten, Lazada PH); APC Easy UPS On-Line SRV3KI-E 3 kVA = PHP 60,400 (PC Express, out of stock; the Smart-UPS SMT3000 class is PHP 154-206k — spec the Easy UPS line). Option A can stay on a 9U wall rack (~PHP 6,500) + 1 kVA UPS (~PHP 12,000). | VERIFIED |
| VoIP is a softphone story in 2026 | A cybersecurity company on M365 should run Teams softphones; physical handsets only for reception + clinic if desired: Yealink SIP-T31P est. PHP 4,500 each in PH (US ~$60-70), 802.3af at ~2.3 W each — under 10 W total PoE impact, absorbed by any proposed switch. | LIKELY |
| Schedule math: only a 10 July decision keeps all options alive | Ceiling closure expected mid-late July. Option B rough-in is ~5-7 days after ~3 days mobilization; Option C is 8-10 days rough-in + 4-6 days termination/certification (12-16 working days) and its desk-end terminations depend on furniture delivery into the benching spine. Decide by Fri 10 Jul → mobilize Mon 13 Jul → rough-in done 22-24 Jul. Option C additionally needs a second crew (+~15% labor) to protect mid-August. | VERIFIED |
Recommendations
- APPROVE OPTION B by Friday 10 July 2026. Priced table — OPTION A (WiFi-first + fixed devices): ~PHP 195,000 (range 175-230k), 23 drops, 2-3 install days, zero desk wiring, 8-port switch already impossible; OPTION B (1 drop per desk pair, 93 drops total): ~PHP 930,000 (range 820k-1.10M), +6 install days, wired docking for every bench pair + port-level NAC/forensics capture (relevant for a cybersecurity firm) + all-hands WiFi resilience; OPTION C (full 150-160 desk wiring, 178 drops): ~PHP 1.59M (range 1.40-1.90M), 12-16 working days, mid-August survivable ONLY with 10-July approval, second crew, and frozen furniture spine coordinates — otherwise it slips.
- Buy the USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE (PHP 63,750) THIS WEEK regardless of option — it is required even for Option A, and the two PH retailers checked show it out of stock; order via InfoBahn/authorized distributor with the APC SRV3KI-E UPS (also OOS at PCX).
- If only Option A is approved, buy the ~PHP 50,000 reversibility package NOW while the ceiling is open: 30% spare capacity on all cable tray, 2x 50 mm conduit stubs from the server room to the open-plan spine, 14 pole base positions + pull-strings at each bench row. This converts a later A-to-B upgrade from 2-5x per-drop cost to ~1.2-1.5x.
- AV: adopt the BYOD-USB tier now (~PHP 706,000 total: 3x Logitech MeetUp 2 @ 80,000 + 75" conference display ~70,000 + 2x 65" @ ~48,000 + mounts/cabling + hall 98" TCL 122,995 + PA ~123,000). If budget allows one premium room, put a Yealink A40+CTP25 native Teams Room (~PHP 170,000 + $40/mo license) in the conference room only. Avoid Rally Bar (PHP 316,500 in PH) and the discontinued Yealink A20.
- Hand the fit-out electrician the AV wall-plate spec NOW: each of the 3 VC rooms = 2x data + 2x power at +1,800 mm on the display wall plus one 25 mm conduit from table position to display wall; multi-purpose hall (south wall, center) = 2x data + 4x power at +2,200 mm plus 2x 32 mm conduit stubs to ceiling for speakers/mics. These are trivial while walls/ceiling are open and painful after.
- Skip desk phones: Teams softphones on existing M365 licensing; at most 2x Yealink T31P (reception, clinic) at ~PHP 4,500 each — negligible PoE impact.
- Freeze the furniture benching layout and spine raceway coordinates with the furniture vendor before cabling rough-in starts (week of 13 July); rough-in lands cable at pole positions, desk-end termination happens after furniture install in early August.
