This video, the “what’s a patch panel and do you need one”, and the home set up tour videos are so helpful. All of the other guys use tech jargain that regular every day people wouldn’t understand. Thank you for the great videos! I’m wiring our church and these videos were exactly what we needed.

Awesome tip. I am a new network engineer preparing for my network+ exam. This helped me to visualize the end goal of setting up a small network from ground up.

Good job! Nothing is ever perfect, especially in IT, so your setup can be improved and I am sure you know it. I enjoyed the video very much.

Thanks for an easy, comprehensive presentation on the matter! So many videos around not clarifying each and every step of the procedure. You were a big help! Please do some videos with the software side of configuring a network as well like DHCP and security management😊

*A Tip for Rack Mounted Devices:* I noticed at 04:30 the top screws were going in first. When placing the switch, router, patch panel or whatever into the rack or rails, I recommend putting the screws into the lower holes first. For lightweight devices it doesn't matter much, but for heavier ones the lower screws will act as a pivot point, with the weight of the device causing the top of the panel to move toward the rack or rails. By putting the screws into the top holes first, the weight will try to make the bottom of the front plate move out from the rack or rails. For units like rackmount servers and such it makes things so much easier.

Also.. we have started using keystone panels. Infinitely easier to install, keep clean, and service if damaged. They also generally have stress relief bars to aid in cleaning up wiring

Toner tip: use a shorted jumper with the catch clip removed (faster) while you are using the wand, the tone will stop when you found the correct port and only the correct port. It is rf bleed that inpregnats a wire the rubs parrallel with yours. Also huge help on shielded cabling as the side of the wire will not allow for correct identification with sound of tone unless you make a jumper from tone generator that uses the shield as one of the tone generators to attach to. (This has been a life saver on many many jobs.)

I usually tone and identify cables before teminating them so that the port numbers are sequential by room. Again, nice and organized, but takes a few more minutes ahead of time. Like your idea about the empty RJ45 connectors to ID which ports have been identified and/or terminated already. Makes toning faster as you go along.

Basically an example of everything not to do. Tone cables first so that you can punch them down in a logical order (same room together, same wall plate together) and use the strain relief on the punch down. Don’t punch down equipment to punch panels. Don’t put un-crimped RJ45 plugs into panels or equipment, you can mess up the plugs. And don’t use RJ-11 plugs in an RJ-45 port either.

I use patch panels that have integrated cable management on the rear. A little more expensive, but nicer to use.

Don't plug unterminated RJ45 jack into anything, because the copper plates are not push in, and when you plug it in, it could screw the socket up.

Looking forward to the video on Ubiquiti AP. Very informative!

Dude! YOU ARE THE MAN!!!! Please keep doing videos! THAT WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!!

Dude this one of the best vids with a breakdown of well a high level overview of network mounted rack and connections to network drop connections. Awesome man g8 job.

You srsly got the best taste of cars. All the love to you

loved the tp link hard wear but have since moved to unifi stuff so much easier to manage

Excellent video, thanks! Also anyone viewing this should go through the comments for constructive critiques and for laughs.

Very well explained. Good work ! Thank you

Thank you. Exceptionally helpful

Amazing cable management

Awesome Video! Super Helpful!

One of the best video ever.

We would use a swing rack, not a fixed rack, pick one side and bring all the cables down on that side. Then swing the panel open when termination is needed. We always put the fiber panels on the top, the patch panels on the upper part and the switches on the lower part of the rack to allow for expansion, leaving space below each. I realize for some severely anal IT techs it makes it prettier to bunch it all together, but it is not very practical. With the switches above the cables it makes it very difficult to troubleshoot and/or terminate any new cables you install, not to mention blocking available light in the room. Having the switches below the patch panels also makes a convenient place for your termination tools while you punch down the cables. On a 7' fixed rack we would come in on both sides, 12/24 cables on each side for a 24 /48 port panel, once again starting at the top and leaving spaces for expansion. The cables are supposed to be run in the channels between the upper and lower 110 termination points. It's a decent video, but in the 30+ years in the trade I've never seen experienced techs terminate panels like this. There are BICSI and TIA courses available or some entry level training provided for free by the vendors you buy cables from.

Awesome video!

Perfect perfect It really helps me please make a series of Hardware connectivity..big thanks❤️❤️❤️

When i worked with a lot of network cables I used a small pointed pen/sharpish and wrote a number in both ends.

I like the single sided patch panel wiring.

plug in the termination end to the tester into the port you know you have. IE, the wall port. Then take the testing device with you to the patch panel. This will save you a lot of walking around.

