# structured wiring planning suggestion



## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

Good evening All, 

I was looking for some professional advise regarding structured wiring. I am currently reviewing our blue prints on our new home build. What I plan on doing is running CAT6 throughout our home for a SOHO network. In our planned utility room, I want to mount a 19" wall mount rack to house all the SOHO home run patch panel, switch, router and UPS. My question is would you suggest running phone and or CATV into the rack too? I would like to have it all run through there to keep it nice and organized. Or should I just punch the phone into a 66 block on the wall and CATV connect to simple amp/splitter on the wall?

I seen an install were they ran all the phone cables (CAT6 also, but different color than SOHO) into a 110 patch panel, then patched it up into another 110 panel that was jumped for phone.

Just want a well organized and "all in one" place to have structed wiring. If Im installing a 12u rack, why not install all wiring (SOHO, phone, and CATV) into the rack too? 

Thoughts? Ideas or example?

Thanks


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

winty03 said:


> Good evening All,
> 
> I was looking for some professional advise regarding structured wiring. I am currently reviewing our blue prints on our new home build. What I plan on doing is running CAT6 throughout our home for a SOHO network. In our planned utility room, I want to mount a 19" wall mount rack to house all the SOHO home run patch panel, switch, router and UPS. My question is would you suggest running phone and or CATV into the rack too? I would like to have it all run through there to keep it nice and organized. Or should I just punch the phone into a 66 block on the wall and CATV connect to simple amp/splitter on the wall?
> 
> ...


Yes, run everything into there, its called a patch panel for the reason that you can patch whatever you want into whatever you want. I'd also run dual outlets. Ive never done domestic but thats the way we do it for small to medium commercial and how I would do it in my house.


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

I'm an IT tech so the data side/networking is my bread and butter, but the phone and CATV I have no idea how installs go, looking at other installs, it seems to just be random.

What I have planned is:

Blue colored CAT6 for data/network (SOHO)
White colored CAT6 for phone
Black 1694a for CATV

Install a 19" wall mounted rack in utility room I will have a patch panel for all my SOHO runs, and patch them into the network switch.

What are my options for patching phone or CATV in the 19" rack? 
It seems to me most phone termination seems to be into a wall mounted 66 block. 

CATV doesn't seem to ever go to a patch panel, but I'd like to to keep it clean, in place and organized.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

Get an unloaded RJ45 keystone panel, no need to use different coloured cable as you will just have a patching schedule as any outlet could be phone, data or tv with a balun.


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## FlyingSparks (Dec 10, 2012)

Put in a structured media panel just for the coax, terminate the cat6 to patch panels in a rack. From patch use a different colored patch cable and go into a 66 for the phone. But who uses a home phone system anymore? Remember a phone cord will plug into a 8p8c, so cat6 for everything. Eventually the 66 you install will be obsolete, so do not make it perm.


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## FlyingSparks (Dec 10, 2012)

All cables installed should be the same color up to the patch panel. At the patch panel color code your patch cables. At my institution we have red patch cables for critical equip, blue for regular data and orange for phone (they go to a 66).


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

SOHO data/networking cable will be terminated in the rooms with RJ45 keystones

Phone cable will be terminated in the rooms with RJ14 keystone

What I had seen for phone and was thinking of doing was....coming into the rack with the phone cabling and punching it down to a panel just like the data, then installing another patch panel above it that I jump all the jacks in that panel so in that panel all the jacks are connected, then run small 6" CAT6 cables to connect the phone panel to the modified phone panel and then have the phone service could connect to the modified panel and all connected phone runs will get the tone........?

I was looking at this post..a bit below half way down the page....about jumping the patch panel for phone..

http://www.broadbandreports.com/for...ax-F-Type-RG6-16-Way-Preferably-Rack-Mounted-


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

FlyingSparks said:


> All cables installed should be the same color up to the patch panel. At the patch panel color code your patch cables. At my institution we have red patch cables for critical equip, blue for regular data and orange for phone (they go to a 66).