- DECISION DEADLINE: Friday 10 July 2026 (ceiling closure expected ~24 July; 3 days mobilization + 5-7 days rough-in must fit before it). Every week of delay past 10 July removes Option C first, then Option B.
R2·GAP Landlord & Fit-out Compliance
PMO drawing approvals, bonds, insurance, after-hours rules, riser/ISP gating, condenser rights.
Expert summary. SUMMARY: For a 530.62 sqm single-floor fit-out in a Cebu Grade A/B tower, the landlord-side package is: PMO fit-out application + full drawing set (including ECE-signed electronics/auxiliary sheets per RA 9292 — structured cabling, WiFi, CCTV), a plan-review/vetting fee (PHP 20,000 flat to PHP 50/sqm = ~PHP 26,531), a refundable construction bond (verified range PHP 50,000 flat up to one month's gross rent ≈ PHP 350,000-450,000 for this floor), CARI insurance at ≥125% of works value plus public liability (RCBC-class towers demand PHP 45M TPL; smaller towers 100% of project cost) naming the landlord co-insured, and worker gate passes filed 2-3 working days ahead. The single most time-critical item is DRAWING APPROVAL: verified PMO turnarounds are 7-10 working days (139 Corporate Center) to 15 working days per cycle (RCBC Plaza) — 1.5 to 3 weeks — and cabling cannot legally start before approval, while the suspended ceiling closes in 2-4 weeks (approx. Jul 16-30); plans must therefore be submitted THIS WEEK (by ~Jul 6) or Software Club must negotiate a conditional/partial NTP for the low-voltage scope. The second gate is the ISP: RISE benchmarks 1.8 weeks installation in lit Cebu buildings and PLDT commits 30-45 days from contract conformity where facilities already exist, but an ISP NOT yet in the riser needs a building-entry/access agreement that typically adds 4-8+ weeks — so the PMO must be asked TODAY which ISPs are already lit, and the primary order placed with one of those by ~Jul 10 to make the mid-August (≈Aug 14) WiFi deadline. Noisy work and deliveries are after-hours only (verified windows 6:00PM-6:00AM), which adds a 25-50% premium on the cabling labor (statutory floors: +25% OT, +10% night differential 10PM-6AM, +30% rest-day); with 8-20 Cat6A drops at ~PHP 3,000-6,000/drop this is only ~PHP 10,000-30,000 extra. The server-room condenser needs landlord mechanical approval: facade mounting is prohibited in Grade A towers, so the realistic options are the floor's designated AC ledge/ACCU area, the AHU room, or a paid common-area spot, with condensate tied into building stub-outs (e.g., Exquadra provides 2x32mm) — an indoor window-adjacent 5G antenna needs no approval as long as nothing touches or penetrates the facade/glass. Move-in (not just WiFi) is gated by the PMO completion certificate, Certificate of Occupancy from Cebu City OBO, and the BFP Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (statutory 5-7 working days once complete), all of which can be held up by unsealed fire-stopping on riser/ceiling penetrations or low-voltage work done without an electronics permit/ECE-signed as-builts. Total landlord-side cash exposure for this project: roughly PHP 250,000-700,000, of which the bond (PHP 50k-450k) is refundable ~1 month after completion sign-off.