As this was three years ago and was on a buget I am sure this has improved. I would recommend putting the switch in the middle between the two patch panels, that way, the patch panel at top doesn't get over burdened with cables from the lower. I would also recommend getting a shelf for equipment to sit on top of others. That way, for any reason you need to swap out the device holding said modem/devices (in this case, would be the switch) you wouldn't need to fiddle with removing that stuff.

Hey, thanks for that -good common sense wasn't even thinking of it. By the way you just made the first positive comment out of all the Techs/engineers comments I have read previously, as a sales engineer i will say thats why we are careful of letting them talk in a business meeting- LOL!! I mean really, its called social aptitude.

Great video(s). Thanks man.

Or you could just label your cables when you pull them and don't have to find them later. Sharpies are cheaper than toners.

I’m a IT Consultant. I started from the bottom just like anyone else and I now design network infrastructures for buildings. I can honestly say that labeling is a no brainer must do on each and every cable run. Every cable needs to be labeled. I’ve terminated thousands upon thousands of patch panels for sky rise buildings and if I ever caught anyone doing that on my project I would literally run them off because that tells me so much more about what they don’t know. I can’t afford wasting time and hunting down mistakes. If you’re doing a small project like this then to each their own BUT I would recommend to think twice before showing someone the wrong way because they’ll have to pay for those consequences. I don’t mean to offend anyone reading this either....it’s just advice from a professional.

that was a very well made video describing the steps. about to set up my home network. Thank you!

This is how you make a good video!

Awesome dude and awesome video. 👍

You can also buy RJ45 to RJ45 keystones for the patchpanel. Alot faster, inserting them and switching them around. Oh and USB and HDMI keystones also exist, quite handy

So simple to just label cables as you run them. That way there is no guess work and you can have a uniformed patch panel. I made a "L" bracket to hold panel in correct position (not upside down) to make termination. I also add in 6 inches of slack for each termination. This can easily be hidden behind wall once you straighten out the cables. Now you would only need a straight through cable to jumper between top and bottom for each room at the panel and then do your testing at one location. I have five cables I made and do five rooms at a time. No hunting for cables. Front of panel is organized instead of customer having to hunt for jack on panel. Much more professional.

awesome video!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU

Greate video and great understanding

Loved the video. You got 3 new subs from my 3 ids

Nice job 👍

Dont punch down blindly then go toning out / using a tool to find them... when you pull the cables use a fine sharpie to number them as you start pulling them out of the box, then put the same number on the cable when you cut it off the box and then punch down in order. That way you wont have to chase down all the ports. Make sure you number more than once on each cable (i generally do 3 or 4 numbers over about 1 meter (3-ish feet for the americans) on each end... also number before you cut so you dont get mixed up. Generally if doing a small number of cables I'll have two boxes, odd and even, or just write the current number on each box and cross them out as you go... will save you a LOT Of time and you'll get logical numbering on the wall ports (i.e. ports 1 and 2 on the first plate, 3 and 4 on the next, rather than having 19 and 32, 06 and 18 on the next, etc.

Nice sir explain thank you very much

Seen a youtube video somewhere on a contractor that ran the network cables during construction. He had made a system where 1 person would go around with like a 9v battery attached to the cable ... and then on the patch panel he plugged in custom plug that had a led on it. ( assuming a resistor as well ) .... then instead of having to wand the patch panel to find the signal .... simply look for a bright light.

I love ubiquiti’s unified software so much

Excellent👍🏽

I like more to place one patch panel above the switch and one below, better for cable management, and get those really thin/slim cat6 patch cables to connect from the patch panel to the switch. It looks SO tidy when you do it like that.And you can plan ahead before crimpling the cables into the patch panel: even ports above the switch and odd ports below. that way when you need to find a port/cable you can do it instantly, ; and if you crimp the cables in order in the patch panel and in the rooms, the labeling and wiring will be extremely easy.

Some things that need noting from this video... 1. None of the cables are secured to the patch panel. There are loops on these ones to secure them down, they shouldn't hang free out of the back. @5:10 2. The wall sockets should be paired up on the patch panels.... Tone before dressing and punching down

Awesome video

Good Job Fella :)

You trained me this skill

The perfect video how to do it is not necessary!

Layer1 switching.... easy access network. Have to step up the network security

I’ve been searching You Tube for this exact type of video . An explanation of a network for the average person. I did a bit of this in my remodel and I realized real FAST I had to go get that cable tester. It’s so much easier than labeling. At least on the rough install. I know this is an old video but I am curious why you used the pattern on the incoming upper and lower patch panels?

