Learn Network Cable Management for Home Racks
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- In this video I build a network rack from scratch, explaining along the way the each step and the reason I am doing it the way that I am. This is intended for a home network, not a commercial space, so I have simplified some of the steps. I made this video for first time builders, so I try not to assume that you have built a lot of these and that you are looking for some general guidance. The primary lesson you'll want to take away here is to carefully arrange your main bundle prior to getting under way - if you start out haphazardly, you'll have a harder and harder time keeping the rack under control as you go along.
Below are the items I used in this video - these are Amazon links that help me out, but of course you don't have to use them.
StarTech 8U Open Frame Rack - amzn.to/3ppYz37
TrendNet 24 Port Blank Keystone Panel - amzn.to/3porjcL
Ball Grip Cordless Screw Driver - amzn.to/3nF48KP
2U Neat patch - amzn.to/447oCwa
All in One Crimp Tool - amzn.to/3KZn8ez
Crimp Tool Cat6 Jacks - amzn.to/3LlllBQ - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
That uneven screw positioning at the cable manager hurts my inner perfectionist. 😅
And the 1U tray was fixed upside down...
Not only is this a fantastic video due to the straight forward and simple visuals partnered with a well worded Voice over, but it also has one of the best thumbnails ive seen so far!
As a retired network engineer, I think is worth mentioning that you should never use plastic cable ties on data cables. Far too many people use them and it hurts in the long run. The reason is that they distort the carefully engineered separation between the individual wires within the cables, thus causing signal distortion or cross talk. Always use velcro like this guy used. You'll be much happier in the long run. Not to mention how much easier it is when (not if) you have to add or replace a cable.
Former DC technician for a multi billion dollar Oil and Gas company and now system admin who still does a lot of cabling, 1000% zip ties can go die in a fire. Personally I wouldn't worry about zip-ties causing distortions or cross talk (except for maybe fiber when it comes to distortions) but because its not very practical in a production enviroment and you're more likely to damage or cut a cable when its zip-tied, not to mention taking way longer to make any small runs.
Fact of the matter is the average person is and will be running new cables or replacing them over the years and you are just as likely to accidently snip a line or damage it because there is so little give or working space in a rack or conduit.
Things I learned from plastic cable ties
1) They cut you good if the cable ties are not properly cut.
2) Using those bastards are prone to damage the cables. (I saw from my workmates)
3) They damage the cables from being tightened much.
4) NOT REUSABLE.
ALWAYS USE VELCRO.
How tight are you people sinching down zips? 😂 It only needs to hold the bundle in place.
This video is like seeing an artist create a piece of art.
I will never build a rack system like that, but I saw the entire video and enjoyed every second of it.
Thank you for the kind words!
Here's a tip for when you install gear that's heavier than what you installed. Some gear is heavy enough that it takes two (or more) hands to install. The way to deal with that is to put in a couple of screws, partly screwed in, just below where the bottom edge of the equipment will be. Then you can rest the equipment on the screws, when you start driving in the mounting screws. You just have to hold up one end, while putting it's screw in and then the other end. I have seen two guys trying to mount something, getting in each other's way, when my trick would have made it a lot easier for just one of them to do the job.
BTW, years ago, when I was a computer tech, working on the old mini computers, it would sometimes take 3 guys to mount something like a tape drive, 2 to hold it and 1 to drive in the screws. Or on some CPU or disk drive chassis, two guys to hold the equipment, while the 3rd positions the sliding rails, so the equipment can sit on it. One disk drive I used to swap out required a fork lift to raise and lower it.
This is an outstanding tip! Thank you!
Nicely done and the video wasn’t any longer than it needed to be, was too the point without being dry. Thank you!
Outstanding work demonstrated in this video. Earned a like and a sub. I am in the process of something similar and a lot of the devices you used I have never seen. Thanks so much. I started my tech journey with an IBM PC with 8088 and 64K of RAM and 2 Floppy Drives back in the mid 80's. Been running Linux for 10-15 years and doing DIY networks. Kids at church tell me I know way too much technology for my age! :) I was 76 in November 2023. Best Regards, Jim
your cables are aligned almost as perfectly as your hair. true professional at work and in private.