| Finding | Detail | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing-approval turnaround is 7-15 working days per cycle and sits on the critical path | Verified from two PH tower manuals: 139 Corporate Center (Century Properties) processes plans in 7-10 working days; RCBC Plaza commits 15 working days (excl. Saturdays) per review cycle, and each resubmission restarts another 15-working-day clock. Fit-out work 'will not be allowed to commence in the absence of approved plans, building permits, licenses'. Submitted Jul 2-6, approval lands ~Jul 13-27; the suspended ceiling closes ~Jul 16-30, so one resubmission cycle kills the before-ceiling cable window. | VERIFIED |
| Plan review / vetting fee: PHP 20,000 flat to PHP 50/sqm | RCBC Plaza charges a fixed PHP 50.00/sqm vetting fee on gross leasable area = PHP 26,531 for 530.62 sqm (covers architectural/mechanical/electrical/sanitary review; structural consultation billed separately). 139 Corporate Center charges PHP 20,000 flat per unit plus PHP 5,000/month monitoring & supervision fee (re-charged every 30 days the project runs). Non-refundable. | VERIFIED |
| Construction bond: PHP 50,000 flat up to one month's gross rent (~PHP 350k-450k for 530 sqm) | Verified spread across PH towers: 139 Corporate Center = PHP 50,000 flat; Pacific Star Building = higher of PHP 100,000 or PHP 200/sqm (= PHP 106,124 at 530.62 sqm); RCBC Plaza = one month's gross rent (Cebu Grade A at ~PHP 550-700/sqm + ~PHP 200-260/sqm dues ≈ PHP 400,000-510,000 gross). Refundable ~1 month after PMO Certificate of Completion, net of penalty deductions (RCBC penalty schedule: PHP 5,000-10,000 per incident). RCBC also requires a PHP 50,000/floor electricity deposit + PHP 6,000/floor non-refundable water charge before fit-out starts. | VERIFIED |
| Insurance: CARI ≥125% of works + public liability with landlord as co-insured; landlord explicitly NOT liable for delivered equipment | RCBC Plaza requires (in joint names of Landlord/PMO): (1) CARI ≥125% of total construction cost covering works, materials, equipment and supplies during fit-out; (2) Public Liability ≥ PHP 45,000,000 or 125% of renovation cost, whichever is higher, per accident, with cross-liability clause; (3) personal accident cover for all workers. 139 Corporate Center requires CGL = 100% of total project cost with the condo corp, tenants and employees as co-insured. RCBC clause: 'The Landlord will not be held liable for any losses in respect of materials and finished works... after the handing over of the premises' — the ~PHP 300k of network gear is on the tenant/contractor (CARI materials-on-site cover or the tenant's own property policy) until commissioning. PH insurers bind CARI/CGL in ~3-7 working days; premium ~0.15-0.5% of sum insured. | VERIFIED |
| Work rules: deliveries and noisy work after-hours only (6PM-6AM), hot-work permit daily, debris out nightly | RCBC Plaza: deliveries 6:00PM-6:00AM via basement loading bay only; passenger elevators strictly banned for workers/materials; service lifts must be fitted with floor and wall protection; work permit + Pre-Task Plan filed ≥2 working days ahead (1-week validity); noisy work disturbing occupied floors = 'major construction violation' with tool confiscation + PHP 5,000/incident. 139 Corporate Center: deliveries Mon-Fri 7:00PM-6:00AM, Sat 9AM-5PM, none Sun/holidays; daily Hot Works Permit + dedicated fire watch + extinguisher for any welding/grinding; LOTO mandatory; debris hauled out every night or penalties deducted from bond; gate pass signed 3 days prior, valid 2 weeks, renewable weekly; workers get building ID/access pass after safety orientation, subject to bag search. | VERIFIED |
| After-hours labor premium on the cabling quote: +25-50% on labor, ≈ PHP 10,000-30,000 on this job | Statutory floors (Labor Code): overtime +25% (ordinary day), night-shift differential +10% for hours 10PM-6AM (stacking to ~+37.5% for night OT), rest-day work +30%. Cebu Cat6A pricing ~PHP 3,000-6,000 per drop all-in (US benchmark USD 200-350/drop; PH labor is ~40-50% of drop cost). 8-20 drops = PHP 24,000-120,000 base; forcing pulls into 6PM-6AM windows realistically adds 25-50% on the labor portion ≈ PHP 10,000-30,000, plus possible building charges for after-hours security/supervision (RCBC reserves the right to bill extra security and utilities for overtime work). | LIKELY |
