Wiring a business for ethernet

[idea]

Please advise. I'm going to attempt to do this myself. My boss has knowledge in electric work (snaking cables) and I have knowledge in computer networking so it shouldn't be a problem.

We are located on one floor, ground level, with a drop ceiling. Pictures could be provided upon request.

We have:
5 PCs
6 high speed copy machines
Verizon DSL (Will be Verizon FIOS whenever it comes around)
Linksys WRT54GS
Thinking about this 1000ft Cat5e wiring kit from geeks.com

We need:
A switch, which I have yet to purchase. Any recommendations?
I gotta get to Home Depot and get some hardware. What should I grab? Wall mounting plates, etc.

The 10/100 nics and the router obviously keep performance from reaching Gigabit but the wiring should be Gigabit ready, and I understand Cat5e can handle that just fine. If one day Cat 6 is needed, it shouldn't be hard to re-snake the cables.

Right now, I have cables all over the floor, and hanging from the ceiling. My boss is going to kill me and I have to get this sorted out. Any help is appreciated.

 

[nweaver]

At my company (test house, lots of changes all the time) we have a 110 20amp power drop and 3 cat5 drops every 4 ft, in rows that are 8 ft apart into our drop celing. The drops are terminated into boxes.

 

[RedCOMET]

Why don't you save your self the time and just put in CAT 6 while you have the chance. Easier to install the cabling once then to have to redo it in the future.

 

[spidey07]

You really need to be paying a wiring professional to do this and certify it to a category 5e or higher rating.

There I got that out of the way.

You'll need
1) 24 port patch panel rated cat5e or higher
2) horizontal cable rated cat5e or higher
3) wall plates and jacks for the outlets rated cat5e or higher
4) wire everything according to 568b (google to find out more)
5) a punch down tool
6) It wouldn't hurt to ground the patch panel to a bus bar/earth ground (something a pro would do)
7) a dell managed switch with 24 10/100/1000 base-t ports will be fine
8) patch cables for the nic to outlet and patch panel to the switch

 

[Yeormom]

Definatley get a patch panel and tools to set that up, ie punchdown. Rather than buying a dell managed switched, just get a 2900XL series Cisco switch off eBay. It's very common to find them on there new/refrub/used extremely cheap with the Cisco IOS. You should be able to get track to match the wall-plates and what not if you're going to run the wires infront of the wall.

 

[RebateMonger]

One thing many forget is to properly label all the cable ends. It'll be invaluable if/when you need to troubleshoot a problem connection.

AVOID building your own patch cables. Buy them. It's fine to run a bulk cable across an office, but be sure terminate it in some sort of patch box or wall plug. DON'T crimp any RJ45 connectors.

If you want to minimize cable runs and wiring, there's also the option of installing "local" switches at key locations and fanning out from them. It'll minimize the number of home runs you need to make back to "main switch". Using multiple switches WILL cut down on transfer speeds if mulitple users are sending data across the line, but for most typical office use, even a single 100mbps connection is OK for a couple of users. Most users browse the 'Net and copy a few Word files across the network, and that's about it.

While Cat5e cable will work with Gigabit Ethernet, the cost of cable is pretty small compared to the labor in doing the wiring. You might consider installing CAT6 cable. But the reality is that even Gigabit is barely here. Who knows how long it'll be before you actually NEED CAT6 cable in a small office?

 

[idea]

My dear friends,

After thinking about this all day, I decided to scrap the idea of doing it the right way, and go about it the lazy way. I'm going to run the cabling (neatly) through the drop ceiling and bring the cables down along the corners of the walls and existing wiring paths. I'm not going to be drilling any holes for jacks or anything. I'll just let the cables lay on the floor behind the machines.

Cat5e is good enough for now and I already have a vendor to buy it from (the link in the first post). I want to cut/terminate the cable myself because I want to learn how to do it. I will label all of them accordingly, too.

