Reddit mentions of Cable Matters UL Listed 10-Pack Cat6 RJ45 Keystone Jack (Cat 6, Cat6 Keystone Jack) in White

Let's look at some numbers then.

You need a cable tester, that's $370 for this, the bare minimum tester you can use.. The right tester is like $7k to buy, probably around $500 to rent for a week, so we're cutting corners.

Then, you need a spool of plenum cat6a. It makes no sense to use cat6, because you can't do 10g over it for any real distance. That's $275, again, the bare minimum you can buy.

Then, you need a tool set. $60, they're cheap, but you'll only use them once. I don't buy cheap tools, your company is less discerning.

Lets spec for 10 wall plates. 13.95 for keystones, $12 for wall plates, 10 mud rings for $85 because you need retrofits for existing construction for a section total of 110.95

Then you need a patch panel to punch all the cables down. That's 47.81 for the bare minimum. Make sure you punch it right the first time, because you'll get maybe 3 punches out of a port before you have to toss it.

You'll also need this $32 fish tape, and this pull string for 14.73

To hang the cable, you'll need these plus some zip ties and some screws to attach everything. Also, you'll need a couple rolls of plenum velcro to wrap cables and get everything tidy-ish. Let's be conservative here and call that $50 all told.

That's 950.49 before you've even paid taxes or shipping, but whatever, we've left off the biggest cost here.

Your Time

Now, let's assume you make 20 bucks an hour (it's probably more). You probably cost the company 30 bucks an hour with everything else they pay for to have you employed (again, it's probably more). You'll spend 15 hours to complete this project provided you work fast and don't make mistakes. That's two full workdays in fairy tale land where you're already good at this. So let's call it 20 hours of learning how to cable and making mistakes and actual cabling, plus say 2 hours to clean up the mess you'll make (there will be mess).

All told, it'll cost the company 1610.49 for this install.

100 bucks more than you were quoted to have a guy with zero experience to install a network that will be critical to business operations for years. Sounds like a deal!

You don't necessarily need a box, but it's definitely worth terminating to a proper keystone jack and wallplate. Wallplates come in 2, 4, and 6 port versions, so you can get all your runs coming out a single-gang plate. Having wires just sticking out of your wall is definitely ugly, and may or may not violate your local code.

Instead of actual boxes, you can use old-work low voltage brackets like this to mount your wallplates. I actually prefer these, since they give you lots of in-wall access if you ever need to fish another cable through. I've been using the new-work version as I've been renovating my house and pulling ethernet to each room while I have the sheetrock down.

Any chance you can use keystone jacks like these

Cable Matters 10-Pack Cat6 RJ45 Punch-Down Keystone Jack in White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ER3oybFZ7GT1Y

Much easier in my experience then buy cheap pre-termed cables. Or, look into hiring a pro.

Okay, you have cat5 (minimum) in your walls.

make sure it isnt cat3, I doubt it but some builders are idiots.

You can put a switch in that panel, and a patch module or patch panel and rewire some phone jacks as network cables if you do.

find your phone port and see if the cable has the necessary twisted pairs. cat5 or cat5e should be somewhere on the cable.

if so. buy some cat5e/cat6 jacks on amazon and a punch tool, and maybe a cheap toner that lets you find the cable in the panel.

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1520418932&sr=8-3&keywords=rj45+keystone

https://www.amazon.com/SUNKEE-Quality-Ethernet-Telephone-Tracking/dp/B017TSNRDC/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1520419001&sr=1-3&keywords=ethernet+toner

If you're more spend happy, get some tools by fluke.

Do yourself a favor though, home depot? get some Klein electrician's snips. Thank me later.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Electrical-Scissors-with-Stripping-Notches-21007/100038995

oh and honestly, get one of these:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-12-3-4-in-Punchdown-Multi-Bit-Screwdriver-VDV001-081/203275492

>The basic question I really have is what do I do to effective get the cables to the server rack

Run them directly to the rack, leave a "working loop" of extra cable on them so that you have room to work on them or repunch them.

