You aren't paid enough. I'm an FAA certified A&P aircraft mechanic, Commercial Pilot, and Instructor of fifty years. Some of the dogs I've worked on and flown resemble that fiasco you faced, with a propeller attached to it. They say, "Even a barn door will fly if you have enough power!" After decades of DIYers thrashing that building, so many times folks just trying to get by try to perform feats that only passionate, driven, brilliant, committed, courageous folks like you, me, and just a few others can. I can tell how good a pilot one is just by how they walk up to the aircraft -- you present confidence and complete the work no matter what. I forgot how I found your video, but during my project here at home installing my networks from scratch, I got virtually nothing done, unable to keep from being glued to the display. And, you inspired me to adopt your method of eliminating punchdowns. Coincidentally, lol, I just used my punchdown tool from my netAdmin days at a huge conglomerate including 300 Toshiba laptops in the field, against a mainframe and Win and Novell 3.1.1, enormous liquid-cooled server farm with Halon fire suppression and the cleanroom atmosphere. It wasn't always like that, one college where I was IT Director, I opened the door to my server room to find towers and desktops laying in a big pile like a campfire in the corner! Thank you for doing the right thing by your clients, and taking the time to put your work out there for critiquing. I would've used a chainsaw.
Awesome! I got my start in the working world as an A&P and just slowly migrated to engineering, then IT, and ultimately the networking / cabling work. Thanks so much for your kind words.
I have no skill or knowledge in this area, but wanted to better understand what our IT guys go through. From the perspective of a non-technical person: great analytics, amazing explanation, and professional, clean result. I love seeing masters of their craft work, regardless of the industry. Great video, and yes, I watched the whole thing.
I'm studying for networking right now; this video so far has shown the application of the first few sections. It's really helpful to see the devices and processes invovled in setting this stuff up and also (thanks original installer) what not to do.
Is that professional? Such a mess in cable management can only be an Amateur. Going on here rare a mess and broken most of the standards. If I had such a mess in the server room, I would have been fired, in Russia such negligence is not acceptable.
"I have no skill or knowledge in this area, but wanted to better understand what our IT guys go through." If I could increase the number of people with that character trait with a wave of my hands, I would look as if I were clapping.
Good housekeeping begins with a good plan for organization, and stays that way by taking the time to keep it organized. The worst thing to do is do something half-assed, then vow to clean it up later when you have some time. That time may never come, or becomes a serious issue when it all becomes unmanageable.
I've been working in IT for over 20 years and this was an education in watching another engineers perspective. Thank you for going through that nightmare for the benefit of the rest of us that have an interest in this. Thoroughly enjoyed the process and before/after shots. Great work, and great choice on Ubiquiti!
This man is amazing. All companies should be so lucky to have him come in and fix all the garbage that "throw and goers" leave behind. This video is inspirational. I learned so much. Thank you for posting this.
Same here... just clicked it because i was curious and stayed till the end. It was a joy, i feel happy and i don't know why... On to the next one... Subscribed!
I used to be a cable and wire installer/electronics technician, and now I am a Network Engineer... My OCD pegged when I first started watching this video. There were so many points of failure and poor patches in the current environment that I'm surprised they didn't have massive problems much sooner. Great job fixing everything and making it look and function better.
"The security camera guy said to leave his stuff alone." Then later... "So here I replaced the switch for the security cameras and added a patch panel." Haha awesome :D
Yeah, I'm probably going to talk about this in a future Q & A video because many have noticed that! In all honesty, I took a risk doing that but that's just the kind of person I am. I'm not saying it's good -it can be downright reckless at times and has gotten me in a lot of trouble too. But I've also gotten a "crash course" in many systems because I broke them to start with!! In this case, I was fully confident that if they wanted me to put everything back the way it was with the camera system, I absolutely could.
@@FiberNinjaStudios Yeah I dont mess with other people stuff that say leave it alone. I might move it out of the way for a moment but in the end it will be like I found it and leave a card where they could find it after the see the cable management I did. This usually gets me a call back to fix their mess up too.
WOW! I am not even in your business and I stayed until the end. With the knowledge you shared, I feel that I could be a halfway decent helper or wanna be apprentice. Great Job! Your customer has to be overjoyed with the difference between before and after. And your hinge point in the cabinet with the cable is pure genius. Thanks for the good documentation and excellent explanations. Especially the way you set the stage for the future technicians to come in and work. I wish more people thought like that.
Well done. I'm wiring my mom's house soon and I opted to also use the newer keystone patch panels. I didn't even know they existed - I was there at Microcenter looking at this tech trying to understand what it was. Needless to say, after I got home I set the monolithic patch panel aside to return and ordered an everest media solution kit which includes the crimp tool, a bunch of keystones, and a 24 port patch panel. Really excited about trying out these keystone jacks - it seems like it's going to simplify everything and create a lot of modularity.
This video brought back a lot of memories. I used to do this work about 10 years ago. The jobs that let you take your time and do beautiful work, were few and far between. Most of the time it was, you had this amount of time, here is what you will use, and don't miss the deadline. You did the best you could with what you were given. But the times when you were allowed to design, brought out the best and most prideful jobs I did. I'm in a different field now, but I do miss some aspects of that work.
@ADEBISI ADEBISI Can someone please block or report this bastard? Him being an ignorant twat and not appreciating the work and genius gone into this video should NOT be OUR problem!
Was looking up video about patch panels. Came across your video here. I love the key stone patch panels. This video answers so many questions, I have had. Thank you for making it. Yes it's long but, I just watch it when I had time. Thanks again.
Great to hear! I've done another, shorter video about the panels but I think you're right in that seeing the panels implemented in a real-world environment goes a long way.
A Well articulated presentation , never felt I was watching for more than 60 mins non stop. A Key learning for me "do the job as if you need to service it" , a good saying.
WOW, I couldn't stop watching you take control of such a hopeless situation. The difference was night and day. Thank you for sharing your profession in this video. Inspiring to be sure.👍🙂
If you find the gear shaped settings icon in the lower right corner of the TH-cam window, you can speed the video up to 2x time while still maintaining the audio. Works wonders for this type of content.
When I started this video, I had no idea it was 2 hours long. By the time I realized it, I committed to watching straight through. I loved the final cable management. Bravo
Worth every moment. Learned a ton! Rare to encounter someone with so many talents who is also super mindful of his thought processes AND can convey them in an engaging, informative way. No blaming. No cursing. No passing the buck. And no talking down to your viewers. Exquisite work of a grandmaster. Bravo!
This was an amazing video. I watched it in its entirety. I felt like I was in my structured cabling classes from college all over again. This was art at its finest. Great detail, thorough explanation, and patience. Great job, FiberNinja! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
Thank you (seriously) for leaving it a single video. It was very helpful to see how others are doing this kind of work, especially the cable management. So again, thank you!
That is a lot of useful information. Thank You. I was cleaning some cables at the reception, couple of desks and a rack recently and appreciate the mess You were fighting with.
Great video Thanks for sharing. This is a perfect example of what older buildings look like for cable management a nightmare/disaster. The problem starts with the contractors that are used to setup services such as telephony (voice), data and security camera's. It's not all setup by one company, each has a different methodology to get the service up an running. I have seen patch work of cables spliced in where all are tied to the same battery backup and circuit breaker. This is why businesses need to invest in their own IT staff that has experience in telecom, cabling, routing and switching. It's a better investment than to have your routers and switches sitting on "shoe boxes" and server bezels still in plastic bubble wrap with the key still attached.
Wow, what a night and day difference. Those runs at the end, so clean. I'd like to see an fresh new install done by you to see how it should have been done from the start.
Thanks!! It was truly a satisfying thing to step back after months of overnight visits to see the finished result. OOOOoo it would be so nice to do an install from the start but I almost never get the opportunity. Hopefully I'll get a chance this year and get it recorded on this channel for you all to enjoy!
I don't mind cleaning up stuff like this but when the owner starts going "you are not allowed to touch this part or that part, etc", I'll pass. It's either everything or nothing.
