(Part 3) 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.

A lot of people love those auto tensioner/Clippers, but I've found that if you don't have them set perfectly on the the it will still leave more of a tail than if you just use these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000GTMZHG?pc_redir=1396457586&robot_redir=1

Plug them all into a Pass through patch panel. Label it one for one with the labels on the cables. Should be pretty enough and functional. Then use patch cables and a nice 2u cable manager. Be nice of you to put some j-hooks on those shit studs about 2ft up and separated the cables from the power that its probably running on top of.

Heres a parts list.

Patch Panel

2u Cable Manager

J-Hooks

Patch Cables

Wall Rack Enclosure

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

10 pack retailing for less than $5.

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

I've always had good luck with the cage nuts that APC sends with their racks. I don't think I've ever broken one, and they seem to be easiest on the fingers. Sometimes I will need a flathead to pop it in, but it's rare.

http://www.amazon.com/APC-AR8100-Hardware-Kit-Netshelter/dp/B00006BBH4

They’re great but they wear out really quickly, hence why most professionals use this style instead.

Edit: I don’t know this. And I don’t know why I said this. What I do know is that I’m a dipshit.

Edit 2: Actually; I do know why I said this. I wanted to look smart to the internet people. I hope this behavior doesn’t persist into the future, and that my actions now don’t reflect poorly on my past actions. This was a dick move.

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

I think it's a BIX punchdown..

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

Same, I found the connectors though. You can buy them on Amazon.

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

For basics, you'll need a cat5/6 UTP stripper

http://www.amazon.com/Ideal-45-165-UTP-Cable-Stripper/dp/B000IBPRCM/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1377532523&sr=8-18&keywords=cat+5+UTP+stripper

A decent Punchdown tool, theres a few different brands, i use a Fluke personally.

A good set of snips is worth its weight in gold, not only for cutting cable, but for cutting larger wires, tie wraps, and fingers

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Networks-44300000-D-Snip-Scissors/dp/B000E5VAXM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377532588&sr=8-1&keywords=fluke+scissors

You'll need a cable tester, you can find a basic cheap one that tests for open and swapped pairs. Unless you need documented certifications, thats all you need.

And then a small flathead, medium phillips screwdriver, and a small hook for pulling out those pesky swapped wire pairs from jacks.

I would've used velcro ties instead of the tubing, the tubing is distracting. Infact, could've use this:
http://www.amazon.com/Wiremold-CMK30-Screen-Television-Cover/dp/B0015EA3NO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344284633&sr=8-1&keywords=cable+hider

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 only use the EZ-RJ45 ends now. Never going back to ones you can't push the wires all the way through.

I also use the special crimper designed to automatically cut excess cable off.