What do I have here?

[kevnich2]

imagoon,
Thanks for your response and help. The $3 boards aren't from reputable sellers, its more like $15. It says these boards are voice/data... so if I installed two of those I could go with all data and ignore the board on the left...

However, lets say I wanted to have some phone lines some day. I would run a short patch cable from the left board to whichever cat 5 line I would want the phone line running too... is that correct? Then on the other end of that line, I would have to replace the RJ45 connector with a RJ11?

Is there anyway to wire this up so that the connections in the room can accept both a RJ11 or RJ45... then if I want to have phone lines, I would just have to make adjustments in my SMC?

I am still thinking of getting this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...TF8&s=hi&psc=1
(the 12 port version runs $71)

Is there any advantage to this one as opposed to two of the boards you recommended? I know its a cleaner look, but I am wondering why else it will cost $71 as opposed to $30 for 2 of the boards you mentioned.

Thanks again, you have been very helpful

If I were you, I would stick with the board you currently have and purchase another one like it. The board you're posting about is a punch down and twist model - the punch downs are all in the back with the RJ45 jacks in the front. If you only plan on having those cables and that's it, you're fine. If you plan on expanding more later, that board can be a real PITA to add more to later because you have to pull the plugs, twist it around and keep it held while punching the additional cables in. I have installed plenty and their not my favorite.

 

[generaltso]

Solid is for in wall, stranded is used to build patch cables. You shouldn't build patch cables, they are far cheaper to just buy from monoprice.

Don't worry about the cable info other than the "Cat5e" part. It basically says 4 Pair, 24 gauge (rare to see anything else), UL listed for flammability via test FT4 (Cable meeting UL 1666) (MPR I think is the Euro standard) and it was verified CAT5E using the 568A wiring scheme. 568B is also met when 568A is met.

Yes you can see the difference if you cut it. You have solid core. It is stiff giving it that wavy look that you see punched down.

Thanks for the info... makes sense. There are some instances where I need to crimp on an Rj45 connector. Are the RJ45 connectors different for solid vs stranded cable? Monoprice sells both solid and stranded RJ45 connectors, but I can't really see a difference in the pictures. I bought a RJ45 crimper that came with some connectors.

 

[generaltso]

No offense to the other posters, but the p/n of the middle board indicates that it IS in fact a patch panel. Leviton lists that as a voice/data distribution and my leviton guy says it has a 110 punch block to an RJ 45 jack for CAT5 cabling. It can then be used with either phone or data as you see fit (You can plug a telephone cable into an RJ45 jack, which is exactly what was done in your cabinet)

Just pull the wire terminations from the far right block, re-punch them with a punch down tool to the middle block and then plug a patch cable into the corresponding RJ45 jack and plug that into a switch.

That is only a 6 port patch panel and you have more than 6 cables so you will need another one of those blocks

I'm really not sure why the installer punched them down to the telco board on the far right side - it's not needed at all for that kind of install but they probably were just doing as they were instructed with the equipment they were given.

Thanks for the info. I thought the middle panel was a standard patch cable for data/telco as well, after researching more in to it.

However, I did end up purchasing two of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-001-47.../dp/B00022742I

as imagood recommended. I figured maybe the patch panel I had in there was meant more for voice, and that the one from the link above is geared more toward data.

When you search google for the part number of the middle panel (PWA 58159-51). Not much comes up. There is a thread, however, on another message board:

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/r22941597-Setting-up-home-network

Where a guy has a similar set up to me. Read some of the comments... like this one:

"Those punch-down panels are definitely for phone only. I've had dealings with them before and they won't even support DSL. The circuit traces on the back side of the board are so close together that the high frequency signal bleeds over (cross-talk) and attenuates"

At any rate, newer patch panels were like $5 each, I have two on order. Not sure what the difference will be between the two, but I will post it when I get them.

Thanks for the help, and the tip on the other patch panel I was looking at.



Edit:
This is the board I current have in the middle:
http://assets.twacomm.com/assets/pdf/5428.pdf

I see no reason I shouldn't be able to use it. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the same panel I ordered two more of. I will see if it has the same PWA when it arrives.

 

[imagoon]

Thanks for the info. I thought the middle panel was a standard patch cable for data/telco as well, after researching more in to it.

However, I did end up purchasing two of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-001-47.../dp/B00022742I

as imagood recommended. I figured maybe the patch panel I had in there was meant more for voice, and that the one from the link above is geared more toward data.

When you search google for the part number of the middle panel (PWA 58159-51). Not much comes up. There is a thread, however, on another message board:

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/r22941597-Setting-up-home-network

Where a guy has a similar set up to me. Read some of the comments... like this one:

"Those punch-down panels are definitely for phone only. I've had dealings with them before and they won't even support DSL. The circuit traces on the back side of the board are so close together that the high frequency signal bleeds over (cross-talk) and attenuates"

At any rate, newer patch panels were like $5 each, I have two on order. Not sure what the difference will be between the two, but I will post it when I get them.

Thanks for the help, and the tip on the other patch panel I was looking at.



Edit:
This is the board I current have in the middle:
http://assets.twacomm.com/assets/pdf/5428.pdf

I see no reason I shouldn't be able to use it. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the same panel I ordered two more of. I will see if it has the same PWA when it arrives.