>once at the rack is there special type of setup I should do?

run everything to a patch panel. I prefer a keystone based system because it supports way more than just ethernet. A 48 port keystone patch panel fits in a 2U space, then you can fill it with everything you will need to keep flex and damage to a minimum from the cables running in. This includes HDMI keystones, RG6 keystones, USB3 keystones, and finally cat6a keystones.

Once you have everything run to the rack, you just need short patch cables for everything then, instead of trying to have to work each cable and risk breaking the ends. For ethernet, then you can get 12in or 6in patch cables for your ethernet runs to a 24 or 48 port rackmount switch. This is what my rack looked like last week, I have since added 4 more ethernet runs(from one spot). I have a shelf in there for the modem and Samknows whitebox(no, that is not my router). My PFsense router is just below the server you do see. All the runs from my house come to the rack, and it is all neatly bundled up in back of the rack, and has enough slack in the lines that I can take the patch panel out and work on it should I need to move things around or add more runs. Don't staple your runs down hard, and bundle everything together in the back with velcro cable ties so that should you need to undo anything, you can. Don't use zip ties for that, it makes it a giant PITA later.

I would think a conventional keystone jack and with an appropriate wall plate for single, double, quad or however many drops you have.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IO3HEN6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519523457&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=keystone+jacks&dpPl=1&dpID=410GNXWvr3L&ref=plSrch

Depending on how many you need:

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6

Yeah ends are generally ends - cheap or expensive you can still f- it up. If you pay attention to your crimps, you should be fine even with the cheapo ends. Stranded vs solid matters more.

But if its all in-wall wiring, what OP wants is a PATCH PANEL and Keystone JACKS, no RJ-45 ends/crimps at all!

One set of options:

https://www.amazon.com/Dshot-network-Mount-Surface-Patch/dp/B00NUXCHE6

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6

Do you live anywhere near Phoenix?

If not they are not difficult. The ends are just keystone Cat(x) jacks that go into a wall plate.

You might borrow or buy a punch tool to make the connection.

Shoot, in your position I'd be looking seriously into making a custom single din plate out of metal moving the cb's knobs and switches, and lengthening the wires. Laser cut the holes, laser on the labeling, use a few runs of cat5/cat6 to extend the switches from the main box and you should be golden.

OK. I'm really starting to get thinking on this

To make it really slick I would use keystone rj45 jacks to terminate the wires from the circuit board, and to the knobs, display's, and switches at each end. this would mean also making a new face for the main box of the cb so you could mount these properly. Their intended use is in a keystone wallplate, for home or server use. (maybe you already know all this? idk) For mounting them on the faceplate in the dash I would laser cut them a second smaller metal panel that I would mount behind the main plate using metal standoffs, like this, thus keeping all the connections hidden, and not at risk of breaking. if you needed to remove the radio or the cb remote faceplate all you have to do is disconnect the ethernet cables.

If you ever wanted to put the CB back to factory it would be a bit of a project to replace all the parts in the original front cover and solder all the wires back, but it sounds like that's something you're capable of doing.

With this setup you might even be able to mount the radio in your trunk. it would be easy to do, just a few runs of cat5 to wherever you want it. It would depend on if the switches all worked ok over that long of wire runs though.

CMR is referred to as Riser cable, it's specifically designed to go between floors in large buildings, has some fire suppressant properties but not much more (main focus is to stop fires from spreading between floors in riser spaces - there's more to it but I'll be brief).

Riser cable is typically solid, since it's purpose is to be installed to go between floors, then jacked on either end, with common grade stranded cable to run to a switch or some equipment; therefore the riser cable is tied down between the floors, and doesn't move a lot, so it doesn't need the mobility of stranded cabling. Stranded can be bent and flexed much more before breaking the end-to-end connection. Unfortunately because of the solid cable, it's not going to be very resistant to being broken, and it's likely you sheered a full connection off. There are 8 in the cable, so 1 of 8 being non-functional, you might lose gigabit capaiblity, the ability to send, or the ability to receive, depending on which specific wire inside the cable is broken. IMO, from the symptom of having a connection but no internet, would mean your tx wires are severed, or compromised. your PC cannot successfully send a request to the rest of the network, so the network does not know to reply; on the same token, your PC is getting a carrier from the RX lines (from the network to your PC), so it "sees" the connection is there.