Chris Go it wouldn't cost them anything. I was implying that I would rip out all the parts of the network and reinstall it. The reason he did this so is because the office was active so he could not have any downtime.
I know right!!! I haven't worked on anything nearly as bad, but when I get my computer (and other people's computers) and fix the cables, it is so rewarding!!! But I have a smaller budget, so sometimes I can't get done what I want too. Stupid best-buy... Charging $20 for a stupid adapter. RIP OFF!!! Spent $60 on 3 things. The adapter, an extension cable (6 ft) and an HDMI cable (12 foot, I think). I did this so I can reach the power and HDMI to my third monitor for my PC, but has to run in a diagonal line, B-lining straight for the PC because the other cables are too short, haha!
I liked the full video length. Helped to see that this process takes a long time when you're doing it right! I also learned some stuff thanks to your calm explanations
Bra. I do this for a living and lemme tell you... this is the worst work I've ever seen done to a biulding!!! You did an amazing job fixing it up! Takes major patients
Yep. Part of is lack of time/patience/knowledge/foresight/and/or laziness. I work in K-12 IT and a lot of our data cabinets are terrible. We've had many techs over the past nearly 20 years come and go and no one seems to take the time or have the time to clean out the cabinets and use the shortest length patch cable as possible. We're slowly working on it but it is incredibly tedious process especially since we have over 60 data cabinets district wide. Its a lot of work and we don't always have enough time to do it as we get random last-minute projects thrown at us regularly.
Definitely a long watch, but to be honest, every minute of it was fascinating at how you dealt with issues as you came across them. Great job, and the final result looks great.
I've recently found myself assisting with a large amount of networking in my "Helpdesk" role. I've found that I really enjoy cable management for the networking cabinets and all that. I really love how you're using your videos to inform and help the fresher among us learn!
Nice! In my work I have absolutely nothing to do with cabeling. But I really like neat and hidden cabels in my house where I have puny ethernet network. You inspire. Thanks!
Well this is a shocker! Not only did I think no one would watch a 2 hour video about cable management that work in the industry (I was wrong) but to hear that someone that doesn't even work in cabling watched this video is amazing!! Thanks for the encouragement!!
I know this video is a few years old now but I just found it. Watched straight through. Studying for my CCNA and now I see how a professional network cabinet should look. Awesome job! Subbed and waiting for the next time you turn a rat's nest into a work of art.
I am a practicing Fortune 100 Storage Engineer. I used to crawl thru sub-floors too. Attention to the detail, cleanliness, and uncluttered topology of physical infrastructure is critical to uptime and ongoing maintenance and upgrade of the data center and computer room. While this is a video documentary of a small office commercial site, this describes more than 100 of the 140 significant site+ computer rooms/data centers we run around the globe. Thank you for your attention to detail. Great documentary.
And about the length of the video, I don't mind a 2 hour long video as long as it's informative. The way you shot this video and explained the work you've done, why you've done it and so on is really good. As for cutting it up into multiple parts, eh, I don't know. I'd say 1x120min is better than 12x10min, a giant project deserves a giant video, however it's a double edged sword. On the other hand 1x120min vs 12x10min is potato potato after the project is complete (video released/all parts released), but on the other hand some people might not have the patience to wait for the next part (and lose a view) or some people might just go "oh lord, 2 hour long video, I don't have time for this, gdbye" (and lose a view). And another thing is of course the subscriber base, some people expect regular videos while some don't. So I guess it's up to you.
Very tidy job! It may have been cool when you extended the cctv runs, to use a different colour cat6 cable so at a glance, you could differentiate the data vs cctv runs when servicing the back of the rack 😊
i've watched the entire video in 1 take and i have to say you deserve it, really great job and nice to see people these days working like this. Really well done
Well congratulations!! You are a trooper. You know, you have a point there. I remember a few months ago I was on a conference call with a dispatcher I used to work with doing circuit extensions for businesses. We are required to clearly tag the cables we install and put some very specific information on the label. They started implementing requiring the techs to put their name and the date of install on the tags. I can clearly still hear the supervisor saying, "If you have a problem with putting your name on the tag, maybe you need to do a better job with your wiring." I knew exactly what he was alluding to. These installers were so sloppy it was embarrassing to see. But when you're paid a flat fee no matter how long it takes (within reason), you will work as fast as possible to get it working and run out of there as fast as possible.
I see. But you solve issues that also were not related to your specific job, like securing the frame of the door, put guard on the back of the rack, build a frame around the hvac sys and so on, and that's how you make the difference between a job done and a job well done ( i assume you did for documentation as well ). One question is do you like to work with ubiquiti stuff ? I work with them and i love the quality of the products and also the easy mantainance that they have :) Keep up your great work my friend :)
Well, it was somewhat related to my job --in this case the job was a blanket objective of making the environment better, more professional, and easier to maintain. Regarding Ubiquiti equipment, I LOVE them! From the first AP I installed, I fell in love with their products. I also see that they are constantly improving. In just 1 generation, great leaps in quality, features, and performance are gained. I think Ubiquiti is making a lot of other networking companies nervous!!
after getting my net+ and working on sec+ soon onto ccna, i loved watching this. thanks for taking the time! i loved seeing your blackberry classic too :) made me cry thinking about my old passport!
Yes, 2 hours is long, but I never contemplated skipping a single second. I'm the type of person who is instantly defeated by a task if the scale of work required is beyond my attention span. I like to get in and get out, otherwise I don't take it on. Call me lazy, or whatever, but the way you planned this job and broke it down into smaller, more managable tasks was educational and therapeutic. I subbed :)
So what I would like to see you do is get a tri-pod, set your camera and show us how you dress-up/comb cables ! Would you do this in one of your next videos ?
I got a kick out of how in the beginning of the video you said "we were told by the security camera guy to please leave my stuff alone" -- haha.. Great video, I cant believe I stayed up this late to watch the whole thing. New sub here, thanks for the videos. =)
LOL, yeah I have to laugh at my own words on that one. Mind you, I'm a bit of a risk taker and tearing into that system was a bit of a risk. While I'm pretty confident I could put the old system back together if they didn't go for it, many here would agree that it was a risky move fraught with problems that could have arisen. Thanks for the compliments and GET SOME SLEEP!!
Great Video! A true thorough work through a big mess to show and explain why things need to be done and fixed up and the importance of keeping things organized in a universal way as much as possible! Great job! Loved it!
You sound like someone with a rather high degree of self-awareness --like, maybe 100% awareness!! LOL So glad you liked it! Hopefully I'll be doing a few larger cleanup jobs in the near future to highlight.
"Just leave my equipment alone" How about you learn how to do your job properly? Great work cleaning up the cabling and that rack. I would have thrown that CCTV group under the biggest bus at mach seventeen. That PoE hack is totally unacceptable.
I had a smile because I had a friend that temporarily did that same thing with poe until he got an injector and I recognized what the dude here did instantly but then I remembered one of the 3 cables got fucked while he wasn't at home and my friend lost the camera looking in the yard. So go figure.
This is typical. And it's more than often not the installer's fault. It's just far more complex than that. What is the worst here is that building owner doesn't recognize the value in fixing it up while the "clean-up" crew is there doing this work. Some installers cut corners just because that's how they work. Others do it only when they absolutely have to. The latter is imho ok, but should be cleaned up when there is an oportunity. The first one earns little respect with both clients and IT professionals and should consider a different practice. Correct cable runs makes things so WAY much easier in the long run. Shortcuts always bites your ass when Murphy comes out to play.
@@LifeOnHoth Agreed, alot of times the customer just doesn't want to spend the money, those on the custom POE injector were cameras(shitty off brand ones) that use a non POE/+ compliant voltage or pinout. When the original adapter/NVR fails you have to replace them all together or improvise. And obviously if they wont pay for a few cameras they certainly weren't going to pay for a new NVR/POE switch. That perfectly explains the hack job and what the camera guy said because he probably has it all working perfectly and doesn't want to have to deal with a headache customer because an installer altered his setup. I've done this, I've dealt with this and I've came behind this. Some customers are a trip, they will pay one company $10,000 for some VoIP phone but then turn away from spending a few grand on upgrading their camera setup... This is usually fixed by a "told-you-so to the customer after something is stolen and they cannot get decent footage because they cheaped out.
