Setting up a Patch Box

user

I've pretty much avoided my home's built in ethernet jacks until now, but I'm going to be utilizing them in the near future. I've checked my Condo's patch box and unfortunately, it seems as though the ends have no connectors on them, I'm keen to try and crimp some on there myself but after looking on monoprice for connectors I've realized I don't know if I'm dealing with solid or stranded cat5. I'm a total neophyte when it comes to the handy-man side of networking so I'm wondering if anyone has any tips?

Djeet

Typically in-wall/ceiling cable pulls are solid (or single conductor) wire; when you install from in-wall cable to the wall jack you use a punchdown tool to fix a single wires amongst the twisted wire pairs into the receivers on the jack. Look up "rj45 punch down keystone jack" on youtube to find video demonstrations.

If you're cutting a patch cable to connect your computer/switch/hub/router to the wall jack you'd use stranded cable and a crimping tool. You could use solid wire but stranded wire is more flexible.

user

Thanks for the reply.

My wall jacks are fully installed as far as I can tell. I'm looking at where all of the cables feeding the wall jacks terminate (the patch box?), and it's at this end where the connectors are missing. Is it safe to assume that it's solid cat5 on this end as well? And is it alright to conenct a solid Cat5 cable directly to a switch?

I'd like to install my router right next to the patch box and use the 4 ports it has to enable 2 of the ethernet jacks in my living room, and 2 in my bedroom. I've already determined that I'm going to need something like this to ensure that I've made the proper selections when connecting the router.

Djeet

TBQH I'm not sure what you're saying, posting a pic or diagram might help. If it's solid at one end of the wall drop, it'll be solid on the other (upstream) end.

Usually the other ends of all the wall drop cables all end up collecting in the same place (a central wiring closet) and get terminated into a patch panel. If you have a bunch of unterminated cables collected in one spot you'll have to terminate them yourself.

Typically one punches down the cables to the patch panel, then you can make/buy patch cables and wire whichever drops to your switch.

You don't have to terminate the wall drops to a patch panel if you don't want to. You could crimp an rj45 connector onto the end of each upstream end of whichever wall drop and insert it directly into a switch if you like.

There's nothing special about solid v. stranded. Solid is stiffer so it's easier to push over long distances or through insulation. Stranded is bendier so it usually is chosen for patches (interconnects between computer and switch, or between switch and router).

Sarcastro

Djeet wrote: »

There's nothing special about solid v. stranded. Solid is stiffer so it's easier to push over long distances or through insulation. Stranded is bendier so it usually is chosen for patches (interconnects between computer and switch, or between switch and router).

Although theres not much of a difference datawise, punching down stranded cat5 is impossible. You can tell tell which one you've got (my money is on solid core, 99.9% of all inside wiring is) by stripping off a bit of insulation. If it looks like a bunch of tiny copper hairs, its stranded- crimp them and plug them into a switch.

If they are solid, ie one chunk of copper per wire, then you've got options. The easiest way is to grab a couple of multijack bix DVO's, attach them according to colorcode, and then get short patch cables to connect what needs connecting, either to each other (creating a single network cable from one jack to another) or to a switch.

Crimping is pretty easy, once you get the hang of it, and theres no reason not to, might save you a few steps, but theres a bit of a cost upfront. You can McGyver in a bix punch down with a screwdriver and snips, though a bix punchdown tool is handy if youre going to do a lot of them.

Ruckus

Sarcastro wrote: »

Djeet wrote: »

There's nothing special about solid v. stranded. Solid is stiffer so it's easier to push over long distances or through insulation. Stranded is bendier so it usually is chosen for patches (interconnects between computer and switch, or between switch and router).

Although theres not much of a difference datawise, punching down stranded cat5 is impossible. You can tell tell which one you've got (my money is on solid core, 99.9% of all inside wiring is) by stripping off a bit of insulation. If it looks like a bunch of tiny copper hairs, its stranded- crimp them and plug them into a switch.

If they are solid, ie one chunk of copper per wire, then you've got options. The easiest way is to grab a couple of multijack bix DVO's, attach them according to colorcode, and then get short patch cables to connect what needs connecting, either to each other (creating a single network cable from one jack to another) or to a switch.

Crimping is pretty easy, once you get the hang of it, and theres no reason not to, might save you a few steps, but theres a bit of a cost upfront. You can McGyver in a bix punch down with a screwdriver and snips, though a bix punchdown tool is handy if youre going to do a lot of them.

Punching down stranded cat5 isn't impossible, it's just not preferred versus solid. The teeth on a punchdown block will penetrate the insulation on both types, but the connection is considered much more stable on a solid core.

Sarcastro

^ True enough. I've only ever had problems punching down stranded; the rework rate is way higher, and if you don't have the equipment for cable/short testing, finding out which one of those little bastards has gone awry is a huge pain in the ass. But ya, you're right; doable, with issues.

user

Hey guys, I purchased some connectors intended for solid cat5 and they seem to have done the trick. My amateur attempts at stripping and crimping yielded 4 succesful connections out of 7 attempts, luckily my router only has 4 ports and these 4 wall jacks just happened to be the ones that I was after.

I did reattempt the ones I messed up but I can't seem to get a working connection out of them and I never get that satisfying click whenever I try and crimp them (if that matters?). But that's okay, I don't have a use for the remaining wall jacks anyway.

I just need to go down to Home Depot and pick up some shelving material to place my modem and router on and I should be able to wrap up my project without incident.

user

Alright, I'm all done. Setup went alright, though I wasn't getting past ...identifying on my Local Area Connection on my laptop via the walljack, so I took the cable out of the router snipped off the end, stripped it abit and attached a new connector and crimped it. Now it's working flawlessly. It may seem somewhat minor, but it definitely felt good sorting it out myself.

Sarcastro

Awesome! How much was your crimper if you don't mind me asking?

user

I got it from monoprice.com for $5.34. Super budget, but I definitely had more time than money for this particular project so redoing a few wasn't a big deal.