If you install networking, security, access control, lighting, or A/V systems for a living, CEDIA Expo 2026 is the one week a year you should clear your calendar for. The show runs September 1–4, 2026, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, and it remains, in CEDIA’s own words, the premier gathering for the residential systems integration industry — more than 15,000 professionals, over 1,000 new product debuts, and the kind of hands-on access to manufacturers you don’t get from a catalog or a Zoom demo.
For integrators deciding whether CEDIA Expo 2026 is worth the trip, the honest answer is that the show floor has changed as much as the industry it serves. Networking, security, access control, lighting and A/V used to live on separate quotes, separate trucks and sometimes separate technicians. Increasingly, they live on the same infrastructure — which means the products worth walking the floor for aren’t just the flashy front-of-house devices anymore. They’re the rack, cable, connectivity, and pathway decisions behind the wall that determine whether it all actually works.
That’s the lens Vertical Cable is bringing to Booth #C714 this year, and it’s a useful lens for planning the rest of your show visit too.
CEDIA Expo Refresher
CEDIA Expo is organized by CEDIA, the Association for Smart Home Professionals, a trade organization founded in 1989 that now represents nearly 30,000 members across more than 80 countries. The show itself is built around three things: connecting integrators with manufacturers, providing hands-on education, and showcasing the products that will shape the next few years of residential and light-commercial technology.
It’s a trade show, not a consumer expo. Registration is open to system integrators, AV installers, IT professionals, security personnel, distributors, consultants, architects, designers, builders and remodelers — not the general public, and not anyone under 18 on the show floor. If you spec, sell, install, or service connected-home or light-commercial systems, this is your show.
Why Infrastructure Convergence Changes What’s Worth Seeing
The biggest shift driving CEDIA Expo attendance this year isn’t a single product category — it’s convergence. What used to be several relatively separate systems increasingly share the same pathways, racks, and network. A single integrator may now be responsible for Wi-Fi, surveillance, access control, distributed audio and video, lighting controls, automation, and dozens — sometimes hundreds — of connected devices within a single project.
That changes the questions worth asking on the show floor. It’s no longer enough to check whether a cable connects Point A to Point B. Integrators now must weigh bandwidth, Power over Ethernet capacity, distance, pathway capacity, heat, cable management, long-term reliability, and how easily a system can be serviced years down the road. Higher-power applications — PoE lighting fixtures, PTZ cameras, access-control panels — increasingly draw on IEEE 802.3bt (PoE++), which can deliver up to 90 watts at the source, meaning the same cable run that used to carry a simple data signal may now be expected to power a device as well.
The exciting devices are what the homeowner or end customer sees. The infrastructure behind the walls is what makes the entire experience work — and that’s exactly why the cabling, connectivity and rack aisles at CEDIA Expo deserve as much of your attention as the marquee A/V demos.
What to See at Vertical Cable’s Booth
Vertical Cable is well known to many integrators for bulk CAT6 and CAT6A, and that’s still core to the business. The company manufactures select CAT6 and CAT6A plenum cable in the USA, built to meet the jacket-rating requirements set out under the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), while also offering a broad range of imported options — giving integrators flexibility across project specs, availability needs and price points. Properly rated CAT6A also supports 10GBASE-T performance at distances up to 100 meters per TIA-568, which matters more every year as bandwidth demands climb.
But at Booth #C714, cable is only the starting point. The booth will showcase fiber solutions, patch panels, keystone jacks, patch cords, installation tools, racks and cabinets, cable management, and audio and security products — the fuller infrastructure stack behind a modern connected home or light-commercial project.
The standout is Vertical Cable’s rack solution: an installer-friendly design the company built specifically to prove that infrastructure doesn’t have to trade function for appearance. A rack that’s clean, organized, and professional when fully built out isn’t just a nicer photo for a client walkthrough — it’s easier to service, document, and hand off to the next technician. If you’re evaluating rack and cabinet options for upcoming builds, this is worth a stop.
Where the Portfolio is Headed: Fiber, OSDP, and LED/Lighting Cable
Vertical Cable’s broader push is to become what the company calls a one-stop shop for copper and fiber infrastructure — cable, connectivity, racks, tools, and the fiber solutions that connect it all — rather than sourcing each piece from different manufacturers. That expansion has been driven directly by customer demand: integrators who have already bought cables from Vertical Cable kept asking what else the company could supply.
