# Two Patch Panels in one house



## 3DDesign (Oct 25, 2014)

I'm in the planning stage of a 5,300 sq. ft. house.
The Owner wants a Cat6 patch panel in the basement. This is where the Internet cable modem will be. This patch panel is where all the basement and first floor Cat6 will terminate.

On the second floor, in a utility room, he wants a second patch panel. This is where all the second floor Cat 6 will terminate.
He says that I can run three Cat6 acting as a "Backbone" from the basement patch panel to the second floor patch panel.
I've never done that, I alway ran all Cat6 to one patch panel.

1. Does anyone know if this will work?
2. How would the three "Backbone" Cat 6 be terminated at each end?
3. What equipment is needed to make this work?
4. Is it a bad design?

Thank you in advance.


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## RFguy (Sep 11, 2013)

Sounds like an option. 3 backbones seems a bit thin, but it's his spec. He'll regret it in the future, but not your problem. If it were my place, I would either home run everything to a single location, or run pipe between the 2 patch panel locations so I can pull in more cables as needed.

As for how to do whats' asked, just terminate all cables (including the backbones) to a RJ45 patch panel. That way if he wants a jack on the second floor patched to the first floor, he just plugs in a short jumper between 2 of the RJ45 jacks on the second floor patch panel (example jump the jack for his bedroom run to one of the backbone jacks).

Have an outlet near each of the patch panel locations as he will want to plug in a switch, cable modem, camera DVR etc.

Use wall mounted patch panels like these:
http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-N250-012-Wall-Mount-Vertical/dp/B000HZES42


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## 3DDesign (Oct 25, 2014)

RFguy said:


> Sounds like an option. 3 backbones seems a bit thin, but it's his spec. He'll regret it in the future, but not your problem. If it were my place, I would either home run everything to a single location, or run pipe between the 2 patch panel locations so I can pull in more cables as needed.
> 
> As for how to do whats' asked, just terminate all cables (including the backbones) to a RJ45 patch panel. That way if he wants a jack on the second floor patched to the first floor, he just plugs in a short jumper between 2 of the RJ45 jacks on the second floor patch panel (example jump the jack for his bedroom run to one of the backbone jacks).
> 
> ...


Thanks RF, that makes sense.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

As cheap as fiber is, he's liable to bite on fiber between the two patch bays. In any event, I agree with a healthy-sized PVC conduit between the basement and second floor patch bays.


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## pjholguin (May 16, 2014)

I second MD's suggestion!


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## triden (Jun 13, 2012)

Edit: Didn't see fiber already addressed in the previous comments.
*********

Run a little ST fiber cable between patch panels. A little fiber module for a switch is only about $100 these days. 










OR


stick a little fiber uplink switch beside the main switch


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