(Part 2) Top products from r/cableporn

Here's the composition of the rack:

• NavePoint 12U Network Rack
  
• TP-Link TL-SG1024: 24 port rackmount switch
  
• TP-Link TL-SG1016PE: 16 port rackmount power over ethernet switch (needed for the Wi-Fi access points)
  
• TP-Link TL-R600VPN: Rackmount router w/ dual-WAN and VPN
  
• Rackmount Power w/ surge protection
  
• Rack shelf: Used to hold modem and NAS
  
• Patch Panel: 24-port Cat6 patch panel (wires go in the pack via punchdown connection, and you run patch cables to the switches)
  
• 12" Patch cables: For connecting between the patch panel, swicthes, other on-rack devices
  
• Synology 416play NAS: Movies, music, pictures, etc. 32 TB in all.
  
  Elsewhere in the house/other useful parts:
  
  
• Keystone Cat6 jacks: one per bedroom, 4 in my home office, 4 in the media room (not built yet), 3 in the family room
  
• 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-hole keystone wall plates: Buy the number of holes you want and just pop in the keystone jacks
  
• Blank keystone inserts: For when you have too many holes in the keystone plates
  
• Ubiquiti AC Pro x 3: Wi-Fi access points, roughly center of the house on each floor (basement, first, second)
  
• Punchdown tool: For doing the punchdown connections on the patch panel and on each of the keystone Cat6 plugs in each room
  
• Extra rack screws and washers
  
• J-Hook: There are two hooks on each wall, holding service loops for the Cat6 and Coax, respectively.
  
  Useful things I learned:
  
  
• I was originally going to run the wires myself, but never could find the time. Also Cat6 is expensive when not purchased in wholesale quantities (< 10,000 ft). So we hired a local electrician to run the actual wires. It took two of them about 1.5 days to run everything. This was well worth the money, since the project would have taken many months to do in the evenings/on weekends with a toddler running around.
  
• I did all the wall terminations. Since they were punchdowns, it was easy and took one evening after work. The electricians would have charged me another half-day of labor.
  
• I did all the network rack work. This also took one evening after work.
  
• Do NOT buy electrical/networking equipment from a big box hardware store. Always go to a specialized retailer, like an electrician supply store. Their prices will be 1/20th that of the big box store, you won't have to have anything shipped, and their employees actually know what they are talking about. So if you're looking for something that you don't know the name of, you can usually describe it.
  
• Newer construction may have fire breaks/blocks/stops which prevent fire and gases from traveling up the inside of the walls. This makes fire move more slowly and give you more time to evacuate. However, it also means you might need to drill holes/patch walls in order to run wires vertically.
  
• Put in a service loop. If you ever need to re-terminate for any reason (like replacing a patch panel), it will give you extra cable to work with. Do the same thing inside your walls behind the wall plates, since you might have to do the same thing there as well.
  
• Buy networking gear that is rated for the same speed (i.e., gigabit). Your network will only be as fast as the slowest part of it.
  
• Watch out for network loops. This is really easy to do and will cause your router to crash or perform suboptimally. I spent >2 hours debugging on of these as a result of connecting my router to itself by way of both switches.

Bam: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-LANTESTPRO-Professional-Network-Loopback/dp/B00006B8DU

This will let you test cables four at a time. Never used it, but I knew things like this existed. I'm sure you could find one with more than 4 remotes. It still takes more time, but I'd rather be sure.

Power Strip Liberator Plus.

I have about 20 of these. Love em. Even has a passthrough so you can plug something else in the top. Stackable! I don't know if they make those CEE7 UK types though...

http://www.ziotek.com/templates/searchproducts.asp?categoryID=279

http://www.amazon.com/Ziotek-Power-Strip-Liberator-Plus/dp/B0009K6WJY/ref=cm_rdp_product

I also bought the cable raceway and i really recommend this one below. It comes with a hacksaw and everything you need. I want to add it to the two remaining visible cables.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RZQXRQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

great good god...275 drops. 4 twisted pair / drop. That's 2,200 punches. I wonder how long it took.

