Move Patch Panel

[Rich111]

Some years ago I wired a CAT5E home network

- 24 RJ45 sockes around the house, feeding into a patch panel located in the Attic. Patch Panel then linked into Switch / PABX etc. All has worked fine, with only a few tweaks / additions.

Issue is that I am now having an Attic conversion and need to relocate the patch panel to my garage.

Question is do I need to extend 24 individual cables back to the garage. Or can I wire some type of fibre connection using one wire that will allow me to move the patch panel?

A friend suggested that you can mirror patch panel to patch panel with one cable, and I could just crimp RJ45 connections onto the existing wiring and plug into this new panel that linked back to the garage?

Totally confused - Help Please!

[featured_spectre]

You put 24 RJ45 points in your house? What on earth are you running?!

 

As for relocation of the patch panel, my personal preference would be to clip the cables and re run the cables to the Garage. Assuming on some of them you would easily have the length to do so.

[FN-GM]

What i would personally do is remove the patch panel, and terminate the connections using RJ45 plugs like this one. Then i would run 24 cables form where your patch panel was to your new location. In the old location use the RJ45 plugs on each of the new cables so you end up with 48 of these in total where the old patch panel was. Use one of these to connect the old cable to the new cable that leads to the new location, so you will need 24. Then hide all the cables in the wall/floor etc. In your new patch panel location wire it up as normal.

 

abit messy but without running all new cables to the sockets i can't think of any other way.

 

I also have cat5 sockets at home but not that many

[Rich111]

Thanks Guys - I was hoping for some solution that would just allow me to run a couple of cables.

 

I could keep a patch panel hidden in the Attic, but the switch, router etc needs to be moved, the closest thing I have found on the net is one of these: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-POWERHOUSE-Gigabit-Plus-24-Port-RJ-45-Patch-Panel-/130539248928?pt=UK_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item1e64bedd20

 

I was thinking if I could join two together in someway, and control the patching from the garage.

 

I am sure this can be done - just not sure how ?

Edited July 10, 2011 by Rich111

[maniac]

Thanks Guys - I was hoping for some solution that would just allow me to run a couple of cables.

 

I could keep a patch panel hidden in the Attic, but the switch, router etc needs to be moved, the closest thing I have found on the net is one of these: NEW POWERHOUSE Gigabit Plus 24-Port RJ-45 Patch Panel | eBay UK

 

I was thinking if I could join two together in someway, and control the patching from the garage.

 

I am sure this can be done - just not sure how ?

 

That looks like it's for use with a specific type of system and is only using a single twisted pair per plug - RJ45 connectors are used in a very wide variety of different systems, not just ethernet.

 

Your only realistic option is to extend the cables as far as I can see.

 

Mike.

[glennda]

Looks very similar to what i used to have which then connected into our BT BCM at my old place.

 

I personally would just get another patch panel and then run 24 cables out the new one then cross the two patch panels over with some 0.3m leads. but could only do this is space permitted.

[Rich111]

Thanks All

 

I am going to take the hit and start cabling this week, going to use pre terminated cables to speed things up and use a pass through patch rack.

 

I also looked at pre-bundled cables but could not find in cat5e only cat5

 

Unshielded Twisted Pair Cable (UTP), 12/16/24/48/100 pairs, Category 5, Solid, Indoor / Twisted pair cable / Cables / Catalog / Hyperline

[IanT]

£50 for a cat5e patch panel!

 

you can get a cat6 off ebay for £10! - CAT 6 NETWORK RJ45 PATCH PANEL 24 PORT 1U 19 INCH RACK | eBay UK

 

You could also get a couple of cat5 Line Couplers and extend the cable.