19:29 These are the messes I love to fix. It drives me nuts to see cables all over the place like at this location. Love the testing tools :) 25:59 WOW1 What a huge mess. This makes me so mad to know that person was paid when I'm not when I would never make or leave such a mess. Again I would love to clean this up for sure. 1:00:39 If they come from China then I would rather make them myself. Then again, I'm different being that I love to learn by doing everything because that is the only way I have access to it. Being a girl I was never offered any access to this kind of cool stuff so whenever I could get my hands on tools to make things, fix things, etc. it was, and still is, exciting to get that chance to do it. The point is that it all depends on the person doing the job as to why they would want to make the cables or not.
I would love to have seen this as 4 videos. You would have had 4 times as many views. This was excellent and made me a subscriber. Your work is fantastic.
Thanks a lot!! I'm with you actually. It was a ton of work just editing it all and I was so very hesitant to put it up there in one continuous blob. I had NO idea it would be this well received but in the future I'll definitely be releasing the longer ones in 2 different formats -being a "chapterized" broken up format, and the one, continuous video. I have my doubts I would have sat through a 2 hour video like this myself --but then again, I watch hour long videos all the time that have NOTHING to do with my work. Hell, I watch Abom's videos about large scale machining work that I have never done and never will. It's just fascinating to watch another person working and explaining all the ins and outs of their work. Thanks for the input and for the compliments
I think there are benefits to both long and chapterized, a positive with it being broken up is that they see the first one and stay to see the next, and there will be not as long as a wait in between videos, but at the same time, I love watching the long versions as it gives me a whole blob of information for me to absorb without going back over and over to remember what happened. Can't wait until the Network Tutorial coming up!!! Heard some great rumors!
its a beaut to behold a true master involved in his work like this, the amount of research for a better solution and troubleshooting to figure out what goes where in terms of cables and racks, dunno what it cost the customer but that kinda work is something that sells itself, for ease of followups later/new lines and maintenance/troubleshooting later. wonderful to watch and excellent explanation and reasoning :)
just found you and subbed. I'm a network tech. I'm very OCD on cable tidy etc. I take professionalism in my job. I make every effort to keep my client happy. I don't mind the 2 hour vid. it shows all the length without any cuts. it makes allot of sense. I know the hours I've put in like overnights and weekends etc. been there and done that lol
Well that's encouraging to hear! I'm getting mixed feedback on the long format so the next major one like this will probably be in both formats. Great to hear your attitude towards this stuff. It seems like there are so few of us in the world right now!
absolutely. very few of us actually do it right. I've seen worse. like those under the floorboards etc. how rude lol. I would be offended if that was me doing that. I would kill myself! I hate that. I would rip it all out and start new. So I would be satisfied that it is done right. most of my clients were not forthcoming on spending that kind of money until I explained how much of downtime and having to pay IT to fix it time and time over. it usually wins the argument! lol
(sigh) it's still a hard sell to convince most clients I've dealt with to spend the kind of money that gets this kind of result. It's tough because the network has actually "worked" for years. They just don't know how much of a house of cards they're living in and how much they've already spent just repairing it over the years. Still, when I get the chance and the time is right, it's a beautiful thing to complete something like this! Thanks Josh and it's so warming to hear fellow network techs out there that take pride in their work!
FiberNinja another thing, why don't you consider GoPro and have it mounted on your head and another camera on tripod. you can get two views same time, drop the clips in between your video clips. That would increase your subscriber angle and views. just a idea! :) I'm thinking of doing that myself too.
Great job. I have done this sort of work before and really enjoy it. A lot of reward and satisfaction to find in getting it all cleaned up and done right. Nice to have a client that isn’t afraid to invest in a clean and maintainable network. I’m always recommending my own cloud VOIP solution to get rid of the separation of voice/data networks. Just makes sense these days. I’m the one that will spend the time to custom make patches. I can get a connector done in about 30 seconds. Also cable comb the bundles!
@FiberNinja I love the beacon probe. Something to think about though is that if those ports had some version of port security running on them, they would've shutdown as soon as you plugged a device in whose MAC didn't match the ACL. They also would not have reenabled even after plugging in the proper device, requiring someone to physically log into the switch/router to clear the alarm and reset the port.
This is amazing. I'm having a difficult time placing your job description. Electrician? Low-voltage contractor? Network engineer? Carpenter? Producer of raw awesome? You have quite the hat collection going on if I do say so myself. I'm an IT guy by day, and I have always been under the impression that terminating runs with RJ-45 ends is not compliant with "category" standards (cat5e, cat6a, etc.), and that the runs must be punched down to maintain the standard that the wire is rated for and likely would not pass a cable run certification if terminated otherwise. I'm also assuming that making the existing runs pass certification would be next to impossible in this scenario as to get all of these lines certified would require all of the pre-existing lines to be completely pulled out / abandoned and new lines to be run, since the old ones had all been cut. I think the way you spliced them here is the most reliable and cleanest way they could have been brought back into service given the scenario. This brings me to my actual question. If one were to run entirely new cables, are the double female keystone style patch panels up to specification? Or is one required to use the punch-down type to maintain the standard? I really like the kind that you used here, and would enjoy the flexibility and ease of service that they offer. Just a thought. Keep the long videos coming, you just earned my subscription. 5 star quality videos right here.
Wonderful job, you deserve praise. I hope the hard work was appreciated. The end result has removed so much risk and simplified future upgrades, management and troubleshooting. Outstanding result 👌
I am an IT Junior and this video was an education seeing another engineers pespective. Thank you for documenting your whole project and let us have part of your thinking process. I learned a lot about FastEthernet Cables from the CAT 5 standards now and think, that Im going to avoid lots of shown mistakes in my future networking projects. all in all, I have to say that I couldn't have done it any better and am looking forward for more content of your youtube chanel. ^-^ -again, thanks for your documentation
Your videos explain how it really is working in IT. I just found you and subbed. I will agree with someone else and say make short videos on each topic, But I love your videos. It really amazes me how people do this bad of a job. It really makes the rest of us look bad. anyways great job on the rebuild I know that was a headache!
You are absolutely right about topics! I think I cover a lot of topics over a 2 hour period that people either don't care about or already know and it would be nice to have them separated into individual videos. I think for the next super-long project I put together, I'll do both formats. You are SOOOO right about shoddy workmanship making the rest of us look bad. I also understand that when a tech walks into a mess like that and just has a small job to do there, they're not going to stop all they're doing and rebuild it. I can easily see how a poorly managed network can evolve into a mess like this simply because there's no money for it and no one sees the need. --The fact that networks built this poorly work at all is the problem! A rats nest of a network rack will still work just fine until something breaks -and even then it's hard to see that spending thousands on a repair would have been any less if they had already spent thousands to minimize repair work in the future (if the work is ever needed). Tough all around. I pretty much expect to walk into a mess everywhere I go. That way I'm pleasantly surprised when it's actually a nice build! Thanks for the comments and input! It certainly was a big learning experience and had it's fair share of headaches. But truthfully, it was a joy to be able to tear it down and build it back exactly the way I would have wanted it. It's such a rare chance to get and I can't wait to go through another forest like this again!!