| After-hours air-conditioning: standard AC dues ~PHP 200-262.5/sqm/month for 7AM-6PM weekdays; overtime AC billed hourly and rate is building-specific | Verified: Makati/PH Grade A AC charges run PHP 200-262.50/sqm/month for standard hours (7AM-6PM Mon-Fri) and buildings levy additional hourly per-tonnage charges after hours (exact PHP/hour rates are not published — typical market anecdotes are PHP 1,500-5,000/hour per floor/zone for chilled-water extension; must be confirmed with the PMO). During fit-out RCBC supplies NO air-conditioning at all. Critical design consequence: if the tower has no 24/7 AC zone or condenser-water riser, the server room MUST have its own split-type unit — which is exactly why the condenser location question gates the network design. | UNCERTAIN |
| Riser/telecom room is landlord-controlled; building provides riser conduits to the telecom room, tenant provides everything from there | RCBC Plaza model (typical of PH towers): 'The occupant shall apply directly to the telephone company for the service. The building shall provide cables and conduits at the telephone room. The occupant will provide for termination, cables and conduits for office units.' Any drainpipe/cabling conduit riser penetration requires landlord approval; horizontal telecom wiring must be in IMC conduit fastened to the slab. ISPs already lit in the building connect at the telecom room in days; an ISP not yet in the building must first sign a building-entry/access agreement with the landlord (commercial negotiation, insurance, riser space allocation) — commonly 4-8+ weeks before construction even starts. | VERIFIED |
| ISP lead times: RISE avg 1.8 weeks in lit Cebu buildings; PLDT 30-45 days from conformity where facilities exist; non-lit = +4-8 weeks | RISE (strong in Cebu IT Park — launched there Apr 2023, serves Mabuhay Tower, Cebu IT Tower 1, The Link, etc.) benchmarks ~1.8 weeks installation for business clients via its Pathfinders division. A published PLDT enterprise contract commits installation 'within 30 to 45 days from date of conformity' IF the service uses existing PLDT facilities, 'otherwise subject to additional factors'. Cebu Business Park and IT Park Grade A towers are typically already lit by PLDT, Globe and Converge, with RISE expanding. Filing RISE + PLDT/Converge in parallel is correct; the deciding fact is which of them is already in THIS building's riser. | VERIFIED |
| ECE-signed electronics plans + electronics permit are legally required for the structured-cabling scope | Under RA 9292 (Electronics Engineering Law of 2004) and the National Building Code IRR, electronics/communications plans (data, structured cabling, WiFi, CCTV, access control, fire alarm interface) must be signed and sealed by a licensed Electronics Engineer, and an Electronics Permit is one of the ancillary permits filed with the Cebu City OBO alongside the electrical permit. PMOs require these sheets in the fit-out drawing set, and the OBO final inspection + BFP will look for the permit and ECE-signed as-builts. Non-permitted low-voltage work is a documented cause of occupancy-clearance holds. | VERIFIED |
| Server-room condenser: facade prohibited; realistic options are designated AC ledge/ACCU area, AHU room, or paid common-area spot | Grade A tower pattern (verified in Exquadra Tower manual): additional split-type AC is 'strictly prohibited' EXCEPT tenant-provided server-room AC 'as approved by the Building design guidelines through Building Management and the Building's Consultant'; nothing may be fixed, chased or drilled on the facade glass/curtain wall; condensate must tie into building stub-outs (Exquadra provides 2x32mm condensate stubs per unit) with P-trap, never onto the facade or into hand basins. Approval path: PME-signed mechanical sheet in the fit-out set + base-building consultant review (consultation fee to tenant's account at RCBC-class buildings). A window-ADJACENT indoor 5G antenna/CPE needs NO landlord approval provided it is inside the glass line with no film, fixing or penetration on the facade; anything mounted outside the glass or on the roof does need approval and often a monthly fee. | VERIFIED |
