Patch panel in small business?

About $40, retail, local. But it's not the cost, so much as the reliability issue (110 punch down plus the patch cable's connections, vs. crimped plugs into the switch).

You're of the opinion that made-for-solid wire RJ-45 plugs crimped to solid cat5e cable is not reliable? I was not aware of this...

I'll be interested in hearing what others say on this but one important point if you go this way is that there are different plugs for solid and stranded cable. Make sure you use the right kind.

If the installation is small enough that you don't have plenum issues to contend with you might be able to get away with just buying long patch cables and not have to make anything.

True, but better connections are also better for reliability. A crimp usually a worse connection.

I work for a communications company and I deal with stuff like this daily and personally I would go with a patch panel having that many connections. If it were less than 6 i might not worry about it however in this case to keep the wiring nice and neat plus add flexibility I would keep the patch panel. Also if you terminate the cable correctly you will likely never know there is a termination (at the patch panel), so be sure to keep the pairs twised right up the pins on the 110. Another thing to think about is that you can use patch cables that are premade and tested. if you crimp your own you risk them not being as good as a professional cable. I make my own cables daily but I know how to do it correctly if you do too then fine.. but the flexibility of a nicely wired patch panel is worth alot more than the cost of it. Ask him this, if patch panels are no good why do the biggest datacenters in the world use them?

Adair

It sounds like the cable is already in place.

I agree. A patch cable with good strain releaf is a much better way to go.

I believe plugs crimped to solid wire cable are enough less reliable to offset the other points of failure. That doesn't mean I wouldn't do it, though. How much does the patch panel cost?

-- glen

No, not yet.

Seems to be the consensus.

Fully aware of the difference and need for the former (solid) type, in this case.

What are "plenum issues"? You mean running between floors and such? No such thing in this small, 1-story building.

Ah, good information to know.

Its never appropriate to use solid conductor cable as patch cable which is effectively what you are doing by crimping a plug onto the solid conductor cable.

Sounds like you are just dealing with someone who wants a cheap job and wants to tell you what to do even if it isn't standard practice.

Actually you could very well need plenum rated cable in a 1 story building.

So you're of the opinion that solid cable / RJ-45 crimps are never good? (I'm taking a poll...)

He writes the checks...

That should never be a consideration for not doing work according to standard and accepted practice.

A business needing twenty four runs isn't some guy selling stuff on ebay from his basement.

He is pushing to see how cheap of a job he can get. If the guy wants a Mickey Mouse job then let him find someone else to do it. Do you want your name and reputation associated with crappy work?

What would say your body shop do if you were having work done and you said "don't bother with the primer just slap the finish paint on because I want to cheap out"?

After many years in varying electronics related careers I learned that solid wire anything is a disaster eventually when used in any situation where it can flex. The telephone, broadcast and recording industries learned this long before the computer pros came to the same conclusion.

You really should run the panel for the mechanical benefits , remember solid core with a plug and some motion will fail , now he seems to be kinda cheep so do you really want to have your name on the cert ? , use the panel and good quality patches as plugs and solid mix badly

Not true with RF, but you have to follow the 3" radius(?) rule.

Fire code may require that special plenum rated cable be used in plenums. If you are running above a drop ceiling or inside of walls you probably need to use plenum rated cable. Wiki has some info

I agree. You want the solid wire to not flex or over time it will fail. And putting plugs on it and connecting that to a switch means it will be moving. Way more than anyone thinks. Things will change and things will need to be moved, upgraded, etc...

If you go to a patch panel you're basically putting the hard to replace cable into a static situation. And the failure points are now in the $3 to $15 patch cables which can be tossed and replaced easily. Heck even if you don't plan ahead and keep spares lying about, you can run to Wal-Mart these days at 3 am Sunday if needed to get a Cat-5e patch cable. :)

As to plenum needs, the number of stories and size of the space has nothing to do with it. It is based on how and where air flows and the local building codes. Some places now require all "permanent" cables to be plenum rated.

David

On Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:32:41 GMT, John E. wrote (with clarity & insight):

From this thread I hear these items:

Crimping a plug is really hard to get right but punching a jack is easy.