I watched every minute of it, very impressed. I own one of those network tester/toner sets my buddy and I bought it when we wired up a friend's business and the toner was a life saver! We were doing the job for him after hours around our own jobs and his business hours. Saved him $10s of thousands and got ourselves some extra cash. He was quoted 10's of thousands by everybody he talked to wire 4 open business spaces (think 4 warehouses in a square they were leasing) it was not a high bandwidth situation, but a large area and lots of connections. All of the quotes from companies were going to run every network drop back to the data closet which just wasn't necessary. We did it for under $5k out the door - granted we did do it kind of cheap it was done properly though. It made sense for the need and they weren't staying there for more than a year or two from that time. The data closet just had their two servers/ NAS. We got small business class 20 port switches and put one per area with two connections back to the data closet for each area. We ran all of our cables between the areas, didn't make all of the cables if we could find something that fit, but the ones we did run and terminate we didn't think to ask eachother how we were terminating the cables at each end and we ended up wiring up our cables differently - one us of used A and the other B lol. We knew what we were doing, just didn't do it professionally haha .
Great to hear you like it!! I'm certainly going to try and keep them coming. It's not going to be as frequent as some of these weekly guys but I'll put together as much as I possibly can!
You really need to make more videos like this! I know its a lot of work, of course, but man.. These are so interesting and fun to watch - yeah, I'm a nerd ;) So when you feel like it, please do more videos like this! Don't take me wrong, I like your recent ones as well.. But you know ;)
It is my hope that I can generate enough Patreon support to do this full time. At that point I think we could offer to do jobs like this for zero labor costs and have some sort of lottery to determine the next recipient.
now that's a man you would want to hire who really loves his job and makes sureeverything he got his hands on was improved even if it wasn't his scope of work.
Very well done video, i have been looking for a "best practices" network wiring and cabling video. I enjoyed it and the length was not an issue at all, i enjoyed watching the whole thing, Reality TV for Geeks!! LOL
Awesome to hear!! Just know this: what is a best practice is very much dependent on the environment and situation. For instance, my extensive use of zip ties would be completely inappropriate in a data center with carefully managed and engineered structured cabling. Or a network that passes extremely high data rates and demand the maximum amount of throughput from their infrastructure, I'd not do nearly as much splicing in that situation and would just run a straight cable from end to end. No one here is the ultimate word on network cabling because no one here has real-world experience in all possible environments. Thanks so much for your compliments!!
Very nice job, my heart sank when I saw that huge mass of cut blue cable :o( I guess it depends on the client's long term plans, but do you think terminating all of those cut cables in the sub-floor into a patch cabinet, then bringing them all up to the main one above would be the way forward here? Also, I agree with the person below saying about the length. Don't cut anything, but it would be nice to have a part 1/part 2 rather than two hours. It's 01:30 here now and I've just finished watching! No fibre in this one for the ninja though!
Aw man, I got so happy when I found that huge bundle of cut cables! It meant I had a good idea where most everything was ending up. I thought about trying to patch in all the lines that were there but the fact was that the the current business running there would NEVER need that many drops in the building. It will be far less expensive to simply call me back out if / when they want an extra drop re-activated than to splice them all in. I think we may have used around 10% of what's still there. One of the owners told me that when they were first taking over the building, there was a lot of bad blood between the former tenant that they pretty much think they went in and cut the cables that far away from the racks out of spite. They spent another $4,000 just to get some other tech to come in and do the terrible job I eventually tore out! Yeah, if any new projects get that long, I'm probably going to publish several formats at the same time. I personally watch very little content that is this long (but I certainly have in the past if it was very compelling). I also usually watch TH-cam for either entertainment OR answering a question. For the latter, I want VERY short videos that get right to the point. I may start making videos like that in the near future as well! Thanks so much for the kind words and feedback!
One of the things I have noticed in other areas is that there can be a lot of short videos that linger long after the details are out of date, It happens more with software than with hardware. But it would be worth putting a bit of timing-relevant info in the description. Most of this is pretty timeless, but on this one I think I would have mentioned the Keystone patch panels, and a rough idea of how old the network was.
Don’t normally watch these at length, however, you made the narrative journey really interesting and, like most professionals having to tidy up ‘mess’, you didn’t dwell on the initial chaos, but saw the end result in your mind , which separates those that can and do from those that can’t and don’t. Ultimately, as long as you resign yourself to the long hall mentally, you’re prepared to get through physically. Top job in every respect. In the end, this has got to be one of the most rewarding things, taking a bag of spanner’s and creating a workshop.
You aren't paid enough. I'm an FAA certified A&P aircraft mechanic, Commercial Pilot, and Instructor of fifty years. Some of the dogs I've worked on and flown resemble that fiasco you faced, with a propeller attached to it. They say, "Even a barn door will fly if you have enough power!" After decades of DIYers thrashing that building, so many times folks just trying to get by try to perform feats that only passionate, driven, brilliant, committed, courageous folks like you, me, and just a few others can. I can tell how good a pilot one is just by how they walk up to the aircraft -- you present confidence and complete the work no matter what. I forgot how I found your video, but during my project here at home installing my networks from scratch, I got virtually nothing done, unable to keep from being glued to the display. And, you inspired me to adopt your method of eliminating punchdowns. Coincidentally, lol, I just used my punchdown tool from my netAdmin days at a huge conglomerate including 300 Toshiba laptops in the field, against a mainframe and Win and Novell 3.1.1, enormous liquid-cooled server farm with Halon fire suppression and the cleanroom atmosphere. It wasn't always like that, one college where I was IT Director, I opened the door to my server room to find towers and desktops laying in a big pile like a campfire in the corner! Thank you for doing the right thing by your clients, and taking the time to put your work out there for critiquing. I would've used a chainsaw.
Awesome! I got my start in the working world as an A&P and just slowly migrated to engineering, then IT, and ultimately the networking / cabling work. Thanks so much for your kind words.
I have no skill or knowledge in this area, but wanted to better understand what our IT guys go through. From the perspective of a non-technical person: great analytics, amazing explanation, and professional, clean result. I love seeing masters of their craft work, regardless of the industry. Great video, and yes, I watched the whole thing.
I'm studying for networking right now; this video so far has shown the application of the first few sections. It's really helpful to see the devices and processes invovled in setting this stuff up and also (thanks original installer) what not to do.
Is that professional? Such a mess in cable management can only be an Amateur. Going on here rare a mess and broken most of the standards. If I had such a mess in the server room, I would have been fired, in Russia such negligence is not acceptable.
@@igorbilinkin6375 are you referring to what he encountered originally or do you think the end result of his work is unacceptable? 🤔
"I have no skill or knowledge in this area, but wanted to better understand what our IT guys go through." If I could increase the number of people with that character trait with a wave of my hands, I would look as if I were clapping.
Good housekeeping begins with a good plan for organization, and stays that way by taking the time to keep it organized. The worst thing to do is do something half-assed, then vow to clean it up later when you have some time. That time may never come, or becomes a serious issue when it all becomes unmanageable.
I've been working in IT for over 20 years and this was an education in watching another engineers perspective. Thank you for going through that nightmare for the benefit of the rest of us that have an interest in this. Thoroughly enjoyed the process and before/after shots. Great work, and great choice on Ubiquiti!
This man is amazing. All companies should be so lucky to have him come in and fix all the garbage that "throw and goers" leave behind. This video is inspirational. I learned so much. Thank you for posting this.
I’m trying to figure out how you got me to watch this whole video and actually enjoy it.
I think it's the cables spaghetti mess cringe that you want get out your system... at least that what felt.
@@rexious1790 This entire video is Ethernet cable porn. It was begging to be touched.
I've watched it at least 4 times... Guess that's gonna be 5 now. So satisfying
Same here... just clicked it because i was curious and stayed till the end. It was a joy, i feel happy and i don't know why... On to the next one... Subscribed!
Because it's good!👍
"This is what you get when you try to save money." - said by every professional! Excellent walk through, i appreciate the verbalized thought process.
me at 2am: "I should probably head to bed soon."
Me at 4am: " That security cam installer is such an asshole."
Watched it at the same time of day (night 😂)
fuckin real haha!!
Same
An incompetent asshole at that; should plan for what they need, do it properly and not bodge it.
ugh. same
Honestly I love this I felt I did a internship with you today very helpful and informative
Even after 2 years still up to date, I work in maintenance and I'm happy to see I'm not the only one suffering redoing other mans mess.
Thanks.
