Inline coupler vs. punch down keystone jack. Differences?

[BKLounger]

So I am moving into a new house and want to run cat6 to a couple of the room. I can run the cabling in the walls alongside the coax to the plates. So I started looking at monoprice to see what I should use for my jacks. Obviously for the punch downs i would need a punch down tool vs. the inline coupler i just plug in a cable. Would i notice significant speed decreases? Are there obvious technical differences i am missing or is it all preference? The longest the length of cables might be is 50ft into the coupler and a 15 foot out of the coupler. All the signals would originate from a gigabit switch in my office.

 

[imagoon]

Typically, pre-made cables are stranded and not designed to pulled in a wall. Putting the ends on solid core requires the proper tool to crimp the ends. In most cases, these lines will fail tests though. So you can buy a $35 crimp or a $35 110 punch. Solid core is also far easier to fix if the jack is pulled out of the wall.

Also what do you intend to do with the other end? Just plugging right in to a switch tends to look shoddy, and if the wire is solid core, you can break the wire while plugging it in.

If your going web it:

http://www.monoprice.com/produ...id=1387&seq=1&format=2

 

[JackMDS]

Keystone when punched well stay this way.

Coupler might work well but can turn flaky after a while because of plug oxidation or loose fit.

If you go with couplers get shielded high priced couplers.

This is an example (search further the price on this page is three times inflated), http://www.pcconnection.com/IP...4110944&ci_sku=7378612

 

[RebateMonger]

The standard is to use solid-core wiring, putting Keystone Jacks at both ends. Many jacks nowadays are tool-less. You put the wires in the guide and close the lid and the crimps are all made at once by the jack. No punchdown tool is needed.

If you use a long patch cable (they all have stranded wire inside) and if a RJ45 connector gets damaged, you will have a problem because getting a reliable crimp onto a stranded cable is unlikely.

 

[BKLounger]

i might be thinking of this the wrong way then. I may be going a little to cheap with my setup. This is my first time wiring a house so it's a learning experience. I'll give you my setup and see what my best path should be.

I will have a verizon fios gateway in one room. i then need to run cat6 cable to 5 different rooms. my original thought was just hook a gigabit switch to the gateway running the cat6 through the wall to an inline coupler and just run a separate cable in the room. But from the sounds of it it may be a glitchy shoddy method. I want to do this the right way because i plan on living in the house for quite a while and want to have a solid network. What might be the best approach in this scenario?

 

[JackMDS]

No reason to use CAT5e use only CAT6 run solid CAT6 in the walls terminate into Keystones.

From Wall to devices use commercial made CAT 6 patches.

This site has commercial satuff for good prices.

http://www.monoprice.com/produ...p?c_id=105&cp_id=10232

http://www.monoprice.com/produ...p?c_id=105&cp_id=10513

In general, http://www.ezlan.net/CAT.html

 

[BKLounger]

i appreciate the help jack. another question. So I now know i should run solid core plenum cat6 to toolless keystone jacks in each of the rooms but how do you start the very beginning of things.

obviously there is the verizon gateway and I will need some way to split the wired signal. should i just crimp the office end of the plenum cat6 and plug directly into a switch. should i be installing something like a patch panel in the floorboard and then run cable from switch to patch panel? or even just set keystone jacks in the office as well and just run cat6 from the office keystones to a switch?

 

[RebateMonger]

I'm thinking that Monoprice had 16-port patch panels for something like $20, but it's been a while since I looked. Don't crimp anything. It's just asking for trouble. Patch cables are like a buck apiece at Monoprice.

 

[JackMDS]

It really depend on what is conducive to your specific environment.

Usually the best solution is to run all the cables from the rooms into a central place punching them into a patch panel and handling it from their to a Switch, the punch panel has to be in a close clean place.

 

[imagoon]

Originally posted by: BKLounger
i appreciate the help jack. another question. So I now know i should run solid core plenum cat6 to toolless keystone jacks in each of the rooms but how do you start the very beginning of things.

obviously there is the verizon gateway and I will need some way to split the wired signal. should i just crimp the office end of the plenum cat6 and plug directly into a switch. should i be installing something like a patch panel in the floorboard and then run cable from switch to patch panel? or even just set keystone jacks in the office as well and just run cat6 from the office keystones to a switch?

You only need plenum if your running the cables through airspace (IE duct work.) Save yourself a few bucks and get non-plenum if you are not.

 

[BKLounger]

so inherently you would just have the cat6 coming out of the way and into a patch panel. Not sure the wife would like that all to much. especially having a network cabinet in the office. unless there is such a thing a small patch panel enclosure.

Since i can't see needing more than 6 wired connections would it make sense to:

Hook verizon gateway to a gigabit switch then run 6 straight cables (patch cable) to 6 keystone jacks in the office. Those keystone jacks would then run to 6 differents rooms via plenum cat6 solid core cable and terminate at another keystone jack in said room. Then once in that room I would just run another straight (patch) cable from the jack to whatever device is in the room.

I know this design does not allow for much future expansion but it seems like it may be the least intrusive (cleanest looking) into the house. Also I can't expect there would be a need for more wired devices in the future. Does the setup seem correct?

 

[imagoon]

Originally posted by: BKLounger
so inherently you would just have the cat6 coming out of the way and into a patch panel. Not sure the wife would like that all to much. especially having a network cabinet in the office. unless there is such a thing a small patch panel enclosure.

Since i can't see needing more than 6 wired connections would it make sense to:

Hook verizon gateway to a gigabit switch then run 6 straight cables (patch cable) to 6 keystone jacks in the office. Those keystone jacks would then run to 6 differents rooms via plenum cat6 solid core cable and terminate at another keystone jack in said room. Then once in that room I would just run another straight (patch) cable from the jack to whatever device is in the room.

I know this design does not allow for much future expansion but it seems like it may be the least intrusive (cleanest looking) into the house. Also I can't expect there would be a need for more wired devices in the future. Does the setup seem correct?

Typically you do this in a laundry room or a closet or by putting up a small cabinet.

Here for example is a smaller tripp lite one with a wall bracket.

http://www.buy.com/prod/tripp-...loc/101/202970315.html

When you say "the cat6 cable just comes down to it", yes it does but you can stick the panel anywhere. Running the cat6 to ends and plugging them in to the switch will look the same anyway and work poorly.

On a patch you use something like this:

http://www.monoprice.com/produ...id=2288&seq=1&format=2

to connect to the switch itself.

And again, unless your running the cable through duct work, you don't need plenum rated cable.

Note the "Riser rated solid core" is 1/3 the cost of Plenum solid core:

http://www.monoprice.com/produ...p?c_id=102&cp_id=10234

 

[drebo]

If you only have 6 runs and don't think you'll ever need more than that, you can always run them into a gang box and just get a face plate that has 6 keystone spots in it. Or you could use a surface-mount box. Punchdowns are nice, but if you have to put them where they're visible in a home, they don't always look that great. Surface mount or in-wall terminations sometimes look better. Face plates and gang boxes are available at your local hardware store.