Commercial Sub-Verticals in DFW: MOB, Flex & Mixed-Use Tech Requirements

"Commercial" is one of the broadest categories in real estate. A 5-story Class A office building, a single-tenant medical office, a 200,000 sq ft flex warehouse, and a mixed-use podium with retail and apartments are all "commercial" — but they have almost nothing in common from a low-voltage perspective.

This article walks through three sub-verticals where EIG PRO is asked the most clarifying questions: medical office buildings (MOB), flex / office-warehouse, and mixed-use developments. If you are a GC, developer, or owner planning one of these, here is what to expect.

Sub-vertical pages: Medical Office Building · Flex / Warehouse · Mixed-Use

Medical office buildings (MOB)

MOBs sit somewhere between a clinic and a Class B office building. They host physician practices, urgent care, imaging, surgery centers, and physical therapy — each with different network, paging, and AV needs.

What changes vs a regular office

HIPAA-conscious network design. Patient data flows on isolated VLANs, with dedicated PACS/EMR pathways and audit logging at the switch level.
Color-coded cable plant. EIG PRO uses different jacket colors for clinical vs guest vs telephony so future moves/adds/changes don't accidentally bridge networks.
Overhead paging. Bogen or Atlas paging tied to code-blue and STAT alerts. We coordinate with nurse-call vendors (Rauland, Hill-Rom) on cabling but typically don't install the nurse-call head-end.
Patient queuing displays. QLess or Qmatic integrated with the EMR for waiting room flow.
Procedure-room AV. Recording, telesurgery feeds, and surgeon HUDs in OR/procedure suites.

Common pitfalls

The biggest one is bringing low-voltage in too late. MOBs need pathways for PACS networks, paging, and nurse-call coordination on the construction documents. Late involvement means cored slabs, missed conduit, and angry tenants.

Flex / Office-Warehouse

Flex buildings combine office front-of-house with warehouse or industrial back-of-house. They are extremely common across the DFW industrial corridor — Garland, Plano, Lewisville, Wylie, Frisco, McKinney, and the new Spec North developments.

Two environments under one roof

Office spaces want clean cable trays, plenum Cat6A, finished IDFs, and standardized Logitech/Poly conference rooms.
Warehouses need conduit, J-hooks, dust- and impact-rated cameras (IK10), industrial-grade Wi-Fi (Cisco IW, Cambium, Aruba Outdoor), and weather-rated cabling at dock doors.

Loading dock & yard security

Every dock door gets a camera. License-plate recognition at the truck gate logs every arrival. Intercoms at gates let drivers reach receiving without a guard shack. Door-position sensors tie into the BMS so leadership can see open-dock counts in real time.

Wi-Fi in a metal-clad warehouse

Metal racking, inventory, and forklifts make warehouse RF a unique challenge. EIG PRO conducts a predictive site survey during design and an actual site survey post-build to validate coverage for handheld scanners, RFID readers, and AGVs.

Mixed-use developments

Mixed-use is the fastest-growing commercial sub-vertical in DFW. Projects like Legacy West (Plano), The Star (Frisco), and dozens of smaller developments combine retail, office, and residential into one project.

Three use types, three technology approaches

Retail tenants want flexible, low-cost connectivity with isolated guest Wi-Fi and POS networks.
Office tenants want enterprise-grade fiber and conference room AV.
Residential wants smart home, intercom, and amenity AV.

Shared base infrastructure

Despite the three use types, the smartest developers consolidate the base infrastructure:

Shared garage security with one camera VMS and unified LPR — but role-based admin so retail tenants only see their cameras.
Public Wi-Fi with a captive portal in retail and amenity zones.
Mixed-use intercom (ButterflyMX or 2N) at residential entries with retail-friendly call routing.
Use-segmented networks with separate VLANs and physical risers per use type.

Phased delivery

Mixed-use developments rarely open all at once. EIG PRO designs the base infrastructure to support phased cutover so retail can open before residential is occupied — without rebuilding the network later.

How EIG PRO works through these sub-verticals

For all three, our process is the same:

Discovery call to map use types, ISPs, and code requirements.
System design with riser diagrams, IDF layouts, and pathway coordination.
Fixed-price proposal with phased scheduling.
Pre-construction coordination with the GC, MEP, and architect.
Installation, certification, and turnover with full Fluke test reports.

If you are planning a medical office building, flex warehouse, or mixed-use development in DFW, request a proposal or call (945) 300-0086.

Commercial Sub-Verticals in DFW: MOB, Flex & Mixed-Use Tech Requirements