That sounds about right. I hate making cables but punch downs are a non issue. They make those wall plates in punch down form as well. It would probably be a little easier. For example...
That sounds about right. I hate making cables but punch downs are a non issue.
They make those wall plates in punch down form as well. It would probably be a little easier.
I'll second the cable tester. I have that exact one, and its saved my butt so many times. Though I suppose if you're only doing 2 cables you could manually test. Even punch down is not foolproof....
I'll second the cable tester. I have that exact one, and its saved my butt so many times. Though I suppose if you're only doing 2 cables you could manually test.
Even punch down is not foolproof. Sometimes you get an unlucky break in the cable.
One thing I've learned is once I have the equipment to make my own ethernet cables, It's become trivially easy for me to make my own for myself and friends outside my original use case.
I know you aren't thinking of making your own cables but you should know that it's never been easier. Get yourself some pass through connectors and terminating the wires becomes a breeze. No more...
I know you aren't thinking of making your own cables but you should know that it's never been easier. Get yourself some pass through connectors and terminating the wires becomes a breeze. No more guessing if the damn wires will all bottom out at the same time.
Pass-thrus are truly amazing, wonderful, and worth the extra bit of money. This is fantastic advice. I used to make a ton in the field and changing over to pass-thru eliminated so much time and...
Pass-thrus are truly amazing, wonderful, and worth the extra bit of money. This is fantastic advice. I used to make a ton in the field and changing over to pass-thru eliminated so much time and headache that in hindsight, I’d have been fine paying double what the pass-thru crimper and ends cost. I think it’s even cheaper now.
They're awesome for the few cases where you'd need to terminate backhaul Ethernet with a plug (wall/ceiling mounted APs and cameras), but generally wisdom these days is that patch cables should be...
They're awesome for the few cases where you'd need to terminate backhaul Ethernet with a plug (wall/ceiling mounted APs and cameras), but generally wisdom these days is that patch cables should be flexible and it's just better/easier to buy those premade. Dealing with crimping 28awg stranded wires probably isn't worth the fuss.
That's basically all you need, aside from enough patch cables to hook the patch panel to the switch - if you hate making your own cables, just buy some pre-made. Most patch panels and wall plates...
That's basically all you need, aside from enough patch cables to hook the patch panel to the switch - if you hate making your own cables, just buy some pre-made. Most patch panels and wall plates even have the colors of the cables printed right on each punch-down point, so they're hard to mess up. Punch down termination is a lot more forgiving and less fiddly than crimping on a plug, at least in my experience, so I don't think you'll run into problems there.
I recently did a similar project, I used: this punch down tool https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AZK4D this stripper https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073YDM1J6 these keystone jacks...
Mine were already terminated into wall plates in each room but I did have to take one wall plate off to figure out which wiring standard they used (A or B) so I could do the same wiring on the other end. If you’re doing your own wall plates just make sure you do them the same on both ends.
It’s a pretty easy job, I’ve never worked with Ethernet before and was able to do the whole thing just after watching a YouTube video about punching down a keystone jack. Punching down a keystone seems waaaay easier than crimping a cable.
Is cat5 a typo? That will reduce network speed to 100Mbit, that is not nearly enough. Cat5e is the bare minimum, and I would personally go for Cat6a because the price difference isn't even that...
Is cat5 a typo? That will reduce network speed to 100Mbit, that is not nearly enough. Cat5e is the bare minimum, and I would personally go for Cat6a because the price difference isn't even that big nowadays.
Cat6 is the same connector type as cat5/5e. I would definitely replace cabling with cat6 if you own the place. Might even want to place a rack if you plan on adding devices (i.e., nas). I'm...
Cat6 is the same connector type as cat5/5e. I would definitely replace cabling with cat6 if you own the place. Might even want to place a rack if you plan on adding devices (i.e., nas). I'm guessing this is a typo as everything else is accurate and you are more likely to see cat5e in search results. Monoprice doesn't even list the old cat5 on their website. While naming metters i don't think there's much harm with this typo.
I think it's a great idea to practice first, but wouldn't an rj45 crimping tool be easier? Or is there no room? Also, do you need a patch panel and a switch? Wouldn't just a switch suffice?
I think it's a great idea to practice first, but wouldn't an rj45 crimping tool be easier? Or is there no room?
Also, do you need a patch panel and a switch? Wouldn't just a switch suffice?
The patch panel lets you punch down your runs into female RJ45, then you can run patch cables from the patch panel to the switch. Punching ethernet is a lot easier and faster than crimping connectors.
The patch panel lets you punch down your runs into female RJ45, then you can run patch cables from the patch panel to the switch. Punching ethernet is a lot easier and faster than crimping connectors.
I took up a related project recently. Things I got that you don't list: Keystone jacks A thing to hold the jack while you punch it A jacket stripper - not required but it does make life easier....
A jacket stripper - not required but it does make life easier. That's a high end brand, it was the only really good tool I got out of all this. The thing is seriously like magic.
I watched a few videos on how do the termination before I started. One used the stripped jacket to unwind the twists, which is a great trick.
I was wiring up a POE camera. Apparently there are issues with POE if you use the A spec, I couldn't get it to work until I switched to B. I'd found a conversation about it on Stackoverflow when I was trying to figure out what was wrong.
Oh, and check the reviews/sizing for both the keystone jacks and wall plates, some have reviews saying they're a nonstandard size.