The reason I went with blue for data and white for phone was to help organize the pulling or installation in the walls. Yes I understand cat6 is cat6, but I would like to keep organization from the get go on the cabling. So if data and phone end up in the same J-box or not, we can keep track of the count and wire runs during rough in.


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## FlyingSparks (Dec 10, 2012)

Terminate everything with rj45. An rj11 will fit into an rj45. Traditional phone is going out the door, everything should be cat6 so you can use it quickly for data in the future.


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## FlyingSparks (Dec 10, 2012)

I think you are in the mindset of running wire dedicated to phone. cat 6 terminated to a patch can have a patch going to a 66-- the better method. That way when you chuck the 66, and those patch cables going to it, all the pieces of the phone system are gone. That cat 6 being patched for the phone can then be used for data because you installed it the same way.


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

I kinda am......in the mindset of dedicated wire for phone. I TOTALLY agree that land line phone is going out...we have many times considered dropping ours. I also understand that with us running all CAT6 for "phone" and "data", the phone can be easy migrated to the data infrastructure. But I think for resale value of the home, I want to have phone setup/easily identified. I am not concerned with migrating it over to data, I am already at 40+ runs for data. 

Say I have a "phone" patch panel with 12 home runs punched in, do I just end up taking small patch cables cutting off the one end to terminate into the 66 and the other a rj45 into the patch to make the connection....

so really the post i had looked at earlier will work, punch everything into patch panels.....and then like this other guy did, take a patch panel and modify it to act like a 66 block and patch in the phone to that.


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## Fredman (Dec 2, 2008)

winty03 said:


> Good evening All,
> 
> I was looking for some professional advise regarding structured wiring. I am currently reviewing our blue prints on our new home build. What I plan on doing is running CAT6 throughout our home for a SOHO network. In our planned utility room, I want to mount a 19" wall mount rack to house all the SOHO home run patch panel, switch, router and UPS. My question is would you suggest running phone and or CATV into the rack too? I would like to have it all run through there to keep it nice and organized. Or should I just punch the phone into a 66 block on the wall and CATV connect to simple amp/splitter on the wall?
> 
> ...



If you want to future-proof then plan for conduit


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

Fredman said:


> If you want to future-proof then plan for conduit


Ya if I could throughout the whole house build I would, but I just want to install a nice SOHO and if I can use the "space inside the wall mounted rack for phone and CATV....I'd like to. I just have never dealt with CATV and how a well organized planned CATV is setup or installed. 

I think if I treat the phone runs like a data run and leave a way for the phone company to tap into them....I can install the phone inside the rack...


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

feel free to pm me if you want. 

I am an RCDD, and network architect for a very large company. 

I can help you out


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

http://www.ditekcorp.com/index.asp

http://www.nitek.net/products/surgeprotection.htm

I would also recommend the above surge protection companies. We had a banker's home we installed home automation, CCTV, CATV, Access control, alarm, window shade remote operators, etc. etc.

An Oklahoma lightning hit took him out completely. We had a signed refusal for surge suppression sheet in his file. Now, $45K later, he has added surge suppression.


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## gnuuser (Jan 13, 2013)

FlyingSparks said:


> I think you are in the mindset of running wire dedicated to phone. cat 6 terminated to a patch can have a patch going to a 66-- the better method. That way when you chuck the 66, and those patch cables going to it, all the pieces of the phone system are gone. That cat 6 being patched for the phone can then be used for data because you installed it the same way.


correct
setting up network topology now you should always plan for future upgrade requirements (set up now less headache later)


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

Ya I believe I am going to 

run the "data/network" into the rack and punch it down into a 48 port panel..and use RJ45 blue keystones

run the "phone" into the rack and punch it down into its own 12 port panel..and use RJ12 white keystones...and either patch into a 66 block or modified/jump another 110 patch panel for phone (connecting all ports pins together) and patch it to the phone panel.

What should I do with the CATV...its own structured box? Of course I need a drop into the rack for cable modem/internet connection.....


