Patch panel or data termination hub for gigabit ethernet connections

crisco

Member
Does anyone know if you can get GIGABIT ethernet speeds through a wired LAN on cat5e wiring if you use Data Termination Hubs (like the open house h628 http://www.linearcorp.com/product_detail.php?productId=279 or on-q 3634867-01 http://www.onqlegrand.com/products/363486-01) for all cat5e wiring terminations in a structured wiring enclosure? In other words, are these Data Termination Hubs (or any others) rated for gigabit ethernet?

I have looked at the product specs, both say 10/100 base-t and don't address 1000 base-t (gigabit). I had heard that I might not be able to run wired LAN through my cat5e cabling at gigabit speeds if I use these Data Termination Hubs. I searched for a data termination hub that is 1000 base-t rated & haven't found anything. What's everybody else doing in their structured wiring panels to attain gigabit speeds?
 
Just a word of caution. That 48 port patch panel that you linked to is a standard 19" rack size. So while you certainly could fit it in a structured panel, it isn't really designed for it - regardless of what the title might say.

You can look for any cat5e or cat6 gigabit rated patch panel in that case.
 
The real key to gigabit is the quality of your wiring job. Gigabit using all 4 pairs in the cable, is very sensitive to bad termination(keep the untwisted part very very short), will not run well over long calbes and is sensitive to sharp bends/kinks in the cable. The truth is that gigbabit is usually not necessary except for a few select devices in the home. Better to run Cat6 for those devices and use Cat6 terminators. The rest of the stuff(telephone, automation control, most A/V baluns, etc) does not need gigabit. If everything in your home required gigabit your switches would get overwhelmed and the overall performance would be well below the gigabit range unless you are running a fiber backbone.

As for the patch panel, some are better than others, but I've never been able to tell which is which. Use as few terminations as you can(the wire is untwisted in these cases), and high-quality patch cables(you'd be amazed how many of the cheap ones are bad for gigabit). Try to keep your run from switch to gigabit-device as patch-free as possible.
 
The real key to gigabit is the quality of your wiring job. Gigabit using all 4 pairs in the cable, is very sensitive to bad termination(keep the untwisted part very very short), will not run well over long calbes and is sensitive to sharp bends/kinks in the cable. The truth is that gigbabit is usually not necessary except for a few select devices in the home. Better to run Cat6 for those devices and use Cat6 terminators. The rest of the stuff(telephone, automation control, most A/V baluns, etc) does not need gigabit. If everything in your home required gigabit your switches would get overwhelmed and the overall performance would be well below the gigabit range unless you are running a fiber backbone.

As for the patch panel, some are better than others, but I've never been able to tell which is which. Use as few terminations as you can(the wire is untwisted in these cases), and high-quality patch cables(you'd be amazed how many of the cheap ones are bad for gigabit). Try to keep your run from switch to gigabit-device as patch-free as possible.

Does that mean I should resist my desire to get my structured wiring panel all "super neat & tidy" (by using patch panels) & instead try my best to have all my cat5e connections as "direct" as possible? Or maybe should I just avoid the patch panels on the connections that I know will be gigabit, i.e. direct PC connections to LAN(gigabit router &/or switch) & use patch panels for my cat5e wiring for security panel drops (motion sensors, glass breaks, etc.) and also for distributed audio & distributed video (Russound audio/intercom control panels in each room, etc.)

I guess it matters what the connections are for. Is this what most guys are doing with their structured wiring panels? My first inclination was to use a patch panel for EVERY cat5e wire that was homerun to my rack location & then just use patch cables for ALL connections from there. I guess I'm learning that for any gigabit connections, to preserve the best quality transmissions I probably shouldn't use a patch panel.
 
No - use a patch panel. But you don't need to stick it inside your structured wiring panel. Get a wall mount rack and put it in there. The structured wiring box space is too much of a premium to waste on a full size patch panel IMHO. Just my 2 cents however.
 
Patch panels are fine, just terminate properly, don't go to patch-nirvana and use good patch cables. Avoid sharp bends and leave the untwisted wires as short as possible. You may also find that some of your wires will switch back to 100, if that happens then you have to work harder, try other wires, etc.
 
Here's what I"ve found out so far:

a) talked to the tech folks at Open House (Linearcorp) about their product SH628 (which is what I was planning on using.) The specs for this product (HS628) say it is rated for 100BaseT ethernet (megabit) & they confirmed this...that it is NOT rated for gigabit. I asked & they confirmed that they don't make a product like the SH628 that is GIGABIT rated.

b) talked to the tech folks at TRENDnet. I was looking at their product TC-P24C5E, which is a rack mounted 24 port patch panel that IS GIGABIT rated. They said that they DO NOT make a product like the TC-P24C5E that is made for a structured wiring panel.

I am going to use these patch panels from TRENDnet & mount two of them inside my structured wiring panel (for all my data, phone, thermostat, etc. cat5e lines). Although it's not a perfectly pretty mount, I should be able to hang them with some zip ties. I am also going to use one of them for my audio/intercom distribution lines (& mount that right onto my rack.)

I'm thinking this may be a bit overkill, but these things only cost about $30/each (which is cheaper than the Open House SH628 patch panels which are about $25-$30 ea but only handle 8 ports) & it allows all my cat5e lines the POTENTIAL to be gigabit in the future. I've decided on two of them inside one of my structured wiring panels because that's where my cat5e wires already are. The third will be rack mounted & used for audio/intercom distribution.
 
Here's what I"ve found out so far:

a) talked to the tech folks at Open House (Linearcorp) about their product SH628 (which is what I was planning on using.) The specs for this product (HS628) say it is rated for 100BaseT ethernet (megabit) & they confirmed this...that it is NOT rated for gigabit. I asked & they confirmed that they don't make a product like the SH628 that is GIGABIT rated.

I have a couple of H628 data hubs that I bought a couple of years ago but never put into service. If you look at this picture on the Linear Corp web site, the data hub in the picture looks identical to the ones I have except for one little thing...the writing near the top line of mine says "...Category 5E Compliant" instead of "...Category 5 Compliant". Note that mine (and the one in the picture) are model number H638 not SH638. The pictures in the documentation that came with the devices all show "Category 5 Compliant".

Wonder how I can run a test thru one of the H628 hubs to see if it affects throughput. Would this be a viable test?

1. Put a short piece of cat6 cable between two of the 110 connectors.
2. Unplug one of the cables from my switch and plug it into the RJ45 connector for one of the 110 connectors. Run a cat6 patch cable from the RJ45 connector for the other 110 connector to the switch port where the original cable was.
3. Time some large file transfers between two PC's that will communicate through the Open House hub connection.

Ira
 
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