network drops

PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian
edited October 2006 in Science & Tech
I am going to do my first drop job in about a week. I just realized I have no idea what to do other than attempt to run cable through a cieling, cut raceway, crimp cables, use surface mounted jacks, etc, etc.

Does anyone have any advice for doing network drops in general? I want to do a very clean smooth job. I am just wondering what I may be forgeting or need.

So far I have:

A few hundred feet of cat5e
a little over a hundred feet of raceway, with ends, corners, etc
crimpers
flashlight
ladder
rj45 testing tools
spare batterys
standard tools (screw drivers, pliers, blablabla)

I have about 5 hours to handle 5 rooms. Should be ample time.

Comments

  • rapturerapture
    edited September 2006
    Have you gotcable management covered?
  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited September 2006
    Mark Your F'n Cables On Both Ends!
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    How are you terminating them? To a patch panel?

    Do you have the patch panel? Make sure EVERY COMPONENT end-to-end is Cat 5E - the jacks, the patch panel, everything.

    The cable - is it riser or patch? Stranded or solid? You want solid cable (often called riser cable). Will any of it be running through duct work? If it is, you have to (by code) use plenum cabling due to the toxic nature of (cheaper) non-plenum. Make sure you are at least remotely familiar with TIA568B wiring code. If this is in a business, ultimately you are liable for anything that goes wrong with the cabling, and if the place burns to the ground and the fire inspector sees that you used non-plenum in there, you're going to a mexican prison for 800 years.

    I didn't see a good punchdown tool in that list. You'll need a good punchdown tool with a sharp blade. Are you doing phone as well, or just data? You'll need a cross-connect blade for your punchdown tool if you're doing the phone stuff.

    signed,

    --done hundreds of network drops in his miserable lifetime
  • PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    I dont have any panels, I am literally running cable from a switch in one room, in too the cieling, and then down in to three adjacent rooms. It's just a dsl modem->vpn router->switch->surface mounted jacks

    I do not have a punchdown tool. Do I need that?

    signed,

    the dumb blonde of network drops
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    okay wait, so you're not actually running network drops - you're making very long patch cords.. Is this correct?

    This is the Bad Way To Do It.... I'm just saying. :ninja:
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    This is the Bad Way To Do It.... I'm just saying.
    Hey now! That's my method as well...until I moved to wireless. :)
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    It's a way that "works" - but it's not proper, it's not up to code, and if he's doing this in a business, he's liable for the work. I mean, I could use garden hose as a drain for my kitchen sink, and run it out to my garden. It would get rid of the wastewater, but a plumber or city inspector would shake his or her head and say "wtf"... ;)
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    True that. When I did the cable stringing through the ceiling, direct from the router, it was my own place. I retracted the cables and sealed and painted the the ceiling holes when I moved.
  • jaredjared College Station, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    prime, care to elaborate on the correct procedures for such a job. You got me curious now.... :bigggrin:

    cheers
  • PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    :buck:

    Ya basically just long cables running through the cieling and then through raceways. No plenum. No patch panel.

    It's funny here is my conversation with my "boss".

    me: Ya I have never done drops before, I'd have no idea what to do.

    boss: Well I don't know, how hard can it be? Just order some cable and stuff and run it through.

    me: Ok.


    The point is he doesn't know a damn thing about this stuff, less than me. Yes it's shady, no I'm not proud of this business. The liability especially scares me though because I am an independent contractor for all my work. I think he (my boss) is still ultimately liable though.

    Ugh, I hate this industry.:eek:
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    The correct procedure is to first of all, logically divide the "cable plant" from the network - the cable plant is a neutral, independent physical connection structure that is used to create networks.

    By terminating cat5e cable with rj45 jacks, essentially creating super long patch cords that run through walls, you are not creating a seperate cable plant. This can make diagnosis of future problems troublesome.

    The cable plant consists of riser cable (solid copper wire, designed for longevity and strength during pulls, but not really as flexible as braided cable that is used for patch cords) Riser cable is designed to be punched into receptacles - jacks on the drop side and the patch panel on the closet side. Riser cable is not designed to have jacks crimped onto the ends because the cable is solid copper and the sharp points in the jacks make less contact and are harder to crimp. Braided cable is designed for patch cords, and would not make good riser cable for the same reasons.

    Anyways, you use cat5e jacks on the drop sides, riser cable through the walls, J hooks or a cable rack in the ceiling, and then punch them into a cat5e patch panel in the network closet.

    Then you use patch cords to patch devices into the cable plant. In the closet, devices such as switches and routers are used to create networks, independent of the plant.
  • jaredjared College Station, TX Icrontian
    edited September 2006
    prime you are so wise :respect:

    i hope they teach me all these nifty details in the networking class i am taking this semester.

    :thumbup
  • zero-counterzero-counter Linux Lubber San Antonio Member
    edited October 2006
    Gravite2090 wrote:
    I am going to do my first drop job in about a week. I just realized I have no idea what to do other than attempt to run cable through a cieling, cut raceway, crimp cables, use surface mounted jacks, etc, etc.

    Does anyone have any advice for doing network drops in general? I want to do a very clean smooth job. I am just wondering what I may be forgeting or need.

    So far I have:

    A few hundred feet of cat5e
    a little over a hundred feet of raceway, with ends, corners, etc
    crimpers
    flashlight
    ladder
    rj45 testing tools
    spare batterys
    standard tools (screw drivers, pliers, blablabla)

    I have about 5 hours to handle 5 rooms. Should be ample time.
    Fishtape or a tennis ball with about 100ft. of thin nylon rope to connect to the ball. Use the ball to connect the cable and throw in different directions while up in the attic. It was kind of a self-improvised deal back in my globalscape days.
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