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

winty03 said:


> Ya I believe I am going to
> 
> run the "data/network" into the rack and punch it down into a 48 port panel..and use RJ45 blue keystones
> 
> ...


Its a network, any outlet could be a phone, any outlet could be a computer, I think your missing the idea of a patch panel here.


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

I understand that...... at the rack all the patch panels will be RJ45 jacks.I will label the panel as data and/or phone......I will be color coding them at the rooms termination point white and blue keystones...Im not installing all RJ45s because Im not a fan of plugging a RJ11 into a RJ45 jack... otherwise yes they will be wired exactly the same.


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## FlyingSparks (Dec 10, 2012)

winty03 said:


> I understand that...... at the rack all the patch panels will be RJ45 jacks.I will label the panel as data and/or phone......I will be color coding them at the rooms termination point white and blue keystones...Im not installing all RJ45s because Im not a fan of plugging a RJ11 into a RJ45 jack... otherwise yes they will be wired exactly the same.


Lol they were designed to fit into a rj45.


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## Ty Wrapp (Aug 24, 2011)

FlyingSparks said:


> Lol they were designed to fit into a rj45.


As a phone tech for 32 years, my advice would be to use a 66 block for your phone wire. A 66 block is much easier for trouble shooting and pair rearrangements when it comes to adding additional phone lines or rewiring defective pairs. It is also much easier to come out of the NID to a 66 block than a patch panel. The 66 block doesn't look as high tech, but it is more versitile.

As for the RJ11 phone cord into a RJ45 jack...it may fit , but that doesn't mean that it's right! The cord can get jammed into the jack sideways or cocked, damaging the pins inside the RJ45. I ALWAYS change out the RJ45 to a RJ14 when I run across this situation.


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

Ty Wrapp said:


> As a phone tech for 32 years, my advice would be to use a 66 block for your phone wire. A 66 block is much easier for trouble shooting and pair rearrangements when it comes to adding additional phone lines or rewiring defective pairs. It is also much easier to come out of the NID to a 66 block than a patch panel. The 66 block doesn't look as high tech, but it is more versitile.
> 
> As for the RJ11 phone cord into a RJ45 jack...it may fit , but that doesn't mean that it's right! The cord can get jammed into the jack sideways or cocked, damaging the pins inside the RJ45. I ALWAYS change out the RJ45 to a RJ14 when I run across this situation.


So you would not punch the phone to a patch panel, but rather directly into a 66 block? Also, suggestions on keystone?? I was looking for 6p4c, the c2g one seems to be 8p6c....looking at the middle pic.

http://www.cablestogo.com/product/03801


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## Ty Wrapp (Aug 24, 2011)

winty03 said:


> So you would not punch the phone to a patch panel, but rather directly into a 66 block? Also, suggestions on keystone?? I was looking for 6p4c, the c2g one seems to be 8p6c....looking at the middle pic.
> 
> http://www.cablestogo.com/product/03801


Yes, I would go directly to a 66 block.

That jack looks fine, all you need is a voice grade jack. If you surf the web, you can find them for half that price!


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## winty03 (Feb 16, 2013)

I ya, we are a parter of c2g so I get them at wholesale pricing.. Sounds good. Any advice on the CATV?


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## Ty Wrapp (Aug 24, 2011)

For CATV I would do as you have already suggested...coax to a simple splitter. But I would use the same size splitter for the number of coax being used, leave unused coax unterminated. More splits = more db loss.

I will being installing a small network to my house in the near future,I'll post pics when I'm done.


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## jeffmoss26 (Dec 8, 2011)

In my experience, anything you do with the coax will be bastardized by the cable company. I just run the wires to a spot on the backboard and let them mount the splitters.
Ty Wrapp is spot on about the phone stuff (he should know!), give me a 66 block any day!


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Have the electrician run 4" conduit to each jack, demand 1/2" rope in each then pull a single cat 5 in each pipe, that's how data guys do it. :laughing:


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