LAN and Telecom Cabling How best to terminate GigE/phone runs in wiring closet?

Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
How best to terminate GigE/phone runs in wiring closet? JJ 06-27-07
Posted by JJ on June 27, 2007, 11:02 pm
Please log in for more thread options


We'll be moving our offices in the near future and will need to wire
the place for data and phones. I'd like to run two drops of Cat6 to
each workstation to be used interchangeably between phone and data
network. A few corners may get four runs for printers, fax, etc.
Overall, maybe 35-40 drops. We may also end up using a VOiP phone
system, but it's a bit early to say.

We'll have a small backboard located off the kitchen/break area where
all the cabling will terminate. My question is - What should I use to
terminate the cabling on the backboard? 110 blocks? Are they capable
of GigE speeds? We'll need a patch panel for the data side. Should I
just terminate all of the cabling on a wall-mounted patch panel
instead?


Posted by Doug McIntyre on June 27, 2007, 11:35 pm
Please log in for more thread options


>We'll be moving our offices in the near future and will need to wire
>the place for data and phones. I'd like to run two drops of Cat6 to
>each workstation to be used interchangeably between phone and data
>network. A few corners may get four runs for printers, fax, etc.
>Overall, maybe 35-40 drops. We may also end up using a VOiP phone
>system, but it's a bit early to say.

>We'll have a small backboard located off the kitchen/break area where
>all the cabling will terminate. My question is - What should I use to
>terminate the cabling on the backboard? 110 blocks? Are they capable
>of GigE speeds? We'll need a patch panel for the data side. Should I
>just terminate all of the cabling on a wall-mounted patch panel
>instead?

My favorite layout tends to be like one voice and two data with the
jacks different colors for voice/data, although alot of places I go
into are two voice and two data just in case. One data just seems not
to be enough ever, although with laptops being mostly wireless now, it
hasn't been too much an issue lately.

I like terminating the voice run onto 110, and the data runs onto
patch panels. You can still run 110 into a patch panel if needed, or
use those patch cables direct from 110 into whatever if needbe,
although I tend to use direct copper punchdowns myself.

110's can be cat5e compliant (check the vendor's datasheet to make
sure), making gig speeds possible. But, most VOIP phone systems only
run at 100. There are a few of the cisco phones that are gig, but only
because they have the built-in switch to hook up a PC through the
phone as well for a single run used.

I've also seen everything into patch panels and voice patched off there
to the appropriate spot on the phone system.

So, really, its more up to you and how you want to deal with it,
because both ways you state are very commonly used.


Posted by JJ on June 28, 2007, 11:29 am
Please log in for more thread options


> >We'll be moving our offices in the near future and will need to wire
> >the place for data and phones. I'd like to run two drops of Cat6 to
> >each workstation to be used interchangeably between phone and data
> >network. A few corners may get four runs for printers, fax, etc.
> >Overall, maybe 35-40 drops. We may also end up using a VOiP phone
> >system, but it's a bit early to say.
> >We'll have a small backboard located off the kitchen/break area where
> >all the cabling will terminate. My question is - What should I use to
> >terminate the cabling on the backboard? 110 blocks? Are they capable
> >of GigE speeds? We'll need a patch panel for the data side. Should I
> >just terminate all of the cabling on a wall-mounted patch panel
> >instead?
>
> My favorite layout tends to be like one voice and two data with the
> jacks different colors for voice/data, although alot of places I go
> into are two voice and two data just in case. One data just seems not
> to be enough ever, although with laptops being mostly wireless now, it
> hasn't been too much an issue lately.
>
> I like terminating the voice run onto 110, and the data runs onto
> patch panels. You can still run 110 into a patch panel if needed, or
> use those patch cables direct from 110 into whatever if needbe,
> although I tend to use direct copper punchdowns myself.
>
> 110's can be cat5e compliant (check the vendor's datasheet to make
> sure), making gig speeds possible. But, most VOIP phone systems only
> run at 100. There are a few of the cisco phones that are gig, but only
> because they have the built-in switch to hook up a PC through the
> phone as well for a single run used.

Thanks for the recommendation. This is pretty much how we've wired
our current office. Voice extensions are terminated on 66 blocks,
data on a Cat5e patch panel. I'm hoping to achieve additional
flexibility in the new space by making all runs 'ambidextrous'.

