Updating My Home Network | Adding a patch panel and new switch

[@blacksheep924]

Thanks for this. When I do mine I will put the patch panel above the switch so I can see the labels

[@pawpaw7646]

Thanks for posting, excellent choice to install the keystone patch panel in place of RJ45-terminated cables connected directly to the switch. Helpful suggestions: Best practice for maximum cable performance is to maintain the twist of the 4 wire pairs as much as possible to the keystone jack punchdown points. At time mark 9:24 your twisted-wire pairs are untwisted well short of the punchdown point, most conspicuously the green/green-white pair. Also at the same point in the video note that at least 3 of your "old" RJ45 plugs are terminated inadequately. The yellow cable jackets do not extend all the way into the plugs and under the "strain relief bar" of the plug. When crimped optimally, the jacket should be crimped under that triangular-shaped strain relief bar. Same as above, your newly-made patch cables should follow the same practice. Push the cables as far into the plug as possible to minimize the length of wire that are untwisted and to optimally extend the cable jacket under the strain relief bar of the RJ45 plug. Even better, use factory-made patch cables of the length required; this minimized potential for suboptimally-terminated cables. Monoprice makes excellent 6-inch "slim" cat 6 cables that are perfect for neatly connecting a patch panel immediately adjacent to a switch. Cody MacCallum on his KZbin channel Mac Telecom Networks is a master at this.

[@nickthegazerofsouls]

Why is it better to use the patch panel instead of terminating in rj45s? I'm starting that on my home now but I'm a newbie

[@pawpaw7646]

@@nickthegazerofsouls Very short explanation: Keystone jacks, patch panels, and true "field termination plugs" all use PCBs (printed circuit boards) inside that are component rated (i.e., Cat 5e, Cat6, etc) and help impedance-match your cable run. This is important for optimal performance. Simple plastic modular plugs ("RJ45 plugs") do not have this, and there are fitment issues (proper fit with different brands of cables) as well. The ANSI/TIA-568.2 Specifications lay out the standards for balanced twisted pair cables, permanent links, channels, etc. Permanent links (including UTP cables in your walls) are optimally done "jack to jack" (keystone-to-keystone or patch panel-to-keystone) to ensure best performance in terms of crosstalk, return loss, "headroom", and other parameters that are tested with cable verifier or cable certifier equipment. While permanent link cables terminated on both ends with plastic RJ45 plugs might "work" in a given instance, these cable links demonstrate the worst performance when tested. For more info, start with TrueCABLE's website and search in their blog or videos for "Choosing the Right Termination - Keystone Jack vs RJ45 Connector ..", "Selecting the Correct RJ45 Connector", and "What Does a Bad Termination Look Like?" Hope this helps!

[@andrewmccallum5699]

Great video, I've just got a Klein pass thru crimper like the one you showed, (there's a larger heavier one and the smaller lighter one you have tho the lighter one is much easier to handle). A colleague from the US recommended a cyclops wire stripper a while back, they are available in the US and worldwide too, safer than a stanley knife, a very useful tool, quicker and less chance of damaging the network cable, might be worth checking out if you get chance (a top little safe tool and reliable too). Top overview and ace detail, thanks for sharing!

[@PlatoonGarage]

Thanks for watching mate

[@Znurf]

Just for fun you should get the white router cable plugged in to a keystone with an RJ connector on both sides (basically an adapter/extender, i think they are called Keystone passthrough or something), that way you dont have to cut the white cable but you can still choose some other color for "incoming internet", such as red or green or something, and it will look a little bit better not to have the cable running through an empty keystone hole ;) But it would just be for aesthetics, but thats how and why i did it ;D

[@PlatoonGarage]

That's a cool idea. Might be a future project

[@Znurf]

@@PlatoonGarage you've already done all the work, just need 1 keystone passthrough and 1 more of the short blue ones and its done ;D

[@pawpaw7646]

Respectfully disagree with @Znurf and @Platoon Garage 🙂. Pass-through keystone connectors can work when needed, but it is best to avoid them when possible. Best practice for optimal performance is to terminate the "Permanent Link" (in-wall cables) onto keystone jacks or patch panels, then connect to devices or switches with factory-made patch cables. This is explained nicely in videos on TrueCable's KZbin channel named "Choosing the Right Termination" and "How Many Ethernet Couplers is Too Many?"

