J-Hooks

Every 4ft - 5ft. Don't space them at the same distance (i.e. all 5ft) otherwise you might introduce harmonics into the signals. Keep the spacing distance random throughout.

Changing sizes is the best way to go really. Check the cost of the various sizes from your distributor and the standard packaging. See if 4 Cat32s for the positions you have more than 160 cables is cheaper than 1 Cat64 or if 1 cat 64 is even less than 2 Cat32s, then use that size until you get to where the Cat21 can be used without overloading.

Your plan of subdividing the floor is sound, work it in quadrants. One more thing, I don't know your specs, but pull the voice with one color of jacket, the data with another. It will make your job easier

- you can then group voice and data separately - and it will make whoever comes after you happier because they will be able to identify the cable use by color.

Thank you. That makes sense. In case anyone cares, here's a sample unit cost (from Graybar) and the price per cable. CAT64, 300 pair: $3.73, 0.0124 CAT32, 80 pair: $1.97, 0.0246 CAT21, 50 pair: $1.63, 0.0326 Of course, this does not include the cost of hangers or shots.

Already got that one covered: white cable for voice terminated in beige jacks; blue cable for data terminated in blue jacks.

-- Bob Simon remove x from domain for private replies

Just FYI, I normally reverse the colors you are using - blue cable/jacks for voice (matches the standard backboard color code for voice) and white with orange jacks for data. If I pull a third cable then its gray with white jacks. I have all the jacks and panels wired T568A as it is the pattern compatible with all one and two pair devices. Makes trouble shooting easier on the company techs. They can ask the person what color jack they are attempting to plug the device into and maybe save a trip down the hallway - or across town.

Over here in the UK, we tend to run in a non-specific structured cabling system. That is, we run 2, 3, 4, etc cat 5e / cat 6 cables to a desk position. The jacks are then used for any service. That way we are not tied to using a particular jack for a particular service.

I've noticed that most of the American posters on this newsgroup run cables and use them for a specific service. Is there any reason why you do it? Surely it limits the flexibility of the structured cabling system.

Andy

Yes, flexibility is good. But if all the voice cables are terminated on one patch panel and all the data cables are terminated on a different one, it makes it easy for the customer to do all his cross-connects with less opportunity for confusion or error. This is particularly true if they use colored patch cables that match the color codes of the wall jacks.

-- Bob Simon remove x from domain for private replies

Good morning The reason "American" use differenty colors on our jacks is due to the level ov end users and the number of IT personel. It is easyer to tell a end user to plug there phone into a spcific color even though they do the same things. The problem that IT staff run in to is end users plugging in devices in to the wrong jack and blowing out a port on a switch or hub. Ta