I'm starting to work with networking and your channel will help me A TON, thanks for the video, high quality stuff that's for sure
Really helpful video for a "newbie" trying to understand how to build a home system for a new construction house...thanks for putting this together!
Nicely done. I also liked the Star Trek LCARS desk mat.
Oh man, I'm so happy you had a link for that screwdriver! That thing is awesome.
Thank you for this great video! So many little tips that would have made my home install more clean.
Great video, loved it. TCI, you should add the Cable Comb to your list of item's used. Made by Jonard Tools. They make two models, the CCB-25 that accommodates cables up to 1/4" (6.35mm) in diameter, this is the version he was using in the video. Or the CCB-34 that will handle cables up to .36" (9.14mm) in diameter. If you're pulling 6a, even unshielded like I'm am, you'll need the CCB-34. Love watching a professional do their thing.
Thanks for all the insight! Currently planning out a network and this game me a few ideas.
Such a great video. Thank you!! I’m planning on following this video on my first rack set up.
It's very neat and clean. My server room was a quite mess. One of my top priorities now is to rewire and terminate the cat5/cat6 cables properly. I am waiting for some of the tools to do that. Your video does help a lot.
Great video, enjoyed it! Nice desk pad too!
Your LCARS mat made my week! And thank you for the video! Soothing the OCD beast nicely :]
Love this, keep this kind of content coming!
You did a great job my dear
I had mine at home, with 48 ports, installed with a wall mounted patch panel so that all the wires would remain hidden inside the wall. The only wires that you could see if you looked behind the switch, are the short 1 foot runs from the patch panel to the switch. It looks amazing! No need for a wire snake to pop out of a wall or ceiling.
I wanted to show the concept in the video of having some spare slack, but tucking it out of the way usually looks a whole lot better for sure.
amazing video. very fun to see your craft here.
what a neat work done
Every 24 port switch should have ports across the whole front
Depends on what kinda PP you have.
Switch vendors listen to us. Stop making 24 port switches with two rows of ports. Put a single row of 24 ports accross the front.
@ronaldnaeyaert3653 NIC/Switch HW Designer here. It's not always easy to lay out the lanes for a PHY to Port connection to always be consistent. Signal Integrity issues can be rampant in switches. Often, signal integrity constraints require us to keep loss at a minimum to accommodate for the electrical loss incurred on the trace. This results in a compromise in what is eventually decided for a port layout.
I could see how a single row of 24 ports would cause a whole slieu of possible signal integrity issues depending on the board design.
@@davydawg01 ok at least put the two rows of ports in the center of switch, not left side or right side
@@ronaldnaeyaert3653I hear you. But do understand that the alternative is performance issues in the switch (crosstalk, bit errors, link drops, etc)
Always easier said than done 🙂
Fantastic tutorial. Thank you.
very aligned and neat to see ..
thanks for this helpful video Sir .
Neat work! And well explained!
Thank you so much for this. I'm at this point of organizing a home rack with quite a few dell poweredge servers plus a litany of other things in it. It's been a mess of cable for far too long. Just looking at the mess of cable seemed too overwhelming to approach cable managing, but I finally decided to just do it this weekend. Your video helped quell most of my anxiety about diving into that mess of cables.
I'm glad I was helpful!
Great video format about going on the rack layout, and agree about doint the cable drop properly will matter the most. Since the rest is easy to change. Mainly going with the power strip closest to the ups is going, in mine homelab i just put some ups on the top, the strip is on the top of the rack. But since im both lazy and i keep adding stuff, the clutter tends to arise. But I love doing cleanups when its bad enough.😂
Now that is clean! 👍
nicely done - i dont like unloaded patch panels but for a home I think its just fine
Very clean man!
Interesting. I'm a network engineer of many years (18). I think I'll nab a few of your tips for the smaller wall mount racks and try them out..
