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Understanding this home network setup; Patch panel

  • Thread starter Deleted member 88227
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Okay, so the port on the top left is the Cat6 cables that network the entire house together. It goes to some sort of panel inside, but I'm not entirely sure how to connect them to something like a cable modem/router/switch. Any idea? I see no RJ45 ports other than the one labeled "Security" whatever that is for.
 
/usr/home said:
Where do they run to? Do you have a security system? They may have just used CAT6 for the sensors because it's cheap and easy to run.

That's not a patch panel, that's some other termination panel. I'm assuming for a security system.

This image looks like something similar and it's for a security system: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ieKRJaEcL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Click to expand...

To be honest, I have no idea. This is just what was sent to me. It's one of my best friends new house he just bought. I haven't had a chance to head over there to take a look at it myself or to look around. I do know that he said he has RJ45 ports in all his bedrooms, the kitchen and three in the livingroom. He thinks that's where they all meet.

That's about all that I know. I also do not think it looks anything like a normal patch panel setup. If it's for a security setup, that would make sense but I'll have to ask him.
 
If he has drops in the rooms, they probably run back to a patch panel somewhere else. Has he looked where all the phone lines run to (probably in the basement near the electrical panel is where I would start looking.)?
 
/usr/home said:
If he has drops in the rooms, they probably run back to a patch panel somewhere else. Has he looked where all the phone lines run to (probably in the basement near the electrical panel is where I would start looking.)?
Click to expand...

No basement. House is all above ground. Wires are wired into the attic.
 
Those are all telephone. It says right on it 1x6 telecom. The one below it is an expansion that is hooked up to the top one so it can provide more telephone jacks.

If you want to convert them to normal ethernet you need to pull whichever cable (room/jack) off and put it into a real patch panel that has an RJ45 port so you can plug in your computer, router, etc.
 
That makes a lot more sense. Therefore their must be another location where the RJ45 ports are connected. I intend to head over there in Jan. and I'll take a look around. Pretty sure it will most likely be in the attic somewhere.
 
Skillz said:
That makes a lot more sense. Therefore their must be another location where the RJ45 ports are connected. I intend to head over there in Jan. and I'll take a look around. Pretty sure it will most likely be in the attic somewhere.
Click to expand...

This is pretty typical is new houses so I doubt there are any other panels. What is likely the case is that they ran CAT5 for the telephone lines. You can change out the keystone jacks/wall plates and put in a small patch panel if you want to make ports/rooms into network jacks. Keep in mind that changing the jack out will lose the phone jack (who cares if you have cordless phones or have no home phone). Overall the process is not too complicated and is relatively inexpensive.
 
Hmm...

So you're saying that there probably isn't RJ45 ports around his house, they they are all RJ11 ports and they are using Cat5 for the cable? Never thought to ask him if he has RJ11 ports as well. Pretty sure he is smart enough to know the difference between an RJ45 and RJ11 or do phones these days use RJ45 instead? I haven't bought a house phone in 10+ years.
 
"Security" usually refers to the loop that the alarm panel uses to seize the phone line in case of alarm. It's optional and those jacks allow you to have the alarm grab the lines before it makes it to the extensions.

Per the request from a customer or builder we would often terminate phone lines with RJ45 connectors since you can use a RJ11 jack in the connector and it allows more future flexibility.

Those panels in that configuration were only used for phone and cable in every case I've ever seen. You can convert them to data use very easily though. Just pull the Cat5/6 and terminate it with a RJ45 and plug it into a switch. If he doesn't use a landline that makes it easier.
 
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So what I will most likely need to do; since the rooms are most likely RJ11 is replace the wall plates with RJ45, then put an actual patch panel in the box. What patch panel would be recommended to mount inside there?
 
That's for 6 connections.

He claims he has;
4 bedrooms
1 kitchen
and a livingroom with 3 connection

Might need to use one for 8, right?
 
If it was just a handful of drops, you could make your own patch panel out of a surface housing and keystone jacks, or a wallplate and 1 gang box.
 
Thanks for all the help guys.

The jacks in the house are indeed RJ45, he plugged a Cat5 cable into them with an RJ45 connector.

I then told him he needs to setup a budget to get what he wants done as well as determining exactly what he wants to do. Whether it's going with a patch panel setup or just terminating female ends on each cable individually (to save money) then figuring out how he wants to network it. Using a switch, router, firewall or a combination of them. Most importantly though, I told him to figure out how much money he wants to spend.

Additionally, his ideal location for his "computer room" is going to be in what's now a formal dining room that doesn't get used as a dining room. He has a second dining area that's connected to the kitchen that he dines in. The issue is there is no connection in this room. I've asked him if any of the walls are a shared wall with an RJ45 port on the other end (In the livingroom or kitchen) and it's not. One of the bedrooms above this room might have an RJ45 connection. So I'm thinking I'm gonna have to fish wire through two floors. Hopefully there is an RJ45 port above the room so I can have a hole in the wall up stairs to help guide the cable through.

Either way, I'll report back with what he decides as well as his budget.
 
Skillz said:
One of the bedrooms above this room might have an RJ45 connection. So I'm thinking I'm gonna have to fish wire through two floors. Hopefully there is an RJ45 port above the room so I can have a hole in the wall up stairs to help guide the cable through.
Click to expand...

it sounds like you plan to steal a cable from one room to another.

if there is only an existing phone system on cat5, and even THAT doesn't run to the room that needs a cable, he might as well hire someone to run a new ethernet cable from point A to point B. so put the cable modem on one end, and his computer on the other. one requirement, and one solution done right
 
bAMtan2 said:
it sounds like you plan to steal a cable from one room to another.

if there is only an existing phone system on cat5, and even THAT doesn't run to the room that needs a cable, he might as well hire someone to run a new ethernet cable from point A to point B. so put the cable modem on one end, and his computer on the other. one requirement, and one solution done right
Click to expand...

No.

I will be running the cable from the room directly to the box in the garage. I will just use the hole in the wall provided by the cable in the room above to help me guide the cable through two floors. I figure being able to have an open location in the above floor will help to aid in feeding the line through. Not to mention if the line is already coming from the attic, then it's a safe bet that nothing is obscuring the path like a fire wall or anything.

With that being said, I will most likely replace the cable in that room with Cat6 as well. So I will probably use the current cable to pull two cables from the attic to the room on the 2nd floor, then use fish rods to carry the other cable all the way down.

With that being said, anyone have any recommendations on tools needed for the job?
 
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