[@alexc1042]

Thanks for the Video, im trying to learn some IT related things and had a bit of difficulty understanding why we would even need a patch panel but i saw a diagram of how it all works then your video made much more sense to me (sorry im tech challenged but im trying lmao) thanks again

[@soopermarii0]

I still don't understand why the patch panel is needed and not just going directly into the switch? can you share what you saw that helped you make sense of it?

[@alexc1042]

@@soopermarii0 hey mate, i will look for the video for you when i wake up :)

[@ITrendzI]

@@soopermarii0 Its because its easier to diagnose/cable management. The cables from his house are running into the patch panel. And thus you only need small cables from the patch panel to the switch. The patch panel serves as cable management because they are behind the panel. Let me know if that makes sense.

[@train4905]

Exellent job sir,well done

[@josephelec3728]

Can i know what model of switch did you use?

[@tomtillman]

Why can't you just connect the incoming cables directly to the switch? thanks.

[@PlatoonGarage]

You can. That's how I had it connected in the 'before' photo. It's just cleaner and more serviceable this way

[@187sniper]

Question. My house was a new build and it was wired with CAT5e cables to every room. The cables are not terminated in the box in my closet. Do I need to do this or can I just terminate the cables and plug them straight into the router?

[@PlatoonGarage]

Depends on how many ports your router has, mine only had a few so I needed to add a switch

[@187sniper]

@PlatoonGarage it has 4 and that's all I need since it's a 3 bedroom house and there is one that leads to the living room. I was assuming that I could terminate the ones in the closet and just hook them up to the router but I wanted to know the opinion of someone who knows.

[@PlatoonGarage]

@@187sniper installing a switch like I did is only needed if you have to expand beyond the amount of ports that are available on your router. Or if you have a managed switch that you wanted to program for certain things. I'd just use your router and call it good

[@blakenorthrup]

We have the exact wedding ring. Guess us IT nerds do think alike 😂

[@PlatoonGarage]

Nice! it's an awesome ring, I get a lot of compliments on it too. My wife has put up with me for 19 years now

[@blakenorthrup]

@PlatoonGarage that's awesome, mine has been sweet enough to stick with me for 10 this year. Keep up the good content, now sub'd👍👍

[@level80888]

cool. Now its time to upgrade to 2.5/10gbe.

[@titaniummaster1532]

UPS link?

[@PlatoonGarage]

@@titaniummaster1532 here's a good home use, rack-mount UPS. amzn.to/3Otl4O0

[@PlatoonGarage]

@@titaniummaster1532 if you only need a PDU, you can use this. amzn.to/3dtUYZ7

[@sevagtankabalian91]

I suggest you put the patch panel first thing in the cabinet,have the switch in the middle,that way looks nicer, i am bit OCD you can tell.

[@sabaa6282]

why did you go down this rabbit hole? i know these are cost effective solution but honestly I'm still trying to figure out why, I see a lot of videos of CAT cables everywhere. Can you please make me understand? I'll explain my scenario I have need for just two CAT cables: 1. I have one PoE camera montoring my front yard. This is high end 4K camera and does the job well, like grabbing license plates and getting clear face identities. I just use a PoE injector. 2. My main floor samsung TV is on ethernet CAT directly hooked to my router. That's it, so I don't have any need for cable management or stuff. The following is on WiFI dual band. -I have another wired camera for power, PTZ camera monitoring my backyard but this is on WiFi dual band. -A smart doorbell that uses WiFi. -5 other TVs that use WiFi. -All my light switches are Kasa light or dimmer switches. -I have 5 alexa devices and 7 google home devices, -smart thermostat. -smart robotic vacuum. -3 smart garage openers Also note that I have one WiFi extender and that's it, I do not have any deadspots inside the house. My internet speed is 1.5Gbps, on WiFi I get anywhere from 400 to 600Mbps and is enough to watch 4k videos on my TVs. My house is nearly 4500 sq ft. What am I missing? Why is everyone on CAT for everything?

[@JJFlores197]

Wifi is convenient, but not always the most ideal form of connecting devices. Wifi has improved a lot over the year, but a wired connection is still the preferred connection method especially for devices that need the best and most reliable connection. If your wifi setup works great for, that's great.

[@SiAnon]

Because wifi is the biggest lie in the world. If you can go wired then do that. Fuck wifi.

[@dennishubbard4385]

𝐩𝓻Ỗ𝓂Ø𝓈Ｍ 🙃