The color coding of jacks is an interesting point. The current office
uses two colors to distinguish phone from data. But for the new one
I'd planned on using the same color for both and labling them
appropriately. With VOiP everything would be a network connection
anyway (unless we ran a separate subnet for voice traffic, which I
don't think will be necessary). But with a more typical KSU I wonder
at the danger of having both jacks the same color - both in terms of
confusion and potential damage to equipment by plugging in to the
wrong system. It's either use one color with labeling, or change out
the jack color when a run is switched in purpose. Or leave the jack
colors wrong when one is switched and invite further confusion.

I'm hoping to achieve maximum flexibility without the need need for 60
drops for an office of twelve people.







Posted by Carl Navarro on June 28, 2007, 7:01 am
Please log in for more thread options



>We'll be moving our offices in the near future and will need to wire
>the place for data and phones. I'd like to run two drops of Cat6 to
>each workstation to be used interchangeably between phone and data
>network. A few corners may get four runs for printers, fax, etc.
>Overall, maybe 35-40 drops. We may also end up using a VOiP phone
>system, but it's a bit early to say.
>
>We'll have a small backboard located off the kitchen/break area where
>all the cabling will terminate. My question is - What should I use to
>terminate the cabling on the backboard? 110 blocks? Are they capable
>of GigE speeds? We'll need a patch panel for the data side. Should I
>just terminate all of the cabling on a wall-mounted patch panel
>instead?

That's what I would do. Get a 48 port patch panel and terminate all
the voice and data jacks 1d 1v 1V 2V 1AV 1B V etc. on the panel.
When you install a phone system, you can pick up a Cat-5 or used 5e
panel for about $1 a port and terminate the extension jacks on that
panel and use different colored patch cords.

Carl Navarro







Posted by JJ on June 28, 2007, 11:45 am
Please log in for more thread options


> >We'll be moving our offices in the near future and will need to wire
> >the place for data and phones. I'd like to run two drops of Cat6 to
> >each workstation to be used interchangeably between phone and data
> >network. A few corners may get four runs for printers, fax, etc.
> >Overall, maybe 35-40 drops. We may also end up using a VOiP phone
> >system, but it's a bit early to say.
>
> >We'll have a small backboard located off the kitchen/break area where
> >all the cabling will terminate. My question is - What should I use to
> >terminate the cabling on the backboard? 110 blocks? Are they capable
> >of GigE speeds? We'll need a patch panel for the data side. Should I
> >just terminate all of the cabling on a wall-mounted patch panel
> >instead?
>
> That's what I would do. Get a 48 port patch panel and terminate all
> the voice and data jacks 1d 1v 1V 2V 1AV 1B V etc. on the panel.
> When you install a phone system, you can pick up a Cat-5 or used 5e
> panel for about $1 a port and terminate the extension jacks on that
> panel and use different colored patch cords.

Thanks Carl. Current phone system is a Panasonic KX-TD which uses 25
pair Amphenol connectors for the extensions, as you know.

So, say I terminate all runs at a Cat5e patch panel. How best to do
the phone extension connections into the KSU? I could take patch
cables with one RJ-45 and punch the other end down to 66 blocks and
then from the 66 blocks run my 25 pair cables. That seems a little
messy, although it would certainly work. If I give these patch cables
a little slack then I could move an extension to any jack in the
system and avoid reprogramming the system to change extension numbers
when someone moves their desk.

Another thought was to have a second Cat5 type patch panel for the
phone extensions. Punch down the 25 pair cables onto it, then run
patch cables between that panel and the one terminating all the runs.
This might be a little neater.


Similar ThreadsPosted
How best to terminate GigE/phone runs in wiring closet? June 27, 2007, 11:02 pm
How to make a cable entrance in the data closet? April 12, 2005, 8:55 pm
Long Cat5e runs February 13, 2006, 8:42 am
ballasts & long conduit runs April 14, 2007, 11:35 pm
terminate patch panel. February 2, 2006, 9:22 am
What's the right way to terminate RG6 Quad with F-Conn compression connectors? January 20, 2005, 12:26 am
Fibre optic crimp / terminate tool kit.. June 9, 2005, 10:17 pm
Wiring Manufactures July 9, 2004, 2:19 pm
Video Wiring February 9, 2006, 3:37 pm
Wiring new house February 11, 2006, 11:45 pm
Wiring Basics June 20, 2006, 11:32 pm
Wiring Modular Furniture August 30, 2004, 6:02 pm
How big a duct for future wiring? March 30, 2005, 1:30 pm
Home Wiring for DSL and 4 Extensions April 24, 2005, 1:13 am
New Home Wiring Questions February 1, 2006, 10:59 am