The switch will be a cheaper Linksys/DLink/Netgear type 10/100 model. No need for Cisco or "managed" switches here. I really only need a hub to communicate with the router anyway.

Sorry this thread wasn't as exciting as it should have been, maybe next time :\

 

[RebateMonger]

You still might want to use surface-mount RJ45 receptacles at each endpoint. Hand-crimped RJ45 connectors are a pain to do right, and they are VERY easy to damage. Pull a bit too hard, and you get unreliable network connections.

It's SO much easier and safer to push the eight wires into the little punch connectors and then hook a $1.00 CAT5e/6 Ethernet cable between the computer and the receptacle. Single or double surface-mount RJ45 receptacles are only a few dollars.

 

[idea]

Alright, we just decided to go even lazier, and purchase the cable already crimped. I'll probably need a few 25, 50, and 100 foots.

It would really help me out if you guys can post pictures of your home office "server rack" to show me how you can make it neat looking.

 

[Slowlearner]

Please do yourself a favor - let a professional handle this - typical price per drop is ~$100 - I seriously doubt that you can do better if you add the numbers - materials + your labor + boss' labor+ hours spent trouble shooting+cost of specialized tools.

There's a bunch of good pratices and procedures essential to make a network trouble free, and its just not reommended for novices - its not rocket science but it still takes practice and having the right tools.

 

[skyking]

sounds like he might be bucking a budget/time constraint from his boss. My condolences, really.
I'll look for pics of a 24 port installation for you.
Since you are going the pre-made patch cable all the way route( really quite reliable for the amateur installation, WAY better than any crimp-your-own), do route your wires so they don't run right along a row of flourescent lights. that is a known signal trasher.
support the wires at the switch so they don't put an odd strain on the plug itself, pulling the thing to one side or another.


I got a call from one of my bosses general contractor cohorts who admired the flatscreen presentation setups and wiring in our new office. His tech guy never called me back, and they are insulating for sheetrock today
I will bet they forgot something there, and will be kicking themselves later

 

[idea]

Thanks for the advice. I will support the cables at the switch as best I can. I'll keep them away from the flourescants in the drop ceiling.

 

[bluestrobe]

I wouldn't setup a small office network like a home network as this will be troublesome in the future and almost impossible to upgrade. Have a pro do it, trust the people on here. Wires hanging from the ceiling also looks tacky.

 

[idea]

Originally posted by: bluestrobe
I wouldn't setup a small office network like a home network as this will be troublesome in the future and almost impossible to upgrade. Have a pro do it, trust the people on here. Wires hanging from the ceiling also looks tacky.

No no, the wires will be cleaned up. Almost invisible.

As far as having a pro do it.. I completely understand what you're saying, but I'm a DIY guy and my boss is cheap anyway.

 

[EtherealDragon]

If you are going to be going it yourself, you might find the information at this link useful...
http://www.lanshack.com/cat5e-tutorial.aspx

 

[spikespiegal]

The main advantage of a patch panel, (and the only real practical to have one if you ask me) is for grounding purposes. Power surges and errant lighting strikes are far less likely to cause damage to computers with a properly set-up patch panel because the spiderweb of network cables is usually grounded, or *should* be grounded at the panel.

With everything just 'dumb-plugged' into a switch, it's a closed circuit with power spikes having no place to go other that ground out through the computer motherboard.

There's otherwise no advantage to having a patch panel in a small office other than job welfare for telecom electricians. Damn good idea having your switch grounded though, or at least buy one that you can. Avoid daisy chaining those 8-port plastic jobs.

Use white cables for drops if you have white offices. Looks less obnoxious. I prefer shielded cable for ceiling runs because it can structurally take more abuse and florescents won't bother it.

 

[1N0V471V]

I agree with the advice given by others. I don't know your experience but as a CISCO 2 student I can say that color coding your cables help a lot in reducing confusion.

Crossover = Canary Yellow
Rollover = Red
Straight Through = Blue

That way you'll remember what you're using by the first letters of the names/colors.