Does this all look right? Wiring the house for ethernet.

Oldie

Oldie

Mean Old Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
21,888
On deciding to stay where I am for a few more years, I decided to wire up the house and rack mount some of my equipment here. I've never wired a structure before, or even made my own cables, but it sounds like fun and I thought I'd give it a whirl. So this is everything I'm getting, I was wondering if you guys would let me know if it all looks good or if you have any suggestions. Max cable length should be ~150 feet. :)

Tripp Lite Cabinet
24 AWG Cat 6 550Mhz STP Solid
Tooless Keystones
Ratcheting Crimper/Stripper
Solid Cable Plugs

Now in addition to the in-wall stuff I'm going to be cutting some shorter cables to go from the larger wall plate under the cabinet into the switches. Should I get stranded for that (and swap to stranded connectors) or is it fine to use solid cable there?

Anyway, like I said, I've never done this before, but I wouldn't mind the experience and it sounds like fun. Just trying to make sure I don't make any serious mistakes. If you take the time to read/give feedback, thanks!
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I believe you need wallplates, no? Also a patch panel that your cables will come into from all around the house before going into your switch. The max run in ethernet cables is 100m (300ft) so your max run of 150 ft should be fun. (Most people consider the max run to be 90m, cause you'll want 5m or so on each end of the jack for a cable to goto a device or switch.0

What are your walls like? You'll want some sort of fishing pole/wire puller. Other people here can give good recommendations on tools. Do you have the non-techie hand tools to put in wallplates?
 
Unless you're planning on running 10GigE, or have some other non-ethernet device which requires it cat6, cat5e is fine.

For in wall applications you're doing OK, remember that if you're running cabling inside any part of the HVAC system you need plenum rated cable to meet fire code. Most homes don't have that type of HVAC system, but if you're jury rigging it and running cable within your HVAC ducts....

If you're running cable between floors, you're supposed to run riser (CMR) cable. Standard cable will probably work ok, but again, you're dealing with fire code.

You should not use solid core cabling to make patch cables, it kinks too easily. Really, patch cables are so cheap, just buy the pre-made ones and skip buying rj45 jacks or the crimp tool. You can buy a lot of patch cables for $40.

What are you attaching those keystone jacks to? Do you have something in the cabinet? Please don't just throw a rj45 plug on the end. After a while, you're bound to rip the tab off the cable and then have a mess.

Finally, make sure you draw a map of the house and label whatever you're doing. Whomever buys the house from you in the future will thank you.
 
The plan is to mount a set of keystones to some wallplates under the cabinet, then run from the wall there.

You know buying the shorter runs premade does make sense now that I think about it. Also on the 6vs5...it's not much extra.
 
Oldie said:
The plan is to mount a set of keystones to some wallplates under the cabinet, then run from the wall there.

You know buying the shorter runs premade does make sense now that I think about it. Also on the 6vs5...it's not much extra.
Click to expand...

why not put the punch down ( inside ) the cabinet ? along with the switch and other goodies...
 
dashpuppy said:
why not put the punch down ( inside ) the cabinet ? along with the switch and other goodies...
Click to expand...

Well I'm going to have a hole in my wall for the cables to pass thorough, I thought having them all on a wall plate would look neater. Then just some 2-3 foot cables into the cab.
 
adam30k said:
I believe you need wallplates, no? Also a patch panel that your cables will come into from all around the house before going into your switch. The max run in ethernet cables is 100m (300ft) so your max run of 150 ft should be fun. (Most people consider the max run to be 90m, cause you'll want 5m or so on each end of the jack for a cable to goto a device or switch.0

What are your walls like? You'll want some sort of fishing pole/wire puller. Other people here can give good recommendations on tools. Do you have the non-techie hand tools to put in wallplates?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I just didn't link them because I figured they would be pretty hard to mess up. ;)
 
Oldie said:
Well I'm going to have a hole in my wall for the cables to pass thorough, I thought having them all on a wall plate would look neater. Then just some 2-3 foot cables into the cab.
Click to expand...

ahh ok, was just a suggestion :) When i do my house, it will all be concealed, and into a small cabinet like the one you have picked, then one piece of Fiber from the switch to my rack :) ..
 