Simple and effective. Cheers
thank you so much, I am so so appreciative what you have shown.
Am subscribed i have the notifications set to all ,you doing a great and a wonderful job, continue making this great videos. You can bet i will always watch.
That's really nice to hear, thank you!
Thats mmm eeergh very neat and well presented, I learned a lot
we need more of thease videos!
Great video! Thank you!
Very good video - thx
Very nice!
Excelente labor
Very good video!
Skip the 2U cable manager IMO if you have the capacity for a 2nd patch panel put one above and below the switch that are 12 Por 24P and split the ports top to bottom with 3in. Keeps things nice a clean and easy to trace, granted for a tiny rack like this its not always the case. In larger racks though I prefer slightly longer runs and then split the switch left to right with cables on each side, that way you have flexibility to shuffle things in the rack without having buy new cable.
Personal tastes aside though its not a bad little wall rack, for every hundred or thousand cabling jobs I see maybe one or two of them are actually this clean and super happy to see you use Velcro and not zipties.
thats a very clean install..
when i designed and built my home network for our new house and one day the wall mount rack i ordered arrive, my wife immediately told me that she didn't want to see that hideous thing hanging on her walls
i opted for an in-between studs with flush cover enclosure. very limited for what i needed but i made it work.
Those are so tough to do well. If I ever manage to make one not look like garbage I will post about it for sure.
Nice video, thank you for sharing it :)
Neat and tidy, can't complain.
Dude screwed the cable management bar screws 1,4 on the left and 2,4 on the right. This ruined the entire build for me.
@@yellowrose0910 LOL, I had to go back and watch a couple of minutes to see what triggered your OCD. Cage screws not the same on both sides, you, triggered me too.
Beautiful.
For all my personal/friends & family work, like to use the thin cat6/6a patch cables now as they are so much easier to work with and take up less space. I use them for all my patch cable/non-structural wiring now (where I'm not using DAC's or fiber). Though at my home it is in a media panel and I took out the patch panel as I found it added no value, and took up a lot of very limited space, vs just terminating the cables and plugging them directly into the switch (the boot is color coded and labeled so I can know where it goes a glance).
The thin cables are the way to go. The cable management box is useless for a home install, especially when you consider how cheap, thin, and easy to work with those thin patch cables are.
The problem with directly terminating the wires instead of using a patch panel, is that the structural wiring is not suitable for repeated bending and unbending as it will damage and eventually snap off the solid cores inside the wires. Patch cables use stranded wires that can withstand a lot more bends than solid core wires.
Professional .. Thanks a lot
What brand keystones and crimper ? Been doing structured cabling for 20+ years and I have never seen a jack crimper ! I WANT ONE !!!!
If you precut your velcro and wrap them at the start of the trunk of the cable, all you do is just slide the velcro down so your not having to hold the cable or mess with cutting in the middle of combing.
You can kind of see me pre-cutting like 15 of them but I suck at estimating how many I need, gotta work on it.
This is awesome! Can you do a video on home security cameras without internet? I'm talking about an in home system that is managed using software on a home computer and not some paid service.
Nice video subscribed
Yeah, a clean setup. I personally would not use a Neat patch system because it needs a lot of rack space and I usually work with full cabinets where patch cables are guided to the side.
Doing a good cable drop is what not only makes the look of a good cabinet but also ensures that you have room for service years later.
I would also not go for the patch panel, switch, patch panel, switch, etc. configuration because switches are often very long and the cable drop and the back of the switch are in each others way. So I keep the patch panel at the top (starting with fiber and after that all Cat. 7 panel. Switches and other active devices below that. Usually I start with one patch panel, then one cable routing panel, then two patch panel, one cable routing panel, two patch panel, etc. Assuming everything is 1U high.
And as important as the cable droop at the back, is the use of patch cable with the appropriate length. Nothing lets a rack look more messy than too long and too short cables.
