How'd you setup your patch?

bh00

Member
Hi all,

I'm planning a new build and want to floodwire with CAT5. I will be wiring alarm system with standard alarm cable and then running this back to the alarm panel in the "HA closet" as normal, however for the CAT5 I will want to run this back to some large patch panels.

How do you all manage such a large amount of CAT5, and how to connect it to the right places? Obviously if I have a computer I don't want to accidentally connect it to the PBX at the patch.

What I am thinking of is using standard RJ45 patch panels for all the runs to various locations in the house, and then buying quantities of 1m patch leads in various colours, so I can use blue for ethernet, red for phone, yellow for misc HA stuff, green for touchscreens, etc.

Obviously these would then need to connect somewhere so I would have the ethernet switch(s) mounted in this rack for the blue leads, a small RJ45 patch which has all its connections wired to the PBX for all the reds, etc.

Would this be a good method or do you handle yours differently? How are you sure you don't plug the wrong things together? I'm guessing just good organisation!

Cheers
 

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You should add horizontal cable management between each patch panel and switch and vertical rings or cable management on the side. Then everything will be nice and neat.
 
On all my installations I use 110 blocks for the cross connect location. Here is an example of a 110 block. Contrary to the pictures, I prefer to feed the cat5 from behind the block to hide the extra wire. In a large installation there may be 6 to 10 times as many blocks as pictured. I organize the cat5 by what kind of feed or send it is, and group like cat5s together. After it is punched down and labled I use more cat 5 to cross connect. This can be kept very neat and readable. I usually have a large stack of these blocks with phone line in, at the top. phone line extentions next and room drops below that. I can then sellect which room drop will have witch extention. Below that are other cat5s for other HA applications.]

Here and Here are more about 110 blocks

110 blocks are grouped in 5 pair groups, but I use the 4 pair connectors for cat5 with a space between each group.
 
Hi, BH:

My planned panel is much like your picture, except:

All of my Cat5 wall outlets contain 2 RJ45 jacks and 2 Cat5 cables, so I am putting a two-row RJ45 panel in the can. The upper RJ45 on the panel for the upper RJ45 on the wall outlet, and each wall-outlet sequentially across the can.

I am putting that panel (the "incoming") in the middle of the can (You show yours at the top of the can).

I am putting the Ethernet switches and other Ethernet gear below the incoming panel, and the phone and other Cat5 uses above the incoming panel.

I will try to keep all Ethernet on the bottom RJ45 of each wall outlet, therefore on the bottom row of the incoming panel in the can. Likewise, the phone will use the top RJ45. Other uses (I don't have any yet) would use the top RJ45 as well, if it is available.

This allows for a visual separation of the Ethernet cables from the phone cables, but also allows me to wire exceptions, like two Ethernet connections to one outlet (though I don't know why yet).
 
Thanks for the tips on the cable management. I will definately look into getting some horizontal and vertical cable management systems. Does anyone have a range they really like? I want to avoid ones where I have to unplug wires or post them through loops to wire it in - I'd much rather have hooks or clamps or something.

I also like the idea of having the "incoming" connections in the middle. I think I will put the switches at the top and everything else on extra patchbays at the bottom. I will be running 3 switches, two 16 port 10/100 and one 16 port 10/100/1000. The two 10/100's are for IP cameras and MythTV computers (and possibly Touchscreens) so they are semi-seperated. There will then be an uplink to the main switch which will provide gigabit connections to my server and desktops. Is CAT5E sufficient for gigabit speeds?

Thanks
 
bh00 said:
Is CAT5E sufficient for gigabit speeds?
Yes. My current network is all gigabit (except the wireless), and all of the cable is Cat5e.

However, I already see the need for 10gig, so I'm starting to switch to Cat6.
 
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