| Occupancy gates: PMO completion certificate -> OBO Certificate of Occupancy -> BFP FSIC (5-7 working days statutory) -> business permit | The tenant's contractor obtains completion sign-off: 3 sets of signed/sealed as-builts + CAD DVD to PMO, PMO final inspection vs approved plans, then submission of Business Permit, Occupancy Permit, Certificate of Final Electrical Inspection and FSIC copies before the bond is released. BFP must issue FSEC/FSIC within 7 working days under the Ease of Doing Business Act (typical 5-7 wd when documents are complete); FSIC fee = 10% of BPLO business-permit fees; Certificate of Occupancy must issue within 5 days of a favorable OBO final inspection, and the National Construction Policy deems complete OBO applications approved after 15 days. Unsealed fire-stopping on riser/wall/ceiling penetrations (exactly what Cat6A pulls and condensate pipes create) and unpermitted low-voltage work are the classic FSIC blockers — they hold up MOVE-IN, not just WiFi. | VERIFIED |
| Deadline math: mid-August (≈Aug 14) is 31 working days away — feasible only if plans are lodged by ~Jul 6 and a lit ISP is ordered by ~Jul 10 | Timeline from Jul 2: plans in by Jul 6 -> PMO approval Jul 15-27 (7-15 wd) -> gate passes/work permits +2-3 days -> cable pulls 3-5 after-hours nights -> done Jul 22-31, just inside the ceiling-closure window (Jul 16-30) only at the fast end. ISP: lit-building order signed Jul 10 -> RISE ~Jul 24 / PLDT Aug 10-24 (30-45 days). A non-lit ISP (+4-8 weeks building entry) lands Sep-Oct and misses the deadline outright — hence 5G backup live from day 1. | VERIFIED |
Recommendations
- 1. TODAY (Jul 2): email the PMO the questionnaire below; the two answers that gate everything are (a) which ISPs are already lit in the riser and (b) the drawing-approval SLA. Request the building's Fit-Out Manual/Kit and bond schedule in the same email. Lead time: same-day to 3 days for a reply.
- 2. THIS WEEK (by Jul 6): lodge the fit-out drawing set with the PMO — architectural, PEE-signed electrical, PME-signed mechanical (server-room split + condenser + condensate), and the ECE-signed electronics/auxiliary sheets (Cat6A routes, AP positions, rack, riser entry) per RA 9292. Budget PHP 20,000-27,000 vetting fee (PHP 50/sqm-class) + PHP 5,000/month monitoring. Ask in writing for EXPEDITED or PARTIAL approval of the low-voltage sheets, or a conditional NTP under the main fit-out contractor's already-approved permit, so the 8-20 ceiling pulls beat the ceiling closure (~Jul 16-30). Approval clock: 7-15 working days per cycle — one resubmission kills the window, so pre-align sheets with the building engineer before formal lodging.
- 3. By Jul 10: place the PRIMARY internet order with an ISP that is ALREADY in the building riser (keep filing RISE and PLDT/Converge in parallel; drop whichever is not lit). Lit-building lead times: RISE ~1.8 weeks average in Cebu; PLDT DIA 30-45 days from contract conformity. A non-lit ISP adds a 4-8+ week building-entry agreement and misses mid-August.
- 4. Order the 5G backup NOW (PHP 15,000-35,000 CPE + PHP 2,000-5,000/month plan): indoor, window-adjacent placement needs no landlord approval as long as nothing is fixed to or penetrates the facade/glass. It doubles as the interim office uplink if fiber slips.
- 5. This week: have the network contractor complete PMO ACCREDITATION and bind insurance — CARI ≥125% of works value covering materials on site, public liability (expect PHP 1M-5M minimum in mid-grade towers, PHP 45M-class in premium Grade A), landlord/PMO named co-insured, plus workers' personal-accident cover. Binding takes 3-7 working days, premium ~0.15-0.5% of sum insured (PHP 25,000-75,000 on a PHP 10-15M full fit-out; a few thousand pesos if only the PHP 300k-800k network scope is separately covered).
- 6. Post the CONSTRUCTION BOND as soon as the PMO quotes it — budget PHP 50,000-110,000 (flat/per-sqm models) but be ready for up to one month's gross rent (~PHP 400,000-510,000) in a premium tower; it is refundable ~1 month after completion sign-off. Also expect PHP 50,000 electricity deposit + ~PHP 6,000 water charge per floor before work starts.
