Guys, I have never worked with patch panels before so I need your help. This panel is in my new home and consists of two cat5e cables terminated into the panel. The panel doesn’t have any jacks so while I can make my own cables, do I just punch down the wires into each slot (on top of the existing wires) while matching the colors? Thank you
Picture looks more like a distribution block, for phone lines, rather than a patch panel for networking.
You’d bring a 25 pair trunk cable in and then punch down extensions over each pair in that trunk cable. At least that’s the stone age way of doing it before VoIP was invented.
If you’re getting started in structured wiring, go with a blank keystone panel and 180° CAT6 Jacks (monoprice for example.)
Is that a metal box? Is there any slack in the wire - could you pull them out a bit? Is that cat.5e/cat.6 cabling?
TBH, with only 2 cables I wouldn’t bother putting in a panel. It’d take up less space if you’d put in a 2 port keystone wall socket, or terminated the 2 cables directly (it’s not like they need to be managed?
To summarize:
- that horrible comb styie tiny distribution block let’s call it, should go to trash.
- there should be some slack on that cable if going into the cabinet (otherwise you can’t connect it to things), if not make slack by moving where it enters the cabinet, or by installing a socket on the cable path and moving patch cables into the cabinet.
- for networking, twisted pair cable is meant to remain twisted for as long as possible, and not be extended via couplers such as those in patch panels too many times, as that attenuates signal power
Perhaps @fredrich_nietze can advise better if you post more photos … (e.g. do you need a cabinet is you have only 2 cables? How much great do you want to install?)
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that looks like a 110 phone block for phones which is not what you want for a lot of reasons. if you only have two wires i would forgo a patch panel entirely and use two keystones
with a single U dual port faceplate
and a 1 gang old work box for the back of the faceplate.
this way you have keystones on both ends (i assume unless you are going straight into cameras? wireless access point?) and it’s easier. you want to use the 568 - B wiring and the keystones should be labeled A and B colors. you punch down to B and you want the sheathing to be going into the keystone with 1/2 - 3/8 in of wire coming out of the sheathing. make sure you dont nick the wires when you cut the sheathing.
the smallest patch panel i have ever seen was a 12 port, and they arent super cheap or readily available atm. they have keystones at lowes, homedepot, microcenter, ect but your best bet cost wise is to get all this online for around 10$~
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