Patch panel - how important for home use

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rayonline

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# 139058 26-Jan-2014 12:22

We installed some cat6 cables behind our wardobes etc ... didn't go for the patch panel b/c the 2 ports for each room are just simply connected to a switch and then to the router (Internet) networked etc. Ditto HDTV, game console etc.

What use can patch panels provide for the common household?

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# 974573 26-Jan-2014 12:34

Easier to reconfigure at a later date, but not compulsory.

sbiddle

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# 974582 26-Jan-2014 12:39

It creates a significantly tider solution that's far easier to reconfigure.

chevrolux

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# 974592 26-Jan-2014 12:56

You can get small 12-port mini panels - Dynamix do them. They look a whole lot better than just plugs on the end of a cable. Also makes a more permanent solution.

Buzz Bumble

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# 974626 26-Jan-2014 14:31

I don't know about "easier". The problem is the wiring behind the patch panel, the wall sockets, etc. could easily go out of date with the speed everything keeps changing these days. In fact, depending on what you're doing, Cat cables are already out of date and you should probably be installing internal fibre cables.

Another opion might be to use the electrical wiring for your house network, again depending on what you're wanting to do.

All the houses in our neighbourhood had patch panels put in when they were built (around 10 years ago) which are supposedly "future proof" ... not only has the company that supplied them long gone, but the only wall sockets are only for phone and TV, so computer network cabling wouldn't be particularly easy.

rayonline

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# 974628 26-Jan-2014 14:40

Still trying to find what benefits. For us we only wired the bedrooms b/c the lounge etc .. we have put the cable thru the staircase wall / underfloor etc ... Didn't wanna rip stuff out ..... So the bedrooms have a switch in a corridor cupboard and a single cable goes to the under of the house via a laundry (not used) dryer pipe ... that finds it's way to the TV room router on the exterior wall.

Yes it can be neater or look more geeky.
8 port switch bolted on the wall in a corridor cupboard that's kinda like a patch panel itself right?

A real patch panel would have more cables right? Cables coming in/out from the ceiling/floor and you have the cables from the patch panel to the network switch.

If the cat6 cable goes out of date even with a patch panel you would still have to renew the cable right ..
Maybe if one wanted to switch it to bedroom (2) and send the HDMI or whatever to the lounge's TV? Maybe .. . But ethernet they are all centralised to the router anyway right ... so all can provide / receive access.

Zeon

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# 974636 26-Jan-2014 15:00

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Buzz Bumble: I don't know about "easier". The problem is the wiring behind the patch panel, the wall sockets, etc. could easily go out of date with the speed everything keeps changing these days. In fact, depending on what you're doing, Cat cables are already out of date and you should probably be installing internal fibre cables.

Another opion might be to use the electrical wiring for your house network, again depending on what you're wanting to do.

All the houses in our neighbourhood had patch panels put in when they were built (around 10 years ago) which are supposedly "future proof" ... not only has the company that supplied them long gone, but the only wall sockets are only for phone and TV, so computer network cabling wouldn't be particularly easy.

That's quite incorrect. CAT style cables will be the mainstay of home and office wiring for a long time yet. When you say fibre, what kind of fibre, single-mode, multi-mode, - what? No devices use them nor do any in a home environment need to. CAT is a standard that works with all current devices, phones and can even be used to carry IR, display (.e.g HDMI) and heaps more data.

If your house has a patch panel and CAT5+ wiring it sounds like all the problem is is that BT jacks were used instead of RJ45. Just swap the keystone in your faceplate for a few $$ each and voila, you have structured home cabling!

hashbrown

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# 974638 26-Jan-2014 15:08

rayonline: A real patch panel would have more cables right? Cables coming in/out from the ceiling/floor and you have the cables from the patch panel to the network switch.

Typically the cables coming from other rooms would be fairly discrete. Either coming out of the wall behind the patch panel, from the ceiling or floor via a conduit, or at the very least in a tied bundle.

Buzz Bumble

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# 974649 26-Jan-2014 15:36

Zeon:
That's quite incorrect. CAT style cables will be the mainstay of home and office wiring for a long time yet.

More and more big companies, universities, etc. have been installing internal fibre networks for a while now. It's only a matter of time before it reaches smaller businesses and homes ... assuming of course it doesn't get over-taken by wireless connections in those places.

eXDee

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# 974653 26-Jan-2014 15:52

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You're going to see 10G-BaseT w/CAT6a in the home before you see fibre being installed. And even then i find that unlikely for a long time due to the priority wireless is getting and the lack of affordable available hardware for it. Big companies and universities use fibre for a reason, eg to provide 10-100 gigabit trunking switches over long distances. You do not need this in a home.

Additionally fibre, installation, splicing and future modification of it is prohibitively expensive for most home set ups. So no, CAT isn't going anywhere.

A patch panel is useful because if you deploy RJ45 to every room, and bring them back to the patch panel, you can either patch them into the switch or you could connect them as phone line ports. It means you can also connect two ports directly together and bypass the switch if you were troubleshooting a problem.
You could send HDMI into a CAT6 Balun, down 1 or 2 cables from your main TV, and simply patch them directly to another room, with another converter on the end. Suddenly you can extend HDMI, IR, or whatever you like to any wallplate in the house.

