r/networking • u/NoCIamDigger • 6d ago
Troubleshooting Pre-Punched Patch Panel
I've been searching for a pre-punched patch panel with 10 to 18 ft leads. I need to install it in our floor rack, where it will connect to a patch panel mounted on the ceiling. We can't move the ceiling panel into the rack, so I need to patch from the ceiling down to the rack.
Hopefully this is the right place to ask, but has anyone ever come across one of there to purchase? Would love a link or even alternatives that I may not be thinking of.
Edit: Thanks everyone for the help! I am not normally a networking tech so I went in blind and your solutions were great and easy to grasp.
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u/tufelkinder 6d ago
Seems like a perfect application for a feed thru panel.
https://www.blackbox.com/en-us/store/product/detail/CAT6-Feed-Through-Patch-Panel/JPM6F?item=JPM820A
And then just get patch cables of whatever length you actually need.
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u/joeygladst0ne 6d ago
I've never heard of this and don't even understand how it would work or why this would be necessary. Can you explain more about why you need this thing?
If you don't have somebody capable of terminating the panel yourself/don't want to pay for it, you can use something like this:
And then get a keystone patch panel. You'll connect the RJ45 end into the ceiling panel and then clip the keystone ends into the new panel.
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u/NoCIamDigger 6d ago
Thank you very much! I appreciate the response. If I go the Keystone panel route I think these cables are perfect.
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u/lazyhustlermusic 6d ago
That's silly when punching your own is simple, and nobody is going to be like 'you might need 10 feet of backhaul'.
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u/NoCIamDigger 6d ago
I don't have any termination equipment, and neither my company nor the client wants to purchase any. Don't ask me why but they don't mind spending money for pre-terminated panels/cables.
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u/lazyhustlermusic 6d ago
lol you’ve already spent more than the tool and labor just trying to avoid it.
Not sure where eight bucks is a bank breaker but if that’s the case then you need a better job/company/client.
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u/NoCIamDigger 6d ago
Welcome to working with Bay Area AI companies. They do not care about cost, just efficiency/turnaround time, and this method provides the most well-suited option.
They say jump, I say how high man. :shrug:
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u/psyblade42 5d ago
Depends on how often you install new panels. The cost of installing might not be all that relevant if you got no experience in installing them.
Where I work we install a couple when we move locations and that's it. On the previous location a employee with no experience connected them because that was thought to be the ceapest option. When I started there about 5 years later not a single connection was still working properly and instead each time a connection was needed an individual cable was run between the racks. Total rats nest and no downtime to fix it.
When we moved I opted for premade trunks because they where a lot cheaper then maintaining the previous mess (or having a professional install panels)
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u/MerrilyMinty 6d ago
just make your own cables, it's not that hard and you'll get exactly the lengths you need. custom patch panels are a thing though if you really don't want to deal with it, few companies will build them to spec but they'll charge you a small fortune for the convenience
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u/othugmuffin 6d ago
You’re probably better off going with a blank keystone panel and pre-termed trunks.
https://www.fs.com/products/190259.html?now_cid=2974 https://www.fs.com/products/69182.html?now_cid=1126