Patch Panel Question

Grumpy_Kermit

Grumpy_Kermit

Grumpy_Kermit

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10 Nov 2014
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Having been planning a home wired network for a number of years (!!!) I am now in the stages of purchasing the equipment.

Current plan is to use CAT6 to connect 24 sockets to a patch panel. I plan to use the punch down type (not Keystone)

Question - What should I be looking for in a patch panel?

There seems to be a huge difference in price - eg for a standard 24 port patch panel - 19" 1u rack-mount (inc VAT);
Cable Monkey = £60
Comms Express = £33.60
Ebay = anything from £10 +

Why is there a big price difference?
Is it the type of punch down connectors?
Is it the number of jacks per block connector on the back of the panel?

Obviously I want to get this done as cheap as possible but want it to be an easy job with decent quality kit.

I thought about getting the job lot (patch, cable, sockets etc) from one supplier eg Cable Monkey, Black Box - its just that the cheaper versions made me wonder whether I should shop around?

Any hints, tips, recommendations would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks
 
There are Krone LSA-PLUS (now TE Connectivity, formerly ADC) type blocks which are the most common in Europe, and 110-style, which is what you will find imported en-masse by the Chinese tat merchants. LSA-PLUS is by far the superior standard, and is what you will find on the rear of your faceplate modules, so it makes sense to have the same termination on your patch panels so you can use the same tool.

There are two styles of patch panel, the right-angled type which I prefer, and have integrated management for cable retention, and the other type, which tend to be cheaper. Outside of that the difference in price is mainly down to the quality of the actual Cat6/5e sockets, and the punch blocks themselves. If you aren't going to be re-patching on a regular basis then you will get away with a cheaper panel.

It's been a while since I've used anything other than Excel/Panduit panels, so I don't know how bad the cheap stuff is. I would say £10 is too cheap though.
 
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