It allows more flexibility basically.

sbiddle

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# 974664 26-Jan-2014 16:23

Buzz Bumble:
Zeon:
That's quite incorrect. CAT style cables will be the mainstay of home and office wiring for a long time yet.

More and more big companies, universities, etc. have been installing internal fibre networks for a while now. It's only a matter of time before it reaches smaller businesses and homes ... assuming of course it doesn't get over-taken by wireless connections in those places.

The main requirement for fibre in "large companies and universities" is typically cable runs over 100m or got 10Gbps backbones between switches. Fibre is the easiest way to overcome Ethernet distance limitations.

Wireless is not, and never will be a replacement for cables. It was always be a complimentary solution to existing Ethernet.

If you're going to suggest fibre in the home what are you going to install? Single mode or multimode? And why are you going to go with that choice? Fibre is very different from copper and you're stuck with the technology you deploy unless you then want to rip all the cable out and replace it.

Buzz Bumble

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# 974675 26-Jan-2014 16:43

sbiddle:
... you're stuck with the technology you deploy unless you then want to rip all the cable out and replace it.

Exactly the point I was making in the first place. Things change very quickly these days and there's no telling what may or may not replace Cat cables "tomorrow". When it changes you will have to rip out all the cables and replace them, which is much easier to do if it's not hidden behind walls ... of course it's up to the individual person (as well as what they're doing, how long they'll be there, etc., etc.) whether they prefer it to look tidy and unseen, or be very easy to replace.

Obviously CAT cables won't suddenly stop working, but many people seem to "need" to be on the cutting edge of everything these days.

coffeebaron

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# 974677 26-Jan-2014 16:46

rayonline: Still trying to find what benefits. For us we only wired the bedrooms b/c the lounge etc .. we have put the cable thru the staircase wall / underfloor etc ... Didn't wanna rip stuff out ..... So the bedrooms have a switch in a corridor cupboard and a single cable goes to the under of the house via a laundry (not used) dryer pipe ... that finds it's way to the TV room router on the exterior wall.

Yes it can be neater or look more geeky.
8 port switch bolted on the wall in a corridor cupboard that's kinda like a patch panel itself right?

A real patch panel would have more cables right? Cables coming in/out from the ceiling/floor and you have the cables from the patch panel to the network switch.

If the cat6 cable goes out of date even with a patch panel you would still have to renew the cable right ..
Maybe if one wanted to switch it to bedroom (2) and send the HDMI or whatever to the lounge's TV? Maybe .. . But ethernet they are all centralised to the router anyway right ... so all can provide / receive access.

If you only have a few runs, then a couple of face plates with 3-4 RJ45's each will do the job nicely too :)

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sbiddle

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# 974681 26-Jan-2014 16:48

Buzz Bumble:
sbiddle:
... you're stuck with the technology you deploy unless you then want to rip all the cable out and replace it.

Exactly the point I was making in the first place. Things change very quickly these days and there's no telling what may or may not replace Cat cables "tomorrow". When it changes you will have to rip out all the cables and replace them, which is much easier to do if it's not hidden behind walls ... of course it's up to the individual person (as well as what they're doing, how long they'll be there, etc., etc.) whether they prefer it to look tidy and unseen, or be very easy to replace.

Obviously CAT cables won't suddenly stop working, but many people seem to "need" to be on the cutting edge of everything these days.

You've taken my comment completely out of context.

Fibre will limit your choices. You need to choose single mode or multi mode and once you do you're stuck with that. What would YOU deploy in a home and why?

Copper cables won't date and the applications are far greater - you can distribute voice, video over them as well as data. Install cat6 and you'll have 10Gbps Ethernet as well.

Buzz Bumble

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# 974733 26-Jan-2014 18:37

You're missing the point, but it's not worth my limited dial-up time to go around the circle again. :-(

PoHq

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# 974746 26-Jan-2014 19:01

I did my whole house the right way, it was painful at times but all done now. There is no point cutting corners, just set aside some time and money and do it correctly. The cat6 is so much thicker than the old cat5 so it was hard to pull down the walls.

I Pulled out the old cat5 and replaced with cat6, pulled out all BT sockets and replaced with an RJ45 in each room and 4 RJ45's behind the TV on the wall in the lounge. All the RJ45's go to a patch panel which is in the roof. The OP asked what benefit a patch panel brings? Well as someone has already said it's just gives you greater flexibility to make changes. I got the dynamic 12 port one.

I have recently been contemplating replacing the cat6 with the new hybrid fibre cable which has 2 fibres and 4 twisted pairs. Initially I thought wow if I do this I am future proofed for life however as Steve said who knows what type of fibre will be used for home appliances, optical LAN etc So it's probably not worth it. Besides cat5/6 cable isn't going anywhere for a LONG time.

I know one thing, if i ever build a house everything is going into flexiduct with draw strings.........lots and lots of draw strings!

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