I used to be a cable and wire installer/electronics technician, and now I am a Network Engineer... My OCD pegged when I first started watching this video. There were so many points of failure and poor patches in the current environment that I'm surprised they didn't have massive problems much sooner. Great job fixing everything and making it look and function better.
"The security camera guy said to leave his stuff alone." Then later... "So here I replaced the switch for the security cameras and added a patch panel." Haha awesome :D
Yeah, I'm probably going to talk about this in a future Q & A video because many have noticed that! In all honesty, I took a risk doing that but that's just the kind of person I am. I'm not saying it's good -it can be downright reckless at times and has gotten me in a lot of trouble too. But I've also gotten a "crash course" in many systems because I broke them to start with!!
In this case, I was fully confident that if they wanted me to put everything back the way it was with the camera system, I absolutely could.
@@FiberNinjaStudios Yeah I dont mess with other people stuff that say leave it alone. I might move it out of the way for a moment but in the end it will be like I found it and leave a card where they could find it after the see the cable management I did. This usually gets me a call back to fix their mess up too.
Not to mention he powered it down at about the 34 minute mark. Good time to burgal the place...:-)
@@madman432000 sure dude. that is so likely. calm down, Rebecca.
@@FiberNinjaStudios I am absolutely the same. Sometimes being reckless is a good thing.
WOW! I am not even in your business and I stayed until the end. With the knowledge you shared, I feel that I could be a halfway decent helper or wanna be apprentice. Great Job! Your customer has to be overjoyed with the difference between before and after. And your hinge point in the cabinet with the cable is pure genius. Thanks for the good documentation and excellent explanations. Especially the way you set the stage for the future technicians to come in and work. I wish more people thought like that.
This man's fury towards whoever set this up before him is unmatched by any mortal being
Well done. I'm wiring my mom's house soon and I opted to also use the newer keystone patch panels. I didn't even know they existed - I was there at Microcenter looking at this tech trying to understand what it was. Needless to say, after I got home I set the monolithic patch panel aside to return and ordered an everest media solution kit which includes the crimp tool, a bunch of keystones, and a 24 port patch panel. Really excited about trying out these keystone jacks - it seems like it's going to simplify everything and create a lot of modularity.
This video brought back a lot of memories. I used to do this work about 10 years ago. The jobs that let you take your time and do beautiful work, were few and far between. Most of the time it was, you had this amount of time, here is what you will use, and don't miss the deadline. You did the best you could with what you were given. But the times when you were allowed to design, brought out the best and most prideful jobs I did. I'm in a different field now, but I do miss some aspects of that work.
Not all heroes wear capes.
:-D Flattery will get you everywhere!!
Some just come with wire splicers and testers.
ADEBISI ADEBISI no u
@ADEBISI ADEBISI Can someone please block or report this bastard? Him being an ignorant twat and not appreciating the work and genius gone into this video should NOT be OUR problem!
@@robingosse Send him a shite sandwich.
I hope this fella was paid well plus more b/c he went far & beyond in doing a great job. Well done sir. 👍👍
Was looking up video about patch panels. Came across your video here. I love the key stone patch panels. This video answers so many questions, I have had. Thank you for making it. Yes it's long but, I just watch it when I had time. Thanks again.
Great to hear! I've done another, shorter video about the panels but I think you're right in that seeing the panels implemented in a real-world environment goes a long way.
A Well articulated presentation , never felt I was watching for more than 60 mins non stop. A Key learning for me "do the job as if you need to service it" , a good saying.
WOW, I couldn't stop watching you take control of such a hopeless situation. The difference was night and day. Thank you for sharing your profession in this video. Inspiring to be sure.👍🙂
Me: No way I'm going to sit through 2+ hours of this.
Me (2 + hours later): That was really well done!
If you find the gear shaped settings icon in the lower right corner of the TH-cam window, you can speed the video up to 2x time while still maintaining the audio. Works wonders for this type of content.
@@billtoperzer2287 I started at 1.25x, then 1.5 right away, then 1.75, and at the 1 hour mark, went full 2x!
@@billtoperzer2287 Never play audio at 2x the speed you are 10x as likely to experience a stroke
@@IT10T So that's why I just did a faceplant on my keyboard?
When I started this video, I had no idea it was 2 hours long. By the time I realized it, I committed to watching straight through. I loved the final cable management. Bravo
I am glad to see dedication to detail like you did.I have done that for years and you have done a fine job with a great mess and a fine video.
Thanks so much for your kind words!! Not many appreciate this so it's refreshing to hear.
superb, job. I really enjoyed listening to someone who knows what he is doing. Thank you.
Worth every moment. Learned a ton! Rare to encounter someone with so many talents who is also super mindful of his thought processes AND can convey them in an engaging, informative way. No blaming. No cursing. No passing the buck. And no talking down to your viewers. Exquisite work of a grandmaster. Bravo!
This was an amazing video. I watched it in its entirety. I felt like I was in my structured cabling classes from college all over again. This was art at its finest. Great detail, thorough explanation, and patience. Great job, FiberNinja! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿
I've watched this video, all the way through, 3 times over the last year.
So soothing to watch a job done right.
I’m back for probably my 5th annual watch
Back for number 4
Inspired to say the least, motivated, learned more in this video than ever. We should all be saying Thank You!!!
Thank you (seriously) for leaving it a single video. It was very helpful to see how others are doing this kind of work, especially the cable management. So again, thank you!
That is a lot of useful information. Thank You. I was cleaning some cables at the reception, couple of desks and a rack recently and appreciate the mess You were fighting with.
Great video Thanks for sharing. This is a perfect example of what older buildings look like for cable management a nightmare/disaster. The problem starts with the contractors that are used to setup services such as telephony (voice), data and security camera's. It's not all setup by one company, each has a different methodology to get the service up an running. I have seen patch work of cables spliced in where all are tied to the same battery backup and circuit breaker. This is why businesses need to invest in their own IT staff that has experience in telecom, cabling, routing and switching. It's a better investment than to have your routers and switches sitting on "shoe boxes" and server bezels still in plastic bubble wrap with the key still attached.
Wow, what a night and day difference. Those runs at the end, so clean. I'd like to see an fresh new install done by you to see how it should have been done from the start.
Thanks!! It was truly a satisfying thing to step back after months of overnight visits to see the finished result. OOOOoo it would be so nice to do an install from the start but I almost never get the opportunity. Hopefully I'll get a chance this year and get it recorded on this channel for you all to enjoy!
I've got a job starting in Asheville, NC if you are interested.
You can contact me directly from my About page. That should get an email to me.
Unfortunately, I think that option is no longer available now that Google killed Google+ Can you e-mail me at holstein 13 at hotmail?
FiberNinja 👍👍👍 make a video please 🤩🤩
This place is a mess. I could never do your work I'd just rip it out and start fresh. But that is part of the challenge is guess.
George Lockwood Yeah, I guess it's not everyone's cup of tea. The messier it is, the more excited I get to clean it up!
I don't mind cleaning up stuff like this but when the owner starts going "you are not allowed to touch this part or that part, etc", I'll pass. It's either everything or nothing.
VTOLfreak exactly
Chris Go it wouldn't cost them anything. I was implying that I would rip out all the parts of the network and reinstall it. The reason he did this so is because the office was active so he could not have any downtime.
I know right!!! I haven't worked on anything nearly as bad, but when I get my computer (and other people's computers) and fix the cables, it is so rewarding!!! But I have a smaller budget, so sometimes I can't get done what I want too. Stupid best-buy... Charging $20 for a stupid adapter. RIP OFF!!! Spent $60 on 3 things. The adapter, an extension cable (6 ft) and an HDMI cable (12 foot, I think). I did this so I can reach the power and HDMI to my third monitor for my PC, but has to run in a diagonal line, B-lining straight for the PC because the other cables are too short, haha!