The only way to be sure is to test the cable and verify, if you don't have a tester, you can maybe use a multi-meter, but it gets tricky if you don't have a helper (unless you can bring the two ends together).

So you have two options:

1. Re-run the entire cable. It's cleaner, neater, provides the highest quality connection and longevity of the link without issues. I would probably go this route if you have the cable, then use the length for two smaller runs, if possible.
   
   
2. patch it together. you have essentially two options for this: if you're a good cabler, and you have the smallest amount of slack, you can get a junction box, and punch down the two sides. along the same lines, if you're not great at punchdowns, you can crimp the two ends and use a coupler. same idea. Your other option is to get two jacks (keystone or otherwise), punch down both sides, which will shorten each cable slightly, then use a very small patch cable to bridge the two connections; this is the only option if there's no slack and you're intent on repairing rather than replacing.
   
   Links for the weary:
   
   Junction: https://www.amazon.com/SF-Cable-CAT5E-Junction-listed/dp/B0059DRC3G
   
   Coupler: https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Coupler-Ethernet-Extender-Adapter/dp/B016B13U9Y
   
   Jacks: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6
   
   Ends: https://www.amazon.com/Cybertech-Cat5e-RJ-45-Ethernet-Connectors/dp/B00LG6DQUI
   
   those are just to get you started, there's lots of manufacturers that follow the specifications (TIA/EIA 568/569), so by no means do you have to buy what I've linked; I just want you to have an idea of what you're looking for. I don't necessarily endorse one brand or manufacturer over another for this, I actually don't know any of the brands I linked, so buyer beware, as usual.
   
   Side note: Riser should not be used for Plenum space (anything relating to HVAC); doing so can create toxic smoke that's vented throughout the building in the event of a fire. It also violates fire code, so please be careful where you use Riser cable. in wall, along baseboards, etc, is fine. Anything to do with HAVC, dropped ceilings, through vents... needs to be plenum grade.

Is the original coax is going through a hole in the drywall or an actual wall plate?

You could get a

punch down tool
(1) keystone jack wall plate
(1) cat5e/cat6 RJ45 punch down keystone jack
(1) cat5e/cat6 RJ45 punch down surface mount box

The setup would be to make a run of your Ethernet cable (solid core) between the ONT and router. Terminate the Cat 6 in the basement with the surface mount box and attach a patch cable between it and the ONT. For the router side you would do the same except using a wall plate instead. If no wall plate then you could get two of the surface mount boxes.

You can get single pieces of what I linked at most home stores or places like Micro Center, etc.

For the "hole in the floor" I'd get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Surface-Mount-Double-107093/dp/B0069MF8ZA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426802562&sr=8-2&keywords=Surface+mount+jack

And some of these:
http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1426802672&sr=1-2&keywords=Keystone+jack

That's a 10 pack obviously.

Or just a couple of these for both ends:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DRQTZVO?psc=1

I like keeping both ends of a long run mounted and stable. That way they are less likely to fail. The more a cable can move the more it is likely to fail. So use some sort of staple on the long run.

So I've used things like this:
http://www.amazon.com/RG6-Cable-Clip-Black-pieces/dp/B000I98Z1Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426803019&sr=8-2&keywords=Cable++staple

None of this is all that expensive and makes the install much cleaner. My motto is do it right the first time so I don't have to fix it later. I've wired 4 of my places and never really had any issues.

it seems like you have two sets of cat5. one yellow and one blue. and each room has both? what are the labels on the yellow cat5?

anyways, this is what i would do. lets assume the blue cat5 goes to each room. disconnect all the cat5 wiring from the mdx-88300 panel and install rj-45 connectors to them, ignoring the wire on the backside, that comes from (outside?). there's a power outlet so get a gigabit switch and plug all the cat5 into the switch. that handles the network panel side.

now for each room with a wall jack, are all 8 individual wires for the blue cat5 connected to the wall rj45 module? if so, then you don't need to do anything. if not, then does the module allow 8 connections? if so, then connect them accordingly the same way you connected the rj-45 plugs on the network panel side. if you need to get new modules, find the make of your wall plate and buy rj-45 ethernet modules. something like this

once all the above is done. simply connect a ethernet cable from router to any wall module. that router will connect to the switch, and the switch will deliver ethernet to all the other rooms.