If you are going to the trouble of buying and installing a cabinet/rack, then buy a rack mount patch panel. But that's just me.
 
jeffmoss26 said:
If you are going to the trouble of buying and installing a cabinet/rack, then buy a rack mount patch panel. But that's just me.
Click to expand...

That was my thought too :) Point of a cabinet is to hide all the wiring and make it all clean and neat :)

I've been working on this,

IMG_0010.jpg
 
This is what happens when the customer forgets they need a rack for their patch panels and switches:
IMG_1192.jpg

Everything is crammed into the top of a floor to ceiling wooden storage cabinet, they lined the walls with them. The rack used to be in the middle of the room but they put a wall up...gotta love it!
 
Yeah..that's just nasty. :)

I'm starting to think that the patch panel inside the rack may be the better option, but if I'm just going to have a bunch of wires coming out of a hole in the wall, why wouldn't I just want to cap them and go straight to the switches instead of adding another step? I'll leave a bit of slack in case I need to cut/recap one I suppose. The main advantage I think would be running the solid cable into the patch panel and then making it easier by using pre-made cables, but I would want them to be short...like say 4-6 inches or so (like this), and I can't find anything that small on monoprice, so I would be stuck making them again.

Also, if I don't do the wall plate, I'll need some kind of grommet. This is the only thing I can find big enough for the # of cables I'd put through:

http://www.accessfloorsystems.com/i...rand/coolbalance-circle-seal-ep-4-5-inch.html

It says it's for the floor, but I could stick it in a wall pretty easily I would think. Also, for those of you who have hung one of these things before, I'm going to be able to go right into the studs, what kind of screws did you use?

I really really appreciate the replies so far. I've tried doing as much research as I can on my own, but nothing beats first hand experience. Just a nice reminder of why I love this forum. :cool:
 
I don't know your layout but it would make sense to put the hole for the wires behind the rack cabinet, that way everything is hidden. Those cabinets typically have a million knockouts so you can bring wires in a variety of ways. Even the small bracket in my picture above has a large opening in the back for the wires to come in through...
That, or run a piece of conduit or large wiremold from the hole to an entry point on the outside of the rack.
 
Well that's what I was planning to do in the first place, but the back of this cabinet is solid w/o any holes. I haven't bought anything yet, I suppose I could find another.
 
You could also ask an electrician to come make a couple holes in the back with a Greenlee knockout punch, I am lucky to have a set :D
 
I believe ethernet cables can only be so short. The shortest I've used is 1 foot. In a patch panel, I typically use 2 or 3 foot, to keep it pretty for manage cable structure. Just purchase the 16-24 cables you need for the panel, way easier than making them all.. and they're fairly cheap.

You need a cheap cable tester to test your jacks once you've installed / punched them down:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10524&cs_id=1052401&p_id=8138&seq=1&format=2


Don't cap the ends of the cables coming in, and plug directly in the switch. If the tabs break off, you have to retip your cable.. and it makes it harder (read: not as neat) to label the connections. Purchase a cat6 patch panel, larger than you currently need and punch them down to the blocks.
It also does a little 'wow factor' when selling your home (if it's wired neatly), and only costs at most $50 with the extra cables.
I sold my last house 4-5 years ago, with an old 10/100 24 port 3com switch I had kicking around.. and the guy purchasing it commented to the realtor how cool it looked.

The "toolless" jacks are fine and all for home (I guess, I wouldn't use em).. but don't stand the test of time - the pins come loose, as they aren't secured well enough.
I would recommend getting a 110 punchdown tool, and keystone jacks / patch panel as 'punchdown' and do it properly. It's only a mild suggestion though, the tool less ones would work too.. I personally don't like them.
It's real easy to do.. even the DIY'er can use a 110 punch down tool. Just be mindful of which end has the cutter when punching the wires down. :)
 
Rison said:
I believe ethernet cables can only be so short. The shortest I've used is 1 foot. In a patch panel, I typically use 2 or 3 foot, to keep it pretty for manage cable structure. Just purchase the 16-24 cables you need for the panel, way easier than making them all.. and they're fairly cheap.