Your craftsmanship is outstanding, you have mastered your craft! What a great training video! Lou
I liked the full video length. Helped to see that this process takes a long time when you're doing it right! I also learned some stuff thanks to your calm explanations
Bra. I do this for a living and lemme tell you... this is the worst work I've ever seen done to a biulding!!! You did an amazing job fixing it up! Takes major patients
As a fellow structured cabling/network guy im really happy to see like minded people like yourself exist. :)
That’s some amazing cabling! Never though I would watch a video this long about cabling, but it was interesting from start to finish.
As a fellow structured cabling/network guy im really happy to see like minded people like yourself exist. :)
Amazing work. It floors me how bad some cabling is out there.
Yep. Part of is lack of time/patience/knowledge/foresight/and/or laziness. I work in K-12 IT and a lot of our data cabinets are terrible. We've had many techs over the past nearly 20 years come and go and no one seems to take the time or have the time to clean out the cabinets and use the shortest length patch cable as possible. We're slowly working on it but it is incredibly tedious process especially since we have over 60 data cabinets district wide. Its a lot of work and we don't always have enough time to do it as we get random last-minute projects thrown at us regularly.
This was so awesome to watch you need to make more videos with big jobs like this so satisfying to see it all get cleaned up and fixed please do more.
This is literally an artform
Truly.
This was a great video! I watched the entire thing. You are amazing and your customer is very lucky to have you.
Definitely a long watch, but to be honest, every minute of it was fascinating at how you dealt with issues as you came across them.
Great job, and the final result looks great.
Aaaah' cleanliness, so satisfying. And it says professional with pride, in the finished product. Keep up the good work, take care and God bless amen.
I've recently found myself assisting with a large amount of networking in my "Helpdesk" role. I've found that I really enjoy cable management for the networking cabinets and all that. I really love how you're using your videos to inform and help the fresher among us learn!
Nice! In my work I have absolutely nothing to do with cabeling. But I really like neat and hidden cabels in my house where I have puny ethernet network. You inspire. Thanks!
Well this is a shocker! Not only did I think no one would watch a 2 hour video about cable management that work in the industry (I was wrong) but to hear that someone that doesn't even work in cabling watched this video is amazing!! Thanks for the encouragement!!
I know this video is a few years old now but I just found it. Watched straight through. Studying for my CCNA and now I see how a professional network cabinet should look. Awesome job! Subbed and waiting for the next time you turn a rat's nest into a work of art.
"MC Gyverd POE injector" :D Best discription for that thing I've ever heard :D
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGyver
we just called it jimmy rigged or jerry rigged back in the day..
N rigging
yea that POE injector sure was a willy-nilly solution
You were a total gift to this company. Not many people have the bravery and guts to take on a complete mess and sort it out.
I am a practicing Fortune 100 Storage Engineer. I used to crawl thru sub-floors too. Attention to the detail, cleanliness, and uncluttered topology of physical infrastructure is critical to uptime and ongoing maintenance and upgrade of the data center and computer room.
While this is a video documentary of a small office commercial site, this describes more than 100 of the 140 significant site+ computer rooms/data centers we run around the globe.
Thank you for your attention to detail.
Great documentary.
Thank you so much for documenting this. You did a wonderful job.
And about the length of the video, I don't mind a 2 hour long video as long as it's informative. The way you shot this video and explained the work you've done, why you've done it and so on is really good.
As for cutting it up into multiple parts, eh, I don't know. I'd say 1x120min is better than 12x10min, a giant project deserves a giant video, however it's a double edged sword. On the other hand 1x120min vs 12x10min is potato potato after the project is complete (video released/all parts released), but on the other hand some people might not have the patience to wait for the next part (and lose a view) or some people might just go "oh lord, 2 hour long video, I don't have time for this, gdbye" (and lose a view). And another thing is of course the subscriber base, some people expect regular videos while some don't.
So I guess it's up to you.
Thanks for the thoughts and compliments!! Yeah, I think I'm going to break this video up into chapters but keep the full length version here as well.
Very tidy job!
It may have been cool when you extended the cctv runs, to use a different colour cat6 cable so at a glance, you could differentiate the data vs cctv runs when servicing the back of the rack 😊
i've watched the entire video in 1 take and i have to say you deserve it, really great job and nice to see people these days working like this.
Really well done
Well congratulations!! You are a trooper. You know, you have a point there. I remember a few months ago I was on a conference call with a dispatcher I used to work with doing circuit extensions for businesses. We are required to clearly tag the cables we install and put some very specific information on the label. They started implementing requiring the techs to put their name and the date of install on the tags. I can clearly still hear the supervisor saying, "If you have a problem with putting your name on the tag, maybe you need to do a better job with your wiring." I knew exactly what he was alluding to. These installers were so sloppy it was embarrassing to see. But when you're paid a flat fee no matter how long it takes (within reason), you will work as fast as possible to get it working and run out of there as fast as possible.
I see. But you solve issues that also were not related to your specific job, like securing the frame of the door, put guard on the back of the rack, build a frame around the hvac sys and so on, and that's how you make the difference between a job done and a job well done ( i assume you did for documentation as well ). One question is do you like to work with ubiquiti stuff ?
I work with them and i love the quality of the products and also the easy mantainance that they have :)
Keep up your great work my friend :)
Well, it was somewhat related to my job --in this case the job was a blanket objective of making the environment better, more professional, and easier to maintain.
Regarding Ubiquiti equipment, I LOVE them! From the first AP I installed, I fell in love with their products. I also see that they are constantly improving. In just 1 generation, great leaps in quality, features, and performance are gained. I think Ubiquiti is making a lot of other networking companies nervous!!
Great , i love them too :)
hope to see more video.s like this coming ....
See you in the next vid :)
Fascinating video! I couldn't look away and now I am inspired to tackle the wiring closets, etc. at my city job...pray for me. Great work!
Like the work you did. Learned a lot from this video, and plan to use the information to tidy up my residential network setup.
you earned every penny of this job ,top notch work my friend.
+dasutt1 Wow, that means a lot to me. Thanks!
after getting my net+ and working on sec+ soon onto ccna, i loved watching this. thanks for taking the time! i loved seeing your blackberry classic too :) made me cry thinking about my old passport!
Great video, I enjoyed the full 2 hours.
Jack Liu wow!! Amazing!! You deserve a medal.
Yes, 2 hours is long, but I never contemplated skipping a single second. I'm the type of person who is instantly defeated by a task if the scale of work required is beyond my attention span. I like to get in and get out, otherwise I don't take it on. Call me lazy, or whatever, but the way you planned this job and broke it down into smaller, more managable tasks was educational and therapeutic. I subbed :)
Some people sit and watch Lord of the Rings for 2 hours. I sit and watch Lord of the Cable management. Thanks for the long and enjoyable video :)
Simon Johnny lol
I watched the entire video as well. It turned my sick day in to a pleasant learning experience.
Simply loved the satisfaction the work gave you. Can feel it at the end of the video.
I did this for 20 plus years, you just reminded me of why I enjoy my work. Great work!
Your cable management is the work of god.
Well I am humbled to hear that!! Thx!
So what I would like to see you do is get a tri-pod, set your camera and show us how you dress-up/comb cables ! Would you do this in one of your next videos ?
I have worked with computers for the past 17+ years, and when i saw the the mess this was in, i would of just walked off. no joke. props to you.
VengeanceCore
same.
chairs under the floor help with the subfloor
I got a kick out of how in the beginning of the video you said "we were told by the security camera guy to please leave my stuff alone" -- haha.. Great video, I cant believe I stayed up this late to watch the whole thing. New sub here, thanks for the videos. =)
LOL, yeah I have to laugh at my own words on that one. Mind you, I'm a bit of a risk taker and tearing into that system was a bit of a risk. While I'm pretty confident I could put the old system back together if they didn't go for it, many here would agree that it was a risky move fraught with problems that could have arisen. Thanks for the compliments and GET SOME SLEEP!!
You are a cable management wizard...!!! No matter how I try my cable management always looks like crap.
Aw man, don't give up! Maybe all you need is some inspiration.