Those wall plates look absolutely delighted as they vomit thick ropy strands of network connectivity :D

Great job. Thanks. Maybe video about UniFI AC Pro home configuration?

I might actually take this video into consideration when I'm done with college(earning a B.S. in Computer Network Engineering Tech.) and I am going to help my friend with wiring up her house.

When you are unable to detect or find the port where you put on the sound. Or the sound comes from different ports. You can put one finger on the sound detector nose and one finger in the port on the patchpanel. When pressing on the detector, and testing it with your fingers, you should only hear sound where it really comes from (PORT).

Whoever ran the cable and did not label them are monsters. Kudos for having to spend the time to figure it all out 😮

Awsome😊

Great netwk HWare overview

Label the cable first and make sure you have a little extra slack in both ends

SUBBED! Thanks a lot. 😊😉😎

sweet Network Setup like

This was perfect! Thanks a bunch! Helped tremendously.

thanks man

Lol makes a network like this and still wants to use the ISP provider modem router switch combo haha, anyways great video :)

This is a pretty cool video! Don't feed the ego of the ALL-KNOWING gurus in the comment section!

At the patch panel when you think you've found the jack plug in a patch cord just like a 1ft one so you can probe that specific cable further from the panel eliminating interference from neighboring jacks. I really old telecom guy tought me that

Thanks for the video. Do you have any idea for Plex/NAS on the network?

Once you go to a modular patch panel, panduit for instance you will never want to punch down a patch panel again. label as you go but test every connection or at least wire map. If a big project you want to prenumber a print so you do not miss any also a pro job should have connections numbered in order out on the floor as much as possible.

This is the way patch panels have been done for decades. It should be noted that a great deal of world experience has found solutions to some of the PITA parts of doing network installs. I will point out several here. 1. Don't cluster your patch panels together at the top or bottom of the rack. Install panels directly above and/or below each network device. Example: If you install a switch that has 1 row of jacks, install above or below it a patch panel so the patch cables can be as short as possible. Ideal is one 6 inch patch cable to every jack directly above or below each switch port. This does several things. It makes horizontal cable management unnecessary. The cost of patch cables is far cheaper. Every port in the panel is live to a corrisponding switch port. This makes physically labeling port numbers less important since all wall jacks are live from the beginning. Specific devices can be labeled but generally being anal about labeling ports is a thing of the past. 2. Switch away from punchdown panels and jacks to keystone passthru. This makes updating and repairing the panels and jacks faster, more flexible and it can take less time terminating the cable ends with plugs once you get used to it. If you find a specific cable coming from another part of the building is in the wrong panel it can be simply unplugged from the back of the keystone and moved to the correct panel location. Takes a few minutes and you don't end up with long patch cables on the front of your rack. 3. Color code your keystone jacks and patch cables for special port/device configurations. This gives a heads up to someone looking at the patch panel that this port is not like the others. Let's say you have 2 VLANs. Use blue for VLAN1, black for VLAN2, and green for both VLAN1 & VLAN2. Use red for LAG ports. You get the idea. 4. Use smart or managed switches so you can identify each port's description with what the end point device is and the color of the jack and patch cable. Really helpful if you are remotely managing the network. 5. Never run a patch cable over a device or panel that will prevent that device from being removed quickly and replaced in an emergency. 6. By setting things up as in steps 1-5 if say a 48 port switch fails or needs to be upgraded, you power down the switch, unplug all the patch cables, power, and remove and replace the switch. Plug in each patch cable into the adjacent port on the switch and power it on. If you have preloaded the configuration for the new switch you are good to go. You are down for 5 minutes instead of spending half the morning identifying patch cables, jacks and ports. Let's say you are doing a new install. It's pretty easy to determine if a PC is not connecting to the switch correctly or at full speed. In those cases you can quickly trouble shoot that specific port, keystone, patch cable, or plug end. Just swap the patch cables, redo the cable plugs, or replace the keystone passthrus. If you have 5 connection issues out of 100 cables you should be able to fix all of them in about 20 minutes. You saved an entire day not identifying, labeling, punching down, and routing patch cables on the rack. It also looks infinately cleaner and easier to maintain. Rarely would you ever need to rip out everthing from a rack during an redesign or upgrade. You can do most of it live during business hours which is fantastic for those 24/7 businesses.

