"Squats." One of those peculiar industry words that, before you get involved in dentistry, you'd never imagine would have anything to do with IT.
Over the years, I've helped hundreds of dental practices set up from scratch. One truth remains consistent: if you don't get the IT right from the start, you'll spend years paying the price. Retrofitting technology is expensive, disruptive, and often impossible without compromise.
This guide sets out the essential IT considerations for squat practices. Think of it as your blueprint for building a practice that runs smoothly from day one and scales as you grow. We are proud to have been involved in these high-end sites: Marlow Dental Practice, Marlow and Ollie and Darsh, Liverpool.
1. Cabling: the foundation of your practice
No, you cannot "just do WiFi everywhere". Even the latest WiFi 6 or WiFi 7 systems rarely deliver more than 100-200 Mbps consistently. Wireless is never as reliable as wired connections. Imaging systems, VoIP, and cloud applications demand stability and bandwidth. That's why you need structured cabling: one of the most important, and most commonly overlooked, elements of your practice IT.
Golden rules for structured cabling:
- Use a specialist: don't let the builder or electrician "have a go". Data cabling is a different discipline from electrics.
- Cable quality matters: CAT6 low-smoke (LSZH) is the current sweet spot for cost/performance and is required in public buildings.
- Correct routing: no bends sharper than 90 degrees; never squashed, tacked, or run along skirting boards; avoid proximity to mains cables.
- Professional presentation: trunked or hidden in trays/walls, terminated into a labelled patch panel in a grounded steel cabinet.
- Testing: every run should be tested end-to-end at a minimum of 1 Gbps, ideally with FLUKE-certified equipment.
- Numbering: faceplates must match patch panel labels for easy fault-finding and future moves, adds and changes.
If your contractor looks confused at any of these points, they are not the right people for this job.
2. The comms cabinet
This is the beating heart of your network. It houses switches, firewall/router, Internet termination, an optional server/NAS, and potentially CCTV or a legacy PBX. Cabinet requirements: standard 600mm wide, 450-500mm deep, 12U-15U tall (gives space for growth), located in a back office, plant room, or storeroom, never reception or a surgery; accessible for support but not in public view; with airflow and cooling (fans generate noise, so location matters). Skipping the cabinet often leads to a spaghetti of cables under reception desks or switches stuck on walls. Don't do it.
3. Internet connectivity
A squat site almost always needs a new line: FTTP, SOGEA, or a leased line. Providers are typically BT Openreach, Virgin, or a local alternative network. Engineers usually only terminate within a few metres of the building entry point; they will need local power and may use existing ducts and poles. Best practice: plan for the Internet line to terminate directly into your comms cabinet. Reliability depends on having everything centralised.
4. How many network points?
This is partly future-proofing and partly educated guesswork. Over time, I've developed a formula that works well: surgeries get 2 sockets each (PC plus a spare for scanner, phone, or imaging); reception and offices get 4 sockets each (PC, phone, printer, PDQ). Adding sockets later means tearing up walls and cabinetry; imaging and scanners increasingly connect over Ethernet; phones may be IP-based and need network ports. If budget is tight and you're certain a room will only ever have one PC, you could get away with one port, but you'll regret it if you expand.
5. Cabling and build timelines
Data cablers generally work alongside electricians. First fix: cables routed while walls are open. Second fix: faceplates installed, patch panels terminated, sockets fitted. Coordination is key: if the cabling isn't in at first fix, retrofitting becomes very difficult.
6. WiFi
WiFi is critical, not just for mobile devices, but also for walkabout phones, Clinipads and iPads, imaging scanners (e.g. iTero), and staff laptops and tablets. Design principles: never rely on a single router; install multiple ceiling-mounted access points, each wired back to the cabinet. WiFi works best from the ceiling, not from boxes hidden under desks. Vendors we recommend: Ubiquiti UniFi (excellent value, widely supported) and Cisco Meraki (enterprise-grade, full cloud management).
7. Monitors and displays
Surgery monitors: wall-mounted second screens (VESA-capable), connected via HDMI from the PC area; always run a spare HDMI or CAT6 for resilience, and protect cable ends during building works (HDMI cables cannot be re-terminated). Ceiling TVs: entertainment and distraction only; use smart TVs running over WiFi, no network or HDMI cabling required. Reception TVs: never connect to the receptionist's PC as a second monitor (serious GDPR risk); use either a dedicated PC with controlled display content, or a smart TV running looping slides or videos from a USB stick.
8. Workstations
Options include towers, mini-PCs, and all-in-ones (AIOs). AIOs are often best: sleek design and modern look, built-in webcam and audio (great for Teams/Zoom training calls), touchscreen options, minimal cables and clutter, easy to add second or even third screens. You need towers instead for high-performance requirements (e.g. CBCT or scanners needing 4-6GB GPUs) or very large or curved monitors. Specs: aim for i7 or i9 processors (i5 only for very light admin). Don't skimp: slow PCs cost more in lost productivity than the hardware saving. We favour HP, but Dell and Lenovo are also reliable.
9. Phones
Forget on-premises PBXs. Cloud-based systems are now the standard. Benefits include AI-driven features such as call analytics and transcription, flexible scaling, softphones and mobile integration, and no five-year contracts at £300-£500 a month. Our recommendation: Zoom Phone with AI analytics, powerful, affordable and future-proof. Book a demo call here.
10. Servers
Do you still need one? Sometimes. Cloud practice management (Dentally, SOE and so on) may remove the need, but digital imaging in the cloud is expensive, and many CBCT and X-ray vendors still require local servers. Always check vendor requirements before ruling servers out.
11. Switches and firewalls
Go cloud-managed. Benefits include remote monitoring, simplified support, and security policy management. UniFi is good value for small to mid-size practices; Cisco Meraki is best-in-class, enterprise-grade.
12. Cloud services and identity
Practices should go cloud-first with Microsoft 365 from day one: single sign-on with Entra ID, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint for collaboration and document storage, staff onboarded directly into modern working practices with no migrations later, and centralised control of access and compliance.
13. Project management
The most successful squat practices always have one thing in common: a good project manager, who coordinates trades and suppliers, ensures IT integrates with cabinetry, electrics, and clinical equipment, and prevents costly mistakes and downtime. It may feel like an extra cost, but the savings in avoided disruption are substantial. We work with experienced dental project managers such as Tracy Bean (BH Projects), whose expertise consistently delivers smooth builds.
Final word
Launching a squat practice is one of the most complex professional projects you'll ever undertake. IT can make or break it. Get the fundamentals right, cabling, cabinet, connectivity, cloud, and everything else falls into place.
Key takeaway: build your IT once, build it right, and you'll thank yourself for years to come.