I was pretty sure that PWA was the telco board. Only the blue pair was wired on the PCB. They look the same but the PCB is different.

 

[imagoon]

Thanks for the info... makes sense. There are some instances where I need to crimp on an Rj45 connector. Are the RJ45 connectors different for solid vs stranded cable? Monoprice sells both solid and stranded RJ45 connectors, but I can't really see a difference in the pictures. I bought a RJ45 crimper that came with some connectors.

The wire gauge and blade are different. Stranded needs a cable relief if you want it to last. Really cheap cables don't have one and work so that is up to you really.

 

[imagoon]

No offense to the other posters, but the p/n of the middle board indicates that it IS in fact a patch panel. Leviton lists that as a voice/data distribution and my leviton guy says it has a 110 punch block to an RJ 45 jack for CAT5 cabling. It can then be used with either phone or data as you see fit (You can plug a telephone cable into an RJ45 jack, which is exactly what was done in your cabinet)

Just pull the wire terminations from the far right block, re-punch them with a punch down tool to the middle block and then plug a patch cable into the corresponding RJ45 jack and plug that into a switch.

That is only a 6 port patch panel and you have more than 6 cables so you will need another one of those blocks

I'm really not sure why the installer punched them down to the telco board on the far right side - it's not needed at all for that kind of install but they probably were just doing as they were instructed with the equipment they were given.

This was one of the things that bugged me about Leviton. They love to make identical looking parts with differing PWA numbers. Sometimes with the same part numbers. So the Cat5e board might be model 1234 with PWA 5432 and the phone only was model 1238 with PWA 4321. Then they realize it is stupid to make a "phone only" version with PWA 4321 so they make it with PWA 5432, and cross reference it with Model 1234. The thing is "1234 [cat5e] board" could have done what model 1238 did in the first place. So 1238 cross references to 1234. However 1234 does not cross back to 1238. This makes it confusing as all hell on the net to fine out which actual Model 1234 a person has and what works with it.

 

[kevnich2]

Thanks for the info. I thought the middle panel was a standard patch cable for data/telco as well, after researching more in to it.

However, I did end up purchasing two of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-001-47.../dp/B00022742I

as imagood recommended. I figured maybe the patch panel I had in there was meant more for voice, and that the one from the link above is geared more toward data.

When you search google for the part number of the middle panel (PWA 58159-51). Not much comes up. There is a thread, however, on another message board:

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/r22941597-Setting-up-home-network

Where a guy has a similar set up to me. Read some of the comments... like this one:

"Those punch-down panels are definitely for phone only. I've had dealings with them before and they won't even support DSL. The circuit traces on the back side of the board are so close together that the high frequency signal bleeds over (cross-talk) and attenuates"

At any rate, newer patch panels were like $5 each, I have two on order. Not sure what the difference will be between the two, but I will post it when I get them.

Thanks for the help, and the tip on the other patch panel I was looking at.



Edit:
This is the board I current have in the middle:
http://assets.twacomm.com/assets/pdf/5428.pdf

I see no reason I shouldn't be able to use it. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the same panel I ordered two more of. I will see if it has the same PWA when it arrives.

If that's what you ordered then you'll be fine then. You were referencing a different one before and I definitely wouldn't recommend that. Either way, you'd need atleast two since you appear to have 8 cables coming through. And as imagoon mentioned - for in the wall installations, only use solid cable. Stranded is only used for making your own patch cables, which I don't recommend anyway. Patch cables are so cheap to buy and a PITA sometimes to make when you need like 50 cables. Way too time consuming making them.

 

[generaltso]

If that's what you ordered then you'll be fine then. You were referencing a different one before and I definitely wouldn't recommend that. Either way, you'd need atleast two since you appear to have 8 cables coming through. And as imagoon mentioned - for in the wall installations, only use solid cable. Stranded is only used for making your own patch cables, which I don't recommend anyway. Patch cables are so cheap to buy and a PITA sometimes to make when you need like 50 cables. Way too time consuming making them.

I'll stay away from making patch cables

However, what if I want to end a long run directly into a switch, with no patch panel available (this is away from my media cabinet). It's ok to crimp a RJ45 connector on to the end of a solid cable, right? Just make sure I have the proper connector (a RJ45 connector meant specifically for solid cable, as opposed to stranded).

Also I am doing some new runs. I've thought about cat 6 cable... should I put that on the new runs? The rest of my home will be cat 5e, I don't want to re-wire the whole house.

 

[imagoon]

I'll stay away from making patch cables

However, what if I want to end a long run directly into a switch, with no patch panel available (this is away from my media cabinet). It's ok to crimp a RJ45 connector on to the end of a solid cable, right? Just make sure I have the proper connector (a RJ45 connector meant specifically for solid cable, as opposed to stranded).

Also I am doing some new runs. I've thought about cat 6 cable... should I put that on the new runs? The rest of my home will be cat 5e, I don't want to re-wire the whole house.

Technically no. You should properly terminate it to a patch or a mounted keystone. Many people will tell "oh its fine!" and it might be if you never touch or move anything. Once things start to move though solid core can break and give you all sorts of odd issues. Cat6 is more future proof but it won't be "cat6" without cat6 keystones and cat6 patch panels.