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OPTICAL FIBER CABLE | OSDP CABLE | LED CABLE |
Two categories to watch closely at this year’s show: OSDP/access control cable and LED/lighting cable. Vertical Cable’s new OSDP cable is expected in stock in September 2026 — not a distant roadmap item, but a category actively coming to market alongside the show. As access control systems become more sophisticated and lighting control becomes a bigger part of the connected environment, both categories represent a natural next step for integrators who already understand structured cabling and want to take on more of a project’s infrastructure rather than stopping at traditional A/V or data.
If your business is expanding into access control or connected lighting, Booth #C714 is a good place to see where cabling requirements for those systems are headed before you specify them under deadline pressure.
The Practical Case for Consolidating Infrastructure Vendors
One theme worth listening for across the show floor this year, not just at Vertical Cable’s booth: the value of sourcing more of a project’s infrastructure from fewer manufacturers. On a busy job site, simplicity has real value. Consolidating specifications, purchasing, inventory, installation, documentation and support with a manufacturer you trust cuts down on the friction of managing five different vendors — and it means your technicians, purchasing team and designers are all working from the same part numbers and product knowledge.
It also matters when something goes wrong. Troubleshooting is a lot harder when five manufacturers can each plausibly point the finger at someone else. A single infrastructure partner who can support copper and fiber, domestic and imported product lines, is one fewer variable to manage on every project.
Don’t Just Look — Terminate: The I-Punch Speed Tournament Returns
CEDIA is full of technicians who know within seconds whether a tool makes their job easier or harder, and Vertical Cable is betting on that instinct again this year. The I-Punch Speed Tournament returns to Booth #C714: terminate a keystone jack using the I-Punch tool as fast and accurately as possible, get timed, and see your name go up on a live leaderboard the technicians can challenge throughout the show.
Last year’s CEDIA champion finished in 23 seconds. The fastest time Vertical Cable has ever recorded, anywhere, is 18 seconds. Nobody terminates jacks under a stopwatch on a real jobsite — but the number still matters. Shave even a small amount of time off every termination and multiply it across 50, 100, or several hundred jacks on a project, and you’re looking at meaningful labor savings. If you think you can beat 18 seconds, the clock will be ready at Booth #C714.
Planning Your Visit to CEDIA Expo 2026Dates: September 1 – 4, 2026 Who Should Attend: System integrators, AV installers, IT professionals, security and access-control personnel, distributors, consultants, architects, designers, builders and remodelers Registration: Expo-Only passes are free for CEDIA members; non-member pricing is tiered by registration date, with the lowest rates available through the Super Saver period. Free passes are available here CEDIA Expo Free Passes by VC → Where to find Vertical Cable: Booth #C714 |  |
Whether you come for the fiber and rack solutions, the OSDP and lighting cable preview, or just to see if you can beat 18 seconds on the I-Punch clock, CEDIA Expo 2026 is shaping up to be the show where infrastructure finally gets the attention it deserves.
 | COO Mahsa Sattarzadeh Interviews with CE ProCheck out our latest interview with CE Pro featuring Vertical Cable COO Mahsa Sattarzadeh, as she shares a preview of our CEDIA Expo 2026 plans, expanding infrastructure portfolio, and channel strategy. |  |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CEDIA Expo?
CEDIA Expo is the largest residential and light-commercial systems integration trade show in North America, organized by CEDIA, the Association for Smart Home Professionals. It brings together more than 15,000 industry professionals for product debuts, manufacturer training, and networking focused on smart home, security, networking, and A/V technology.
When and where is CEDIA Expo 2026 held?
CEDIA Expo 2026 runs September 1–4, 2026, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado.
How much does it cost to attend CEDIA Expo?
Expo-Only passes are free for CEDIA members throughout the registration window. Non-members pay tiered pricing based on when they register, starting with the lowest “Super Saver” rate and increasing through Early Bird, Advance and Onsite pricing. Current rates are listed on CEDIA Expo’s official registration page.
Who can attend CEDIA Expo?
CEDIA Expo is open to industry professionals — system integrators, AV installers, IT professionals, security and access-control personnel, distributors, consultants, architects, designers, builders and remodelers. It is not open to the general public, and attendees under 18 are not permitted on the show floor.
What does CEDIA do?
CEDIA is a global trade association for smart home and residential systems integration professionals, founded in 1989. It operates around three pillars — advocacy, connection and education — including organizing CEDIA Expo and providing training and certification for the integration industry.
Ready to Visit? Visit Vertical Cable at Booth #C714 during CEDIA Expo 2026, and bring your fastest hands to the I-Punch Speed Tournament. |