Terminating cables to one device is inherently better than terminating cables to another.

No cable management devices/hardware/concepts required.

So a simple direct termination to a switch, with simple cable management (to avoid mechanical issues) is tossed as inexpensive & viable in favor of terminating to a patch panel and adding more connections that are allowed to flop around as needed?

When astronauts needed to write in space we spent millions coming up with space pens. Cosmonauts used pencils.

Have you tried to crimp RJ45 jacks in the real world and tried 110 punchdowns? I get no sense from your post that you've ever done either. Until you've tried the jacks, don't underestimate how much of a PITA they can be.

For a simple network, use surface mount 110-RJ45 blocks close to each end of any cable that runs between rooms.

For a high-density location, use a wall-mount patch panel like this. They are available sized from 8 jacks and up.

Depending on your enviroment you may need plenum rated cable. (more expensive) Does the building have ducted return air? If not and the return air travel in the above drop ceiling space you need to use plenum cable. PVC puts of a nasty costic smoke when it get's hot and burns.

Adair

Taking it point by point...

True, the fewer connections, the less number of points of failure. But in the big picture, it creates other more likely points of failure, i.e.unplugging the wrong cable because the ports on the switch are hard to label. With 24 stations, there WILL be moves and changes as time goes by. Considering how much he's paying for 24 cable drops...an additional $100 for a patch panel and patch cables is insignificant.

A properly terminated 8-conductor modular plug on solid UTP cable is very reliable. * Use a quality ratcheting crimp tool that release after the wires are fully seated. Over crimping is the second most likely "failure" as it pushes the tines out the other end of the plug and they'll hang up when inserting the jack into a ethernet port, or worse..hang up when you try to pull the jack out. The first most likely point of failure is using a $20 crimp tool is that pivots down on the jack instead of a flat push, leaving the tines closest to the pivot point over inserted and the last ones under inserted.

• Use the proper jack. A single tine jack for stranded conductors is a disaster with solid conductors. You need a three offset tine jack. They do make jacks for round and flat cable where the round jack has a oval strain relief crimp, but considering how many commercial made patch cables I've seen using round cable and a flat crimp point...I don't see it making a difference.
• Leave enough jacket inside the jack so the the strain relief crimp properly holds it.
• Match the tool brand to the connector. This is a personal observation here, so take it for what its worth. Personally I use the Ideal brand RATCHETING crimp tool ( from Home Depot and Lowes) with Ideal brand crimp connectors. I used my Ideal tool once on some Burndy (?) RJ-11 connectors and they didn't seat properly in a telephone cabinet, switching to Ideal RJ-11 connectors fixed it. Furthermore the Ideal connectors are universal and can be used with both stranded and solid conductors.

Some people say that a solid conductor patch cable is less reliable than a stranded one. Perhaps the logic is a solid conductor will pass movement down into the tines' connection and work loose. Usually they base this on personal experience, but considering that I've seen both solid and stranded patch cables, I don't think it makes a difference.

On small jobs of only a few computers, I've often plugged the house cable drop directly into the hub's ports. On larger jobs I use a patch panel as it is easier to reassign cables (I often talk the customer into more cables than necessary if they indicate they may build out more office spaces or add more computers in a particular office. They see the logic in spending a little bit of money now instead of later).

To paraphrase the infamous line from "The Graduate" movie with Dustin Hoffman and Ann Bankcroft, "Ben - I have just one word for you - PLASTICS!", I'll say...VELCRO! Use it instead of nylon wire ties to dress you cables...its easy to "re-enter" without risking cutting cable when you cut a wire tie. Use it to mount cables on the backboard or along a wall or base board...I use a small wire clip to hold a strip of Velcro in place - attaching the Velcro with a screw won't let you slide it around for best fit. In a pinch you can even staple the Velcro to a backboard.

Pre-made three foot patch cables can be had for about $3 each. After spending a few hours making up your own patch cables, your fingers cramp the rest of the evening and you'll be mumbling " should have just bought the darn things in the first place".

Print this out if you want and show him.