Gorgeous 😍
Could you please show us how you attach cables to the connectors for the patch panel?
that will look great in my tiny house
Hi great video can you tell us where to get the cable cone thanks 👍
That majestic hair flying around, you are the "PC Master Race" logo! Thanks for the video, I learned a lot, I'm just sad that I can't get those "NeatPatch" boxes here in Belgium... :(
I gotta enjoy the hair before its all gone :) I searched for something that would ship to Belgium, NeatPatch might be out, but Anixter does ship there, and this item is close - no deep back, but the rest is good: www.anixter.com/en_us/products/30339-719/CHATSWORTH-PRODUCTS-%28CPI%29/Rack-and-Cabinet-Cable-Managers/p/267511
I would love to do this…
Woah! The shelf is upside down... And I think I like it like that......
Uses a whole extra U though.
@@jamesalexwbut you can use the space it takes to pass power cables thru
Looks great. Wish I had (the need) for something like that at my own home. I didn't hear you explain why you installed the shelf upside down. Surely, there's a reason. 😉
If it was the right way up, the lip would get in the way and without headspace he wouldn't be able to remove the router without removing the shelf.
@@HarmonicaMustangIn this configuration it takes up 2u space. One could have embrace the limitation and install it one u lover but right side up. Still good access and no wasted space between it and power distribution unit.
Very nice! Whats the best way to account for/organize those connections coming into the patch that need POE from the switch.
My opinion - make all your switches PoE on every port, and patch it all in. You will be glad you did later, every single small biz that installed a 16 port PoE and then a 24 port gig switch without PoE ended up replacing both of them with a 48 port PoE switch, a costly upgrade. If you can, just do it all PoE from the start, in 24 port switches, which I think are the best bang for the buck at around $350-$450 per, two of them is cheaper than a single 48 port. As the days roll on, all kinds of stuff will be PoE-powered and you'll never have enough ports.
7:44 I want first start to crie because you bend the patch cables so much. But now from the site I saw that they weren't so much bended.😅
muito bom
I was thrilled to see a consumer-grade network with NO Ubiquiti hardware...
Once you become aware of its packet sniffing and LAN side snooping - you should never touch that stuff - and never select the ULA for the client if you're installing it in somebody's home
If you're going to install it in somebody's home make them sign the ULA
how you concluded that?
@@yihadsamir1368 / How do I conclude what..?
Hi, May I have the list of all equipments that you installed in your video with models please . which I need for my office network. and also the link of website that I want to order it. Thanks for your nice installation that was very helpful.
Check description!
Such an amazing job.
Noob question here:
why use another router connected to the modem? just to add more functionality that the modem lacks?
thanks!
My ISP locally usually sends a plain modem, it wouldn't have had any router functions built in. I know other ISPs give out different devices, so you may not need a router of your own in many cases.
What is your thought on a patch panel with a few short cables to hook up to the equipment inside the rack? I have a synology rs unit with 4 ports in the back, ubiquiti cloud key and an apc pdu. all of them have network ports in the back.Looks a bit messy with 6 cables going to the switch ports from the back of the rack.
Hmm. You might go with a unloaded patch panel like I did in this vid, and then for the ports that need what you are describing you can use these keystone couplers, that way the cables don't need to come all the way to the front.
amzn.to/3DtGUvh
Alternatively, if you don't want a patch panel for a small house deployment, you can just use patch cords and send them through a brush panel:
amzn.to/3rN7jSj
I'll try and incorporate this in a future video.
Great video! Btw is there any point in terminating into rj45 connectors and having double keystones in your patch panel? Or is that just unnecessary extra stuff?
I don't know many people that do that, but it is one way to go if the wires that are present are already crimped or pre-mades. Otherwise I use a keystone set up like shown here, or a punchdown panel.
I'm about to run conduits through the basement in my house for a Cat6 install. I know that rack installs typically have the cables just coming out of the wall on the rack side, but I've been thinking about terminating them in a wall panel and then patching to my rack. I think it'll be good for the eventual resale of the home, since the next owners will most likely just use a standard consumer switch. Do you have any thoughts on this?