I agree with those saying to label the cables ahead of time. IT doesn't' add that much time and will save you time in the end not toning everything out, trust someone that does this on large commercial jobs every day for a living. For commercial jobs, if you have more of a budget I would look at the multimedia patch panel, would help make service in the future easier if you ever had to redo something on the patch panel.

SUB becuase of the way you talk about the AP LOL

Maybe on the back of the patch panel label each wire where they go. Then if you every needed to remove evrrything you wouldnt have to test them all again.

Placing modular plugs into the ports on the patch panel is a good idea (protects them from the elements) just remember that most blank RJ45 and 48 connectors will not fit into the ports unless your crimp them first. Trying to force an un-crimped plug into one of the ports on the patch panel could damage it.

Thank you for taking the time to do this video. It seems to me that a lot of people in your channel love to criticize, but I bet you not a single one has done a video in regards to networking. Probably they go home and sit on their fat ass doing nothing, expecting for their wife to do everything for them. Anyway, this was an awesome video.

Omg your tester is so nice! LCD?!? I need one of those when I setup my house

Thanks.. Please add turkish subtitles

Could you wire up the jumpers from the patch panel to the switch to their corresponding numbers, for example your T1 would go into switchport 1 and then use a link runner on each drop and have it tell you which port you're connected to on the switch for labeling?

The tester says "Thank you !" LOL

Funny how that expensive gadget "guesses" port by beeping and I bought a 10$ on wish thing you just jack in the same way you just punch the cable in port by port and it lights up.. seems more convenient and works perfectly!

Thanks for your last response. This next one maybe off topic but here it goes: I have a cisco 48-port managed and (2) 24 port unmanaged switches. Right now the (2) are paper weights. Im only using tge 48 port switch now because its PoE. Any recommendations on how i can get some use out of those other 2?

Label your cable on both ends as you pull it, 10 seconds with a sharpie before saves you min of toning each port. Also your jacks will be sequential at the desk, instead of having port 1 and port 37 being next to eachother

You forgot to add a service loop in your cat 5E cable for any future maintenance.

Cheat mode when dealing with structure cabling that you didn't install and therefore didn't label at install time (which you totally should have done already). Patch all patch ports to switch ports. Run around site with laptop and Excel spreadsheet. Plug into wall jack Access switch management See what interface comes up. Mark it. Move to next hole in the wall.

It appears you aren’t the one who ran the cables without labeling them so I won’t blame you, but I think EVERYONE who’s watched this video can agree: NOT labeling your cables resulting in having to test them and place random numbers on the wall plates is AMATEUR HOUR.

I just ordered a 48 port Poe+ managed swtich...for My home Network. Hahaha A familj of 4 clearly will have use for it. When it shows up here at home....I should have an excuse ready for my wife....still have no real excuse. Hehe

Thx

I used a modular patch panel in my new setup, it is wlot nicer to work with

Wow. Love your work. I'm a guy with a little knowledge in networking, but watching a few of your video has boosted my interest in networking to the max. Thanks so much. Would also love you have your email address.. Keep up the great work.

Would that be much simpler and time-saving if u use a feed-through panel and tarceable patch cord?

Thank you for making and sharing this video, I really learn some of new things, please keep this work and keep sharing and please don't get discourage with negative comments

in my whole IT Career iv never seen twin wall sockets which arn't incremental. IE A001 & A002. is it common to just terminate the wires and then label them up after not worrying about location on the patch panel?

now this is the normal way to setup a network

You mentioned running the cables before the drywall goes up. When I've cabled a new office, the studs are steel and an electrician has installed the boxes and conduit up to above where the ceiling will be. I then run the cables down through the conduit. You don't know which cable is which? You mean you didn't mark them as you pulled them in??? A Sharpie is your friend! I've used that rollover method for BIX strips, but I prefer keystone patch panels, where you have individual keystone jacks. BTW, I have a Unifi AC-Lite access point in my home.

Personally I have moved away from punch down patch panels to using blanks with RJ45 keystones. This way I can actually colour code/match the ports themselves with type of connections. Blue=data, White=Voice/VOIP, RED=Camera. Even for zones. separate colour to match cable destinations. I just use RJ45 blanks for any unused ports in the blank.

Those arris routers have so many backdoors

If you are in situation that you do not know how the building is cabled use cheap ebay tester and one co worker...Co worker has the main part of the tester and connects it to the wall plate anywhare in the building.On the patch panel you check for a cable using the other part of the cable tester,just break away the tab from lan cable that goes into the panel to be faster.