Previous AT&T Tech here, please make sure the technician checks ALL connections. The fiber obviously the most important... then the Ethernet connection coming from the ONT to the RG (modem). If you can, make sure there are no butt connector splices as this means the install was done incorrectly (looks like this) Your Ethernet line should only have RJ-45 connections or punched down to a Keystone Jack. Anything else is done incorrectly and needs to be fixed to retain twists in the cable. Also, if they used existing cabling please make sure it is ATLEAST Cat5e or Cat6. If the existing wiring is on the outside of the building and looks aged/weathered, it needs to be replaced.

I have both my servers. An r810 and a r320 vertically mounted on their own vertical wall mount racks. Just make sure you hit the studs and you'll have no problems. If it's in the budget and you have space in your patch panel, think about installing at least five Ethernet drops just below or just beside the server. Makes for nice cable management. Shouldn't cost too much. I get most of my gear off Amazon in that regard.
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Mount-Patch-Panel-Bracket/dp/B001YHYVEY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=wall+mount+vertical+server+rack&qid=1570787721&sprefix=wall+mounted+vertical+ser&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Listed-10-Pack-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?keywords=keystone+jack&qid=1570787805&sprefix=keyst&sr=8-13

https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Betts-SC100RR-Carlon-Voltage/dp/B000W09PQI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=low+voltage+box&qid=1570787902&sprefix=low+voltage&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Keystone-Plate-6-Port-White/dp/B072BC45GZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?keywords=keystone+wall+plate&qid=1570787950&sprefix=keystone&sr=8-12

https://www.amazon.com/Choseal-Ethernet-ethernet-Computer-Shielded/dp/B07QC4XM2P/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=cat7+ethernet+cable+500ft+shielded&qid=1570788039&sprefix=cat7+ethernet+cable+500ft&sr=8-5#

I found and bought my cat7 cable from another location. Came on a spool. And was riser cable, meaning it had a braided shield around the foil shield like you see in coax cable. Good luck

These are the jacks I have used.

[UL Listed] Cable Matters 10-Pack Cat6 RJ45 Keystone Jack (Cat 6 / Cat6 Keystone Jack) in White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cJZCCbTTEJJ81

I mean, it's not too hard to terminate/punch down. I'd say if you had more than 20 ethernet wires that needed to be terminated then a pro might be better, but since it's only 7 not sure if it would be worth it.

If you wanna learn to do it yourself, you'd probably want to do keystone jacks, because they're easiest for terminating imo.

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1518135870&sr=8-3&keywords=cat5e+keystone+jack

You'll then need a punch down tool.

https://www.amazon.com/ECore-Cables-Impact-Punchdown-Blades/dp/B01M32B6PP/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1518136217&sr=1-1&keywords=punchdown+tool

You can substitute with a pocket knife if you're cheap but it's probably easier to just get a punchdown tool.

Then of course you'll need to learn how to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gxNZoPcnP4&t=234s

Recommend this video.


If it's not really your cup of tea I'd say you could probably have an electrician come out and do it for you for like $100 or something.

Yes. To go with it, you will want

• A wall plate: https://www.amazon.com/Listed-Cable-Matters-2-Port-Keystone/dp/B0072JVU8S/ref=sr_1_14
  
  
• Coax jack: https://www.amazon.com/VCE-Gold-Plated-Keystone-keystone-Connectors/dp/B06XKPKZ3J/ref=sr_1_6
  
  
• Ethernet jack: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=sr_1_4
  

So they pulled the cat5 to the various rooms, but didn't do any punchdowns? The little cover plate can be popped out and you can easily get the ports from anywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/

You should just need those. if you don't have the Keystone plates, those can also be easily obtained .. make sure to get the ones that have 2 holes, one for the coax port and one for the rj45

You can try a cheap Cable tester. When I was wiring my house I was doing them directly in the wall and used these. Turns out one of the wires wasn't fully making connection when it looks like it was in there pretty tight. The tester tells you that pretty quickly.