Network Cost Estimator
Build up a network project cost: hardware, licences, cabling, installation labour, contingency and cost per port.
Inputs
Total Project Cost
$205,632
Hardware and Licences
$148,000
Installation Labour
$13,600
Contingency Reserve
$22,032
Cost per Port
$214.20
Step by step
Values used
Switches or nodes = 20 units; Hardware cost per unit = 6,500 currency; Ports per unit = 48 ports; Software licence per unit = 900 currency; Cabling and optics = 22,000 currency; Installation labour = 160 hours; Labour rate = 85 currency/hour; Contingency = 12 %
Network Cost
total = (units × (hardware + licence)) + cabling + (labour hours × rate), plus a contingency percentage of that subtotal.
Total Project Cost
= 205,632
Hardware and Licences
= 148,000
Installation Labour
= 13,600
Contingency Reserve
= 22,032
Cost per Port
= 214.20
How it works
Project cost is a sum of four independent buckets, and contingency is applied to the subtotal rather than to hardware alone because labour and cabling overruns are the more common surprise. Normalising by port count gives the figure that makes competing designs comparable. Cost per port is the number procurement and finance actually compare, and it is the only way to show that a cheaper switch with fewer ports is not cheaper at all.
Formula
Network Cost
total = (units × (hardware + licence)) + cabling + (labour hours × rate), plus a contingency percentage of that subtotal.
- contingency
- Reserve for scope discovered during installation
- cost per port
- Total cost divided by delivered access ports
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Network Cost calculated?
total = (units × (hardware + licence)) + cabling + (labour hours × rate), plus a contingency percentage of that subtotal. Project cost is a sum of four independent buckets, and contingency is applied to the subtotal rather than to hardware alone because labour and cabling overruns are the more common surprise. Normalising by port count gives the figure that makes competing designs comparable.
Why does Network Cost matter?
Cost per port is the number procurement and finance actually compare, and it is the only way to show that a cheaper switch with fewer ports is not cheaper at all.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 8 inputs: Switches or nodes, Hardware cost per unit, Ports per unit, Software licence per unit, Cabling and optics, Installation labour, Labour rate, Contingency. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.
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