I just finished a remodel and ran two cat 5 e cables to about 24 locations in my house. I am trying to figure out how to set up my home run closet. I was going punch down all phone on 66 block and all data on a 110 block but I know that there are some better solutions now that allow me to punch down all data and voice on one block and then basically change a phone to data port with a simple unplugging and plugging of a patch cord but I have not found a panel that will handle 24 data locations and 24 phone locations. Leviton makes one, but it will only handle 19 phone locations! Any ideas?
Put in a section of 19" rack-mount framing -- both an open 'frame; and a cabinet are available as wall-mount items.
A 48 port RJ45 patch panel is easy to come by. Install one.
Install a 24 port ethernet hub (or switch). preferably rack-mount, but a free-standing one, on a 'shelf', also works.
Terminate each run from each location to an individual port on the 48 port panel.
use RJ45-RJ45 patch cords to connect the patch-panel jack to the hub(switch) port, as required.
Install a 24-port RJ11/RJ12 patch panel, with all the connections wired in
*parallel*, with the feed wires from the telco connected to the mess.
Use an RJ-45 -> RJ11/RJ12 patch cord to connect the patch-panel jack to the 'telephone' panel.
If you have more than 2 telephone lines, do a 24-port panel for _each_ phone line, and patch each to the individual phones you want on that line.
*OR*, put in a PBX, with the telco lines connected to _it_, and the 'phone' side of the PBX terminating on a row of RJ45 jacks. Which you then just 'patch' to the appropriate house wiring.
Beats the h*ll out of having to move cross-connects on a 66, or 110, block. Especially in the eyes of the _NEXT_ owner. Who doesn't have to be a network engineer / telephone engineer to deal with it.
There are *many* manufacturers, and distributers, for such rack-mount patch panels. Manufacturer include Levitron, AT*T, AMP, etc. Distributers include places like Greybar, ALTEL, W.W. Grainger, etc.
None of the panels are inexpensive, but ORTRONICS makes the more affordable ones.
You can get a 24 jack panel (either RJ45 or RJ11/RJ12) that only occupies
1.75" vertical (a so called "1U" panel). These are 'tight' to use, but take up minimal space. panels that require "2U" or "3U" of vertical space per group of 24 jacks are more 'finger friendly', and provide considerably more space for labelling at the jack.
Note: Wiring to patch panels makes for incredibly painless re-configuration down the road.
Comment: the patch cord 'mess' in front of the panel is simplified if the panel (48-port) that connects to the wiring going out to each location is in the _middle_ of the assembly, with the hub/switch above (or below) it, and the 'telephone panel' below (or above) it. Better yet is to make up two different _colors_ of patch cables. one for phone, the other for data.
a phone cable plugged in to the hub/switch (or a data cable into the phone panel) stands out like a sore thumb. And just by _looking_ at the 'house' panel, you can tell what each jack is being used for.
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