The first programming job I started in early 2000s indeed had this kind of setup! We used to have ethernet hub back then but gigabit switch sounds way better! As long as you have the right drivers...
The first programming job I started in early 2000s indeed had this kind of setup!
We used to have ethernet hub back then but gigabit switch sounds way better! As long as you have the right drivers installed (netbios, netbeui protocol or whatever, etc. which I think come pre-installed on windows these days), you're good.
But really, in this day and age, the most efficient solution is to just create a WiFi access point or WLAN. Even a very basic smartphone has that ability these days, you might need a proper router if the area is too large, of course.
But the ethernet idea is also good as a memoir or old school experiment!
That sounds about right. I hate making cables but punch downs are a non issue.
They make those wall plates in punch down form as well. It would probably be a little easier.
For example https://a.co/d/f5cCK4p
I’d maybe add a cheap cable tester to make trouble shooting a bit easier. Something like https://a.co/d/8rvOYU4
I’d also recommend labeling each cable where you can.
I'll second the cable tester. I have that exact one, and its saved my butt so many times. Though I suppose if you're only doing 2 cables you could manually test.
Even punch down is not foolproof. Sometimes you get an unlucky break in the cable.
One thing I've learned is once I have the equipment to make my own ethernet cables, It's become trivially easy for me to make my own for myself and friends outside my original use case.
You can get a tester for like $15. It's cheap enough to just get and save yourself potentially hours of confusion.
I know you aren't thinking of making your own cables but you should know that it's never been easier. Get yourself some pass through connectors and terminating the wires becomes a breeze. No more guessing if the damn wires will all bottom out at the same time.
Pass-thrus are truly amazing, wonderful, and worth the extra bit of money. This is fantastic advice. I used to make a ton in the field and changing over to pass-thru eliminated so much time and headache that in hindsight, I’d have been fine paying double what the pass-thru crimper and ends cost. I think it’s even cheaper now.
They're awesome for the few cases where you'd need to terminate backhaul Ethernet with a plug (wall/ceiling mounted APs and cameras), but generally wisdom these days is that patch cables should be flexible and it's just better/easier to buy those premade. Dealing with crimping 28awg stranded wires probably isn't worth the fuss.
As someone who just made like 10 patch cables and hated every second of it, holy crap why have I never heard of these before? I'm ordering a bag!
Pass through and the Klein ratcheting crimper are good for the field. Punch down though should be easier if you can get away with it.
That's basically all you need, aside from enough patch cables to hook the patch panel to the switch - if you hate making your own cables, just buy some pre-made. Most patch panels and wall plates even have the colors of the cables printed right on each punch-down point, so they're hard to mess up. Punch down termination is a lot more forgiving and less fiddly than crimping on a plug, at least in my experience, so I don't think you'll run into problems there.
I recently did a similar project, I used:
this punch down tool https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AZK4D
this stripper https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073YDM1J6
these keystone jacks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F35THYR
this cheap tester mostly to figure out which cord went to which room https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08318BM98
Mine were already terminated into wall plates in each room but I did have to take one wall plate off to figure out which wiring standard they used (A or B) so I could do the same wiring on the other end. If you’re doing your own wall plates just make sure you do them the same on both ends.
It’s a pretty easy job, I’ve never worked with Ethernet before and was able to do the whole thing just after watching a YouTube video about punching down a keystone jack. Punching down a keystone seems waaaay easier than crimping a cable.
I know it's been said but definitely get a tester. They range in price from very cheap to very expensive, you don't need to spend more than $20.
Is cat5 a typo? That will reduce network speed to 100Mbit, that is not nearly enough. Cat5e is the bare minimum, and I would personally go for Cat6a because the price difference isn't even that big nowadays.
Cat6 is the same connector type as cat5/5e. I would definitely replace cabling with cat6 if you own the place. Might even want to place a rack if you plan on adding devices (i.e., nas). I'm guessing this is a typo as everything else is accurate and you are more likely to see cat5e in search results. Monoprice doesn't even list the old cat5 on their website. While naming metters i don't think there's much harm with this typo.
I think it's a great idea to practice first, but wouldn't an rj45 crimping tool be easier? Or is there no room?
Also, do you need a patch panel and a switch? Wouldn't just a switch suffice?
The patch panel lets you punch down your runs into female RJ45, then you can run patch cables from the patch panel to the switch. Punching ethernet is a lot easier and faster than crimping connectors.
Ahh, that does make sense. Thank you.
I took up a related project recently.
Things I got that you don't list:
I watched a few videos on how do the termination before I started. One used the stripped jacket to unwind the twists, which is a great trick.
I was wiring up a POE camera. Apparently there are issues with POE if you use the A spec, I couldn't get it to work until I switched to B. I'd found a conversation about it on Stackoverflow when I was trying to figure out what was wrong.
Oh, and check the reviews/sizing for both the keystone jacks and wall plates, some have reviews saying they're a nonstandard size.
The first programming job I started in early 2000s indeed had this kind of setup!
We used to have ethernet hub back then but gigabit switch sounds way better! As long as you have the right drivers installed (netbios, netbeui protocol or whatever, etc. which I think come pre-installed on windows these days), you're good.
But really, in this day and age, the most efficient solution is to just create a WiFi access point or WLAN. Even a very basic smartphone has that ability these days, you might need a proper router if the area is too large, of course.
But the ethernet idea is also good as a memoir or old school experiment!