- 7. Book after-hours work windows now: deliveries and noisy work run 6:00PM-6:00AM (Sat daytime sometimes allowed); file work permits + Pre-Task Plans 2 working days ahead and worker gate-pass lists 3 days ahead (passes valid 1-2 weeks, renewable). Price the cabling quote with a +25-50% after-hours labor premium (≈PHP 10,000-30,000 on a PHP 24,000-120,000, 8-20-drop Cat6A job) and ask the PMO its after-hours security/supervision and freight-elevator rates (typically PHP 500-2,000/hour class).
- 8. Condenser: request the floor's DESIGNATED AC LEDGE / ACCU area allocation from the PMO in the same email — never plan a facade mount (prohibited). Pipe condensate to the building stub-out with a P-trap. If no ledge exists, the fallbacks are the AHU room (with heat-rejection approval) or a paid common-area/roof spot (monthly fee, PMO-set). Get this fixed before the mechanical sheet is finalized or it forces a redesign cycle (+2-3 weeks).
- 9. Deliveries of the ~PHP 300k network gear: schedule 6PM-6AM via the loading bay with gate passes filed 3 days prior; deliver LATE (just before install), store in the lockable server room, and confirm the gear is declared under the CARI materials-on-site section or the company property policy — the landlord is contractually not liable for it.
- 10. Fire-stopping discipline: fire-rate and seal EVERY riser, wall and slab penetration the cable pulls and condensate pipe create, and photo-document before the ceiling closes. Unsealed penetrations and unpermitted low-voltage work are the two classic holds on the PMO completion certificate -> OBO occupancy -> BFP FSIC chain (FSIC itself is 5-7 working days once documents are complete) — i.e., they delay MOVE-IN, not just WiFi. Keep ECE-signed as-built drawings ready in 3 sets + CAD.
The five load-bearing facts
Of the 95 verified findings, these five carry the most structural weight — each one invalidates part of the original 5-AP / 8-port / PoE+-injector assumption or gates the mid-August deadline.
PoE++ (802.3bt) is non-negotiable
VERIFIEDThe U7 Pro XGS draws up to 29 W and officially requires PoE++ — an 802.3at (PoE+) injector delivers only ~25.5 W at the device, so the AP boots then browns out or silently disables radios under load. The incumbent vendor's quote contains exactly this error (₱1,500 “PoE+ Injector for U7 Pro”). Every AP port must be 802.3bt.
Verified on techspecs.ui.com · found independently by 8+ experts · kills the old quote's injector line
155 W kills every 8-port switch
VERIFIED7 APs × 29 W = 203 W nameplate vs the USW-Pro-XG-8-PoE's 155 W total PoE budget — and 7 APs + uplink consume all 8 ports before a single printer is plugged in. The deployment needs a 400 W-class switch: USW-Pro-XG-10-PoE (10× 10GbE, US$699) or, once fixed devices and cameras are counted, the USW-Pro-Max-24-PoE (24 ports, ₱63,750 verified at PC Express — currently out of stock).
Verified store.ui.com/techspecs + pcx.com.ph · reshapes the whole BOM
PH 6 GHz = lower 500 MHz only
VERIFIEDNTC Memorandum Circular 002-07-2024 opened 5925–6425 MHz for indoor LPI at 250 mW (24 dBm) EIRP — not the full 1200 MHz. Consequence: max 6× non-overlapping 80 MHz channels; a US-style 320/160 MHz channel plan cannot reuse across 7 APs. Set console country = Philippines before adoption and design 6 GHz at 80 MHz.
Verified NTC MC 002-07-2024 · constrains the entire channel plan
PCAB + ECE sign-off are legally required
VERIFIEDRA 4566 requires a PCAB-licensed contractor for construction contracting above ₱50,000 (verify any bidder at pcab.construction.gov.ph), and RA 9292 requires the electronics/structured-cabling sheets in the fit-out permit to be signed and sealed by a licensed Electronics Engineer. Unpermitted low-voltage work is a documented blocker of the OBO occupancy / BFP FSIC chain — it delays move-in, not just WiFi.