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EDIT: Is there a tool / technique to make punching down mass drop patch panels more efficient?

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DOUBLE EDIT: Hold the fuck up. Those are RJ45 modular jacks....in a patch panel form factor? Is this common practice? I'm a cat5e 48 drop and below guy.

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TRIP EDIT: I use these

https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Rackmount-Ethernet-N052-024/dp/B00005129E/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=cat5e+patch+panel+tripp+lite&qid=1558584547&s=gateway&sr=8-2

One of these will save your fingers:

https://www.amazon.com/BNC-Connector-Removal-Tool-inches/dp/B003X1BMBY

There were a lot of tooling expenses that went into this that drove up the cost, but its actually cheaper than many of its less capable competitors.

https://www.houzz.com/product/24822670-corral-cord-organizer-zen-contemporary-home-office-accessories

https://www.bluelounge.com/products/cablebin

https://www.amazon.com/Quirky-Under-Power-Management-Station/dp/B004SGJBU2

The cost will be $59 after the first 1000 backers, and will have a retail price of $79.99 after the Kickstarter is over.

One of many good reads on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/The-Code-Book-Science-Cryptography/dp/0385495323

10 pack retailing for less than $5.

In simplest terms, it helps reduce noise on the line.

I got them from a Japanese convenient store near where I work but you can find it on amazon too right here

There's a tool that looks like a long screwdriver but it basically wraps around the head of the BNC connector. You push and twist it and it pops right out.

https://www.amazon.com/BNC-Connector-Removal-Tool-inches/dp/B003X1BMBY

My bad. Also, it's easily cut to length with a hacksaw.

Quick search on [amazon] ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000AS9G9I?pc_redir=1408113699&robot_redir=1) lead me to those. Monoprice has them for a little cheaper.

That coax bend... I grabbed some of these for TVs and outlets behind couches etc. Right angle makes it so much nicer.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7KD4T0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H7KD4T0/

I think it's a BIX punchdown..

http://www.amazon.com/Paladin-4574-SurePunch-Punchdown-Blade/dp/B0002W3A8K

http://www.amazon.com/Startech-HC102-Adhesive-Cable-Mounts/dp/B00008VFBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408638506&sr=8-1&keywords=zip+tie+sticky

Patch Panel

looks to be this one to be exact.
https://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Unshielded-Connectors-Color-Coded-TC-P24C5E/dp/B00008AWL3/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1496594086&sr=1-4&keywords=patch+panel

I have a very similar build and was considering buying the Leviton extender bracket as I was worried about temperature in the box.. I opted not to. One year later, everything is just fine. Excess heat flows into the wall cavity and dissipates. The temperature inside the cabinet isn't much higher than ambient.

The heat-generating equipment in my cabinet are: modem, router, switch, 2 PoE injectors, a bunch of wall wart power adapters, and a SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime.

Nothing special, just these:

http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Organizer-Straps-2-inch-RF8111/dp/B000BLBZPW

I typically do cleanups and not installs but anything along the lines of http://www.amazon.com/C2G-03746-3-5-Inch-Horizontal-Management/dp/B00006MJFL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394637993&sr=8-1&keywords=horizontal+cable+management should work.

As far as recommendations, you really don't want to have to deal with excess cable. A couple of inches can be dealt with but once you go over half a foot it really starts to be a pain to fit into cable management systems. Take the time (even if you have to manually terminate a cable) to see how long your cable needs to be and then order pre-terminated cables at that length.

I finally figured out a way to deal with those pesky power supplies without having to spend a crazy amount of money on a purpose-built box. (https://www.amazon.com/Quirky-Under-Power-Management-Station/dp/B004SGJBU2)

Using an old desktop I yanked out the motherboard and mounted a UPS as well as all the power supplies for my external devices.

IKEA - SIGNUM Cable management, horizontal, silver color (FBA) https://www.amazon.com/dp/9178905931/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2u-TCbKT8H6KW if your to lazy just put this at the bottom of your desk and stuff everything under there

These. And they're awful to get off.