I agree it will help the resale, at least if the new owners are slightly interested in home networks, which are good odds. I can't speak to the wall panel but if its a patch panel and just a shelf (no rack) then I think that is perfectly fine. A whole lot of homes I visit do it that way.
Apologies if I missed it, what length cable are you using between the patch panel and switch? Specific brand / set recommend? Thank you for the videos!
I try to use the 2 foot lengths when I am working with a cable manager, it keeps the slack nice and loose. Any brand is fine, but I like the slim cords if I can find them.
Great job. My only real dislike is the shelf you chose. You are using 2u of rack space for a 1u shelf. Either mount the rack upside down with the lip up or get a 1u shelf without the lip
A firewall with Wi-Fi would have been nice, like a SonicWall.
Do you have a method running patch cables so you can see which sw ports they connect to? I see the way you did it where I work and with multi switch racks it’s a jungle
I have a video planned on this, however I would broadly say that I patch them in the nicest way I can without any care as to which switch port they end up on. I try to always use a managed switch, and with that, I can usually tell which PC is connected where without needing to match the switch port to the panel port numerically. So many switches number their ports in a weird way that makes it look awful when patched.
Nice clean work 👍👍 what is the Name of the tool you use to sort the cables??
Do a search for WIRE CABLE COMB or NETWORK CABLE COMB
I like the mat. May I know where did you get from?
I searched Amazon for "Oversized Mousepad" and "LCARS" and many variations came up, so I grabbed a few for our desks. Its not bad, they could be better on close inspection :)
I have seen what I believe is a milwaukee box to organize your keystone Jack's. What organizer is it? I would love to get myself one but can't seem to figure out what one
Huh, good eye...it's this one: www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/48-22-8435
@@tciproductions thank you!
Did the unsymmetrical screw placement @ 4:15 trigger any else's OCD?
какие точки доступа планируется использовать?
What cable comb is that? I like how it has a locking ring so the cables don’t just slip right back out
I am using a Jonard branded cable comb, but I have seen this under several names with different colors and no apparent shape differences, so if you see a cheaper one go for that: amzn.to/44ZuaJi
where can i find that electric screw driver???
Hello, good video! @ 03:04 when you put your cables in the patch panel, do you know where each cable goes in your house or you'll figure it out later? Thanks for the video, I plan to do this in my house soon, as fiber internet should arrive soon I hope.
Normally the faceplates around the house that these cables go to would have a label stickered to them and the number on the label should match the port number on the panel, so usually 1 through 24.
@@tciproductions Ok thanks for the answer, sorry but still something I don't get. In the video you color code ports 23 and 24 red because you will use them for wifi (wifi access points I imagine). How do you know these 2 cables go where you want your wifi ? Do you also number the cables 1 - 24 matching the faceplates they are connected to? Sorry if it's a dumb question and thank you.
@@xurok Sure thing. When you take a wire from the box and run it to the spot you want something, you would want to write on it with a sharpie or labeller and put what number it is. So your first cable is 1, and so on until 24. Then, when connecting things to the panel, the panel is pre-numbered 1-24, so you take the cable you labelled 1 and terminate it on port 1, and so on. So if I had put my wifi into position and it was cable numbered 23 and 24, I put those on the last two spots of my panel. I try to put my wifi all together numerically if I can.
@@tciproductions thank you very much, all makes sense now ! ❤
Do you have a link to the screws you use? I ordered some and they were the wrong size.
Ignore me I didn't see the bag of 24 screws that it comes with. (rack)
Was anyone else having a complete meltdown because the top right screw of the cable manager was NOT threaded in the top hole?
Enjoyed this and TIL about cable combs. Didn't the shelf go in upside down, though? Did I miss _why_?
I did it on purpose because I hate the little lip that's on the end of the shelf, and I didn't mind giving up a 1U slot there. In other vids I talk about it, when I did this one I totally spaced.