WOW this guy makes this look easy! I can promise you going behind other peoples messes is not easy at all.
Great Video! A true thorough work through a big mess to show and explain why things need to be done and fixed up and the importance of keeping things organized in a universal way as much as possible! Great job! Loved it!
Your cable management makes me 17% happier. Subscribed! :)
You sound like someone with a rather high degree of self-awareness --like, maybe 100% awareness!! LOL
So glad you liked it! Hopefully I'll be doing a few larger cleanup jobs in the near future to highlight.
All kidding aside, you truly are a wire wizard. Not many people can do what you are doing!
"Just leave my equipment alone"
How about you learn how to do your job properly? Great work cleaning up the cabling and that rack. I would have thrown that CCTV group under the biggest bus at mach seventeen. That PoE hack is totally unacceptable.
The installation is not safe. Its an fire waiting to happen.
I had a smile because I had a friend that temporarily did that same thing with poe until he got an injector and I recognized what the dude here did instantly but then I remembered one of the 3 cables got fucked while he wasn't at home and my friend lost the camera looking in the yard. So go figure.
This is typical. And it's more than often not the installer's fault. It's just far more complex than that. What is the worst here is that building owner doesn't recognize the value in fixing it up while the "clean-up" crew is there doing this work.
Some installers cut corners just because that's how they work. Others do it only when they absolutely have to. The latter is imho ok, but should be cleaned up when there is an oportunity. The first one earns little respect with both clients and IT professionals and should consider a different practice. Correct cable runs makes things so WAY much easier in the long run. Shortcuts always bites your ass when Murphy comes out to play.
@@LifeOnHoth Agreed, alot of times the customer just doesn't want to spend the money, those on the custom POE injector were cameras(shitty off brand ones) that use a non POE/+ compliant voltage or pinout. When the original adapter/NVR fails you have to replace them all together or improvise. And obviously if they wont pay for a few cameras they certainly weren't going to pay for a new NVR/POE switch. That perfectly explains the hack job and what the camera guy said because he probably has it all working perfectly and doesn't want to have to deal with a headache customer because an installer altered his setup. I've done this, I've dealt with this and I've came behind this. Some customers are a trip, they will pay one company $10,000 for some VoIP phone but then turn away from spending a few grand on upgrading their camera setup... This is usually fixed by a "told-you-so to the customer after something is stolen and they cannot get decent footage because they cheaped out.
19:29 These are the messes I love to fix. It drives me nuts to see cables all over the place like at this location. Love the testing tools :) 25:59 WOW1 What a huge mess. This makes me so mad to know that person was paid when I'm not when I would never make or leave such a mess. Again I would love to clean this up for sure. 1:00:39 If they come from China then I would rather make them myself. Then again, I'm different being that I love to learn by doing everything because that is the only way I have access to it. Being a girl I was never offered any access to this kind of cool stuff so whenever I could get my hands on tools to make things, fix things, etc. it was, and still is, exciting to get that chance to do it. The point is that it all depends on the person doing the job as to why they would want to make the cables or not.
Very inspiring. Thank you for taking the time to film this. Gives me more ideas on my own rehab of my home.
One of the most useful and educational videos that I've watch. Thank you for taking the time!
I would love to have seen this as 4 videos. You would have had 4 times as many views. This was excellent and made me a subscriber. Your work is fantastic.
Thanks a lot!! I'm with you actually. It was a ton of work just editing it all and I was so very hesitant to put it up there in one continuous blob. I had NO idea it would be this well received but in the future I'll definitely be releasing the longer ones in 2 different formats -being a "chapterized" broken up format, and the one, continuous video. I have my doubts I would have sat through a 2 hour video like this myself --but then again, I watch hour long videos all the time that have NOTHING to do with my work. Hell, I watch Abom's videos about large scale machining work that I have never done and never will. It's just fascinating to watch another person working and explaining all the ins and outs of their work. Thanks for the input and for the compliments
I think there are benefits to both long and chapterized, a positive with it being broken up is that they see the first one and stay to see the next, and there will be not as long as a wait in between videos, but at the same time, I love watching the long versions as it gives me a whole blob of information for me to absorb without going back over and over to remember what happened. Can't wait until the Network Tutorial coming up!!! Heard some great rumors!
Love these. I wish I would have recorded similar projects I’ve done in the past.
Extremely impressed. My OCD was itching hard in the beginning with all that spaghetti, however I watched it all, and it's truly beautiful work.
"Please don't touch my work"
"This stuff has all been, eliminated"
Damn bro
This video is so satisfying to watch. The before and after is like a stress reliever. 👏👏👏
its a beaut to behold a true master involved in his work like this, the amount of research for a better solution and troubleshooting to figure out what goes where in terms of cables and racks, dunno what it cost the customer but that kinda work is something that sells itself, for ease of followups later/new lines and maintenance/troubleshooting later. wonderful to watch and excellent explanation and reasoning :)
I really enjoyed watching this video. Thank you. 🙏🏽
mike Holmes of networking. lol done right. good job
Wow!! Well thanks for that. I actually didn't know who Mike Holmes was until you mentioned him and I looked him up. I'm very flattered.
holmes is the dude hadn't though of fiber ninja in that way till you mentioned it I agree Good example
just found you and subbed. I'm a network tech. I'm very OCD on cable tidy etc. I take professionalism in my job. I make every effort to keep my client happy. I don't mind the 2 hour vid. it shows all the length without any cuts. it makes allot of sense. I know the hours I've put in like overnights and weekends etc. been there and done that lol
Well that's encouraging to hear! I'm getting mixed feedback on the long format so the next major one like this will probably be in both formats. Great to hear your attitude towards this stuff. It seems like there are so few of us in the world right now!
absolutely. very few of us actually do it right. I've seen worse. like those under the floorboards etc. how rude lol. I would be offended if that was me doing that. I would kill myself! I hate that. I would rip it all out and start new. So I would be satisfied that it is done right. most of my clients were not forthcoming on spending that kind of money until I explained how much of downtime and having to pay IT to fix it time and time over. it usually wins the argument! lol
(sigh) it's still a hard sell to convince most clients I've dealt with to spend the kind of money that gets this kind of result. It's tough because the network has actually "worked" for years. They just don't know how much of a house of cards they're living in and how much they've already spent just repairing it over the years. Still, when I get the chance and the time is right, it's a beautiful thing to complete something like this! Thanks Josh and it's so warming to hear fellow network techs out there that take pride in their work!
you're welcome! :)
FiberNinja another thing, why don't you consider GoPro and have it mounted on your head and another camera on tripod. you can get two views same time, drop the clips in between your video clips. That would increase your subscriber angle and views. just a idea! :) I'm thinking of doing that myself too.
Great job. I have done this sort of work before and really enjoy it. A lot of reward and satisfaction to find in getting it all cleaned up and done right. Nice to have a client that isn’t afraid to invest in a clean and maintainable network. I’m always recommending my own cloud VOIP solution to get rid of the separation of voice/data networks. Just makes sense these days.
I’m the one that will spend the time to custom make patches. I can get a connector done in about 30 seconds. Also cable comb the bundles!
@FiberNinja I love the beacon probe. Something to think about though is that if those ports had some version of port security running on them, they would've shutdown as soon as you plugged a device in whose MAC didn't match the ACL. They also would not have reenabled even after plugging in the proper device, requiring someone to physically log into the switch/router to clear the alarm and reset the port.
This was very helpful and I appreciate the time put into this. I'm inspired to now get my network into shape. Thanks again!
That's great news!! Thanks so much!
This is amazing. I'm having a difficult time placing your job description. Electrician? Low-voltage contractor? Network engineer? Carpenter? Producer of raw awesome? You have quite the hat collection going on if I do say so myself.