Verified RA 4566 / RA 9292 / OBO-BFP practice · gates both cabling start and occupancy
The import trap: NTC Permit to Import
VERIFIEDWiFi radios (AHTN 8517.62, 0% duty) still need an NTC Permit to Import filed via the National Single Window before the shipment lands, backed by a Type Acceptance certificate — plus BOC importer accreditation for a formal entry. A direct import risks a 1–4-week customs hold or seizure against a 6-week runway, and Ubiquiti voids warranty outside authorized channels. Buying from an authorized PH distributor (MEC Networks / iConnect Cebu) makes all of it the distributor's problem at roughly zero real premium.
Verified NTC MC 09-09-2003 / NSW process / ui.com warranty terms · kills sourcing option (c)
Critic's fold-in gaps
After round 1, an adversarial critic reviewed the whole corpus for completeness. Beyond commissioning the five round-2 experts, it flagged these 14 one-liner gaps that belong to no single domain — treat as a project checklist.
- Bench-test the reused UCG-Fiber and U7 Pro XGS in early July (power-on, firmware update, config export) before betting the cutover on them - a dead reused gateway discovered in August kills the schedule and no expert scheduled this verification.
- Budget one cold-spare U7 Pro XGS (~PHP 23,000 VAT-inc) and record all serials + purchase channel in the handover pack; PH RMA runs 2-6 weeks with no advance replacement.
- Forward UniFi controller syslog, admin-audit events and DHCP lease logs to the company SIEM with a defined retention - table stakes for a cybersecurity group (Dedale) and covered by no expert.
- Staff change management: day-1 onboarding email (SSID names, certificate/PPSK enrollment steps), a floor-walker on the first morning, and train reception on the guest-voucher printing workflow.
- Old-office exit tasks nobody owns: lease restoration of ceiling penetrations at BPI Philam, cancel/transfer the old ISP contract (check lock-in penalty), factory-reset anything left behind.
- 5G failover CPE operations: assign SIM billing owner and data-cap alert, verify cellular signal actually reaches the interior server room (may need a window-mounted antenna + longer Ethernet run), and calendar a monthly failover test.
- Add the ~PHP 300k of network equipment to the office contents insurance effective from delivery date - theft from unsecured fit-out sites is common in PH - and require the installer's liability COI before mobilization.
- HSE clause in the installation PO: DOLE D.O. 13/198 construction-safety compliance, PPE, working-at-height rules, and no overhead ceiling work above occupied desks after move-in.
- AP aesthetics: specify flush/recessed mount trims on the tile grid and white cable whips only; get architect/landlord sign-off on any visible conduit before installation, not after.
- Install a PoE temperature/humidity + door-contact sensor in the 4.97 sqm server room with >30 C alerts webhooked to Teams (~PHP 3,000-8,000).
- Make the final payment conditional on a single handover binder: as-built drawings, Fluke certification PDFs, serial/warranty register, UniFi .unf config export, IP plan, ISP account documents, and admin credentials transferred to the company vault.
- Unbox-test one PH-market AP immediately on arrival to confirm the Philippines country profile really enables 5925-6425 MHz on shipping firmware before the RF plan assumes 6 GHz.
- Document a static-IP/DHCP-reservation plan (printers, ONT, 5G CPE, sensors, NTP option) in the IP plan - five minutes now versus hours of guesswork at commissioning.
- Seismic/mechanical detail: APs fixed with manufacturer T-rail mounts plus a safety tether to the slab where tiles are flimsy - Cebu is seismically active and a falling 1 kg AP over a desk is a liability.
Sources
216 unique URLs cited across the 12 dossiers, deduplicated and grouped by site. Ubiquiti official documentation, Philippine regulators and statute texts, and live PH retailer listings dominate — by design.