@@tciproductions ah, I did think it could be the lip. Nice idea to stop things falling out, but in reality gets in the way of neatly connecting cables, and if the lip is too big getting your gear in and out, I guess?
How are you able to determine which two wires are for your wifi which you put through the red ports on the far right?
I usually write on them with a sharpie before I pull them over to where my wifi will be, that way I can read the note afterwards and already be sure I have the right ones.
What should ne the distance between rack and wall. How much cabel should I leave outside the rack. Thanks
You'll have to determine for yourself sometimes - I like my the distance to put the rack at about eye level for me, but you could set up real high against the ceiling so that you can use the space below it for other purposes. Whatever feels comfortable to you. The cable slack I usually put up in the ceiling, I only have it visible in the rack here because I wanted to include it in the shot. If your ceiling isn't readily accessible then 1-2 loops near your rack, for a total of 3 to 5 feet of length is fine for most purposes.
I got this video in my recommended, I always love to see cable management.
However, I have little experience networking besides setting up an managed switch and updating my router firmware.
So I wonder, what situation requires 34 Ethernet ports?
My router has around 9 ports, enough for me.
What internet speed do you have that can support 34 ports?
Are you planning on having a LAN party every Saturday?
There's other commenters that discussed it, but 2 wires to each outlet in a house is standard, so in a 3 bedroom with the entertainment center factored in, that's 8 wires, then perhaps a couple APs, that's 10, then you might have some cameras set up, that's whatever. Factor in a couple of exterior spots for who knows what, maybe something in the garage if you have one, and you'll get close to filling up a 24 port panel pretty quickly. It depends entirely on your level of interest and use of course. Could always just set up two APs and call it done, but where's the fun in that?
what is an 'unloaded' patch panel? Is 'loaded' the opposite? and if so, what makes it 'loaded'? Does it fire at you?
hy.
how do you choose the right rack ,why you dont use the holles on the rack ;do you have any videos about airflow on the rack and how to install the right way the network components , what is the best way to make corect a network spaghettti,can you recomand some books for cabel management.thanks
Hi there, check a few other vids in the channel, I think you'll come across the answers. For books the best one is: amzn.to/49QRVWc
hey great video and i was hoping if anyone can tell me if the TrendNet 24 Port Blank Keystone Panel can be used in navepoint racks ? there is a 1 inch deference in the dimension between the panel and the rack and i dont know if thats a problem
It should fit fine, but if you have a link I can check.
What are those velcro strips? Can you provide where to get those from?
Standard velcro roll, like this one: www.amazon.com/Rip-Tie-Wrap-Strap-Inch-Feet/dp/B07RM5DKBP
FYI APC By Schneider recommend that you DO NOT use power-strips with surge protection with UPS devices.
I am curious, why does one need this many cables for home usage? Do people usually have a lan cable to each room?
I looks very cool, so I woud like to know the purpose.
In some of the high end houses I have worked on, we've run 2 LAN cables to a faceplate in each room, and then a few into ceilings for Wifi, and a few exterior for cameras. It gets up to 15+ wires pretty quickly. Usually the homeowner is a techie kind of person for it to turn out that way.
Are the initial 24 ethernet cables just connected to any of the 24 ports on the patch panel or are they numbered so that you know which device they will ultimately connect to ?
If nothing else I take a sharpie and label the cables, yes. You'd label both ends to match the patch panel port they are going to, and then use a proper label printer to attach a label to the faceplate once you were done.
@@tciproductions Ok thanks for the reply
Please correct me if i'm wrong. But afaik you installed the shelf for your Router upside down. The way you did it you lose one U to the mounting which you wouldn't the other way around.
I do that deliberately due to the irritating lip that the shelf has, it doesn't let items sit nicely if they are slightly deeper than the shelf. I didn't think to discuss it in the presentation, I made sure to in the follow up.
What is the purpose do the 5 port switch? New to networking, so it seems redundant.
Hi Alex, it does look like a switch but that is a small home router from Mikrotik. The left most port is the Internet and the rest of them are LAN ports.