You need a cheap cable tester to test your jacks once you've installed / punched them down:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10524&cs_id=1052401&p_id=8138&seq=1&format=2


Don't cap the ends of the cables coming in, and plug directly in the switch. If the tabs break off, you have to retip your cable.. and it makes it harder (read: not as neat) to label the connections. Purchase a cat6 patch panel, larger than you currently need and punch them down to the blocks.
It also does a little 'wow factor' when selling your home (if it's wired neatly), and only costs at most $50 with the extra cables.
I sold my last house 4-5 years ago, with an old 10/100 24 port 3com switch I had kicking around.. and the guy purchasing it commented to the realtor how cool it looked.

The "toolless" jacks are fine and all for home (I guess, I wouldn't use em).. but don't stand the test of time - the pins come loose, as they aren't secured well enough.
I would recommend getting a 110 punchdown tool, and keystone jacks / patch panel as 'punchdown' and do it properly. It's only a mild suggestion though, the tool less ones would work too.. I personally don't like them.
It's real easy to do.. even the DIY'er can use a 110 punch down tool. Just be mindful of which end has the cutter when punching the wires down. :)
Click to expand...


Tool less jacks are ok, but if he's buying a punch down panel might as well just buy the jacks that use the punch down. Ive used both and both are ok. just depends what you want your budget etc etc. One isn't better than the other, it's more of a conveinance.
 
Dont use cheap wire and get a good network tester if you dont already have one. And dont run too close to any electrical lines. :)
 
Oldie said:
I'm starting to think that the patch panel inside the rack may be the better option, but if I'm just going to have a bunch of wires coming out of a hole in the wall, why wouldn't I just want to cap them and go straight to the switches instead of adding another step? I'll leave a bit of slack in case I need to cut/recap one I suppose. The main advantage I think would be running the solid cable into the patch panel and then making it easier by using pre-made cables, but I would want them to be short...like say 4-6 inches or so (like this), and I can't find anything that small on monoprice, so I would be stuck making them again.

Also, if I don't do the wall plate, I'll need some kind of grommet.
Click to expand...

Link 1
Link 2
This site has several types to choose from

Whatever you do, don't run bare cable to the switch. Run it to the patch panel and use patch cables. It looks much better and is far better organized. You can make short patch cables like you said or you can put a blank cable organizer in between the patch panel and the switch and loop your patches through it. Like this.
 
Don't use the toolless keystones. They take a lot longer to deploy and don't always seat correctly. I've tried a few types for a few of the drops at work. I use the punch down blocks now and I am not going back.
 
Oldie said:
Well that's what I was planning to do in the first place, but the back of this cabinet is solid w/o any holes. I haven't bought anything yet, I suppose I could find another.
Click to expand...

Alternatively, you could use a step bit (I hate hole saws for metal) Those can easily do holes sufficient for a 1" conduit knockout, then you'd jam something like this:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/HUBBELL-WIRING-DEVICEKELLEMS-Cord-Connector-2DPD9

and secure it with

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/HUBBELL-WIRING-DEVICEKELLEMS-Cord-Connector-2DZG8
 
I've used Leviton jacks for a long time and always had their termination coasters (they will send you one or two if you call and ask nicely) and thought that was amazing until Fluke came out with the JackRapid. For one or two jacks I will just hold the jack in my hand and punch down with a 110 tool, but for big jobs, the JackRapid is awesome. I did a cabling job years ago with Nordx jacks and they had no termination puck, boy were my hands torn up!

I also recommended befriending an electrician and having him make some holes with a Greenlee knockout punch. All you do is drill a hole for the stud to go through, and tighten the two sides together.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
The JackRapid is designed specifically for Leviton jacks. I don't think it will work for those jacks.
 
Ah, well that make sense. Regular punch down tools look like a PITA. Any recommendations on a good one...or I could just buy the leviton keystones.
 
I use the Leviton jacks exclusively unless I have to match a customer's wiring system (such as Panduit)
The Monoprice and similar brand jacks just do not feel solid to me.
For a small job in your home they are probably fine, and a regular punch tool won't be too much of a pain. I like the Fluke D814.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top