I'm an IT guy by day, and I have always been under the impression that terminating runs with RJ-45 ends is not compliant with "category" standards (cat5e, cat6a, etc.), and that the runs must be punched down to maintain the standard that the wire is rated for and likely would not pass a cable run certification if terminated otherwise. I'm also assuming that making the existing runs pass certification would be next to impossible in this scenario as to get all of these lines certified would require all of the pre-existing lines to be completely pulled out / abandoned and new lines to be run, since the old ones had all been cut. I think the way you spliced them here is the most reliable and cleanest way they could have been brought back into service given the scenario.
This brings me to my actual question. If one were to run entirely new cables, are the double female keystone style patch panels up to specification? Or is one required to use the punch-down type to maintain the standard? I really like the kind that you used here, and would enjoy the flexibility and ease of service that they offer. Just a thought.
Keep the long videos coming, you just earned my subscription. 5 star quality videos right here.
This guy's service is worth every cent.
Wonderful job, you deserve praise.
I hope the hard work was appreciated. The end result has removed so much risk and simplified future upgrades, management and troubleshooting. Outstanding result 👌
I am an IT Junior and this video was an education seeing another engineers pespective. Thank you for documenting your whole project and let us have part of your thinking process. I learned a lot about FastEthernet Cables from the CAT 5 standards now and think, that Im going to avoid lots of shown mistakes in my future networking projects.
all in all, I have to say that I couldn't have done it any better and am looking forward for more content of your youtube chanel. ^-^
-again, thanks for your documentation
I absolutely hate unorganized network cables.
How were you able to record this whole video without swearing even once?
Simple: I don't cuss around people!
How about off camera ? :P
That's me! I get people who ask me why they've never heard me use vulgar language, haha!
That's what editing is for.
Anti-swearing fee added to final invoice!
Your videos explain how it really is working in IT. I just found you and subbed. I will agree with someone else and say make short videos on each topic, But I love your videos. It really amazes me how people do this bad of a job. It really makes the rest of us look bad. anyways great job on the rebuild I know that was a headache!
You are absolutely right about topics! I think I cover a lot of topics over a 2 hour period that people either don't care about or already know and it would be nice to have them separated into individual videos. I think for the next super-long project I put together, I'll do both formats.
You are SOOOO right about shoddy workmanship making the rest of us look bad. I also understand that when a tech walks into a mess like that and just has a small job to do there, they're not going to stop all they're doing and rebuild it. I can easily see how a poorly managed network can evolve into a mess like this simply because there's no money for it and no one sees the need.
--The fact that networks built this poorly work at all is the problem! A rats nest of a network rack will still work just fine until something breaks -and even then it's hard to see that spending thousands on a repair would have been any less if they had already spent thousands to minimize repair work in the future (if the work is ever needed). Tough all around. I pretty much expect to walk into a mess everywhere I go. That way I'm pleasantly surprised when it's actually a nice build!
Thanks for the comments and input! It certainly was a big learning experience and had it's fair share of headaches. But truthfully, it was a joy to be able to tear it down and build it back exactly the way I would have wanted it. It's such a rare chance to get and I can't wait to go through another forest like this again!!
FiberNinja. You did a wonderful job. I have been doing this type of work for 53 Years. Great job. Way before the Cat#??? began.
I watched every minute of it, very impressed. I own one of those network tester/toner sets my buddy and I bought it when we wired up a friend's business and the toner was a life saver! We were doing the job for him after hours around our own jobs and his business hours. Saved him $10s of thousands and got ourselves some extra cash.
He was quoted 10's of thousands by everybody he talked to wire 4 open business spaces (think 4 warehouses in a square they were leasing) it was not a high bandwidth situation, but a large area and lots of connections. All of the quotes from companies were going to run every network drop back to the data closet which just wasn't necessary. We did it for under $5k out the door - granted we did do it kind of cheap it was done properly though. It made sense for the need and they weren't staying there for more than a year or two from that time. The data closet just had their two servers/ NAS. We got small business class 20 port switches and put one per area with two connections back to the data closet for each area.
We ran all of our cables between the areas, didn't make all of the cables if we could find something that fit, but the ones we did run and terminate we didn't think to ask eachother how we were terminating the cables at each end and we ended up wiring up our cables differently - one us of used A and the other B lol. We knew what we were doing, just didn't do it professionally haha .
Watching this whole thing.....hope to see you back soon! Great videos
You did an amazing job. On video and on-site! Keep the videos coming please.
Great to hear you like it!! I'm certainly going to try and keep them coming. It's not going to be as frequent as some of these weekly guys but I'll put together as much as I possibly can!
I listened to this in bed. I call it sleep learning! I remember the first half hour!
You really need to make more videos like this! I know its a lot of work, of course, but man.. These are so interesting and fun to watch - yeah, I'm a nerd ;) So when you feel like it, please do more videos like this! Don't take me wrong, I like your recent ones as well.. But you know ;)
It is my hope that I can generate enough Patreon support to do this full time. At that point I think we could offer to do jobs like this for zero labor costs and have some sort of lottery to determine the next recipient.
@@FiberNinjaStudios what an amazing idea!
now that's a man you would want to hire who really loves his job and makes sureeverything he got his hands on was improved even if it wasn't his scope of work.
I don't know how this came to be recommended but I'm glad it did. Watched the full 2 hours and it's reignited my interest in networking and cabling.
Very well done video, i have been looking for a "best practices" network wiring and cabling video. I enjoyed it and the length was not an issue at all, i enjoyed watching the whole thing, Reality TV for Geeks!! LOL
Awesome to hear!! Just know this: what is a best practice is very much dependent on the environment and situation. For instance, my extensive use of zip ties would be completely inappropriate in a data center with carefully managed and engineered structured cabling. Or a network that passes extremely high data rates and demand the maximum amount of throughput from their infrastructure, I'd not do nearly as much splicing in that situation and would just run a straight cable from end to end. No one here is the ultimate word on network cabling because no one here has real-world experience in all possible environments.
Thanks so much for your compliments!!
Very nice job, my heart sank when I saw that huge mass of cut blue cable :o(
I guess it depends on the client's long term plans, but do you think terminating all of those cut cables in the sub-floor into a patch cabinet, then bringing them all up to the main one above would be the way forward here?
Also, I agree with the person below saying about the length. Don't cut anything, but it would be nice to have a part 1/part 2 rather than two hours. It's 01:30 here now and I've just finished watching!
No fibre in this one for the ninja though!
Aw man, I got so happy when I found that huge bundle of cut cables! It meant I had a good idea where most everything was ending up. I thought about trying to patch in all the lines that were there but the fact was that the the current business running there would NEVER need that many drops in the building. It will be far less expensive to simply call me back out if / when they want an extra drop re-activated than to splice them all in. I think we may have used around 10% of what's still there.
One of the owners told me that when they were first taking over the building, there was a lot of bad blood between the former tenant that they pretty much think they went in and cut the cables that far away from the racks out of spite. They spent another $4,000 just to get some other tech to come in and do the terrible job I eventually tore out!
Yeah, if any new projects get that long, I'm probably going to publish several formats at the same time. I personally watch very little content that is this long (but I certainly have in the past if it was very compelling). I also usually watch TH-cam for either entertainment OR answering a question. For the latter, I want VERY short videos that get right to the point. I may start making videos like that in the near future as well!
Thanks so much for the kind words and feedback!
John Watkins k
One of the things I have noticed in other areas is that there can be a lot of short videos that linger long after the details are out of date, It happens more with software than with hardware. But it would be worth putting a bit of timing-relevant info in the description. Most of this is pretty timeless, but on this one I think I would have mentioned the Keystone patch panels, and a rough idea of how old the network was.
Amazing job, quality work that has already started to repay the client.
I joyfully watched all two hours of this. Can't really put a price on good craftsmanship!
Don’t normally watch these at length, however, you made the narrative journey really interesting and, like most professionals having to tidy up ‘mess’, you didn’t dwell on the initial chaos, but saw the end result in your mind , which separates those that can and do from those that can’t and don’t. Ultimately, as long as you resign yourself to the long hall mentally, you’re prepared to get through physically. Top job in every respect. In the end, this has got to be one of the most rewarding things, taking a bag of spanner’s and creating a workshop.