Question what do I need to do this?

[hot_cocoa]

I work for a small business in a generalized IT role. We are moving to a new location and I've got 100 Ethernet cables coming into a patch panel. The previous occupant did not leave the information on the panel to tell me which desk has which cable. I know there must be something I can attach at the desk end, and something I can plug into each of my patch panel ports to figure out which cable I am now looking at. I just don't know what that is. Please let me know what I should be looking for in the market place. The distance between desk and patch panel - I can't imagine over 60 ft. Each desk has two cables, with one as a spare. So 50 seats or so. Thanks.

 

[BFG-9000]

While there are specialized tracer tools that let you identify many ports at once (there are many plugs and each transmits an ID code), what you describe you want can be done with a regular old cheapo cable continuity tester like you'd use to test an ethernet cable.

Simply plug the active end at a desk and then insert the receiver end into each port on the patch panel until you find it. And repeat for each desk port. The tester is cheap and handy to have around, plus you won't mind how long this takes if you are paid hourly. Whereas the costly specialized tool is more useful if you frequently see new patch panels you have to trace.

 

[bill001g]

Note most professionally installed cable have some kind of labels on the wall plate that you might be able to decode to figure out which cable on the patch panel it matches. There is no standard but you can normally figure it out. Since you are going to do the work to figure this out make sure you label the wall plates. You might also pull the wall plates they might have marked the ends of the cables.

So as mentioned above you can get cheap cable tones. This one has a cable locator as well as tester to make sure the pair are correct. You plug the sender into a wall jack and take the receiver and put it near the end of the other cables until you hear the tone.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TMDFG3W

The other way you might do this depends on how many of those jacks you intend to use. Since you are going to have to buy a switch anyway for the patch panel end just plug a bunch of the cables into the switch and then plug a end device into the wall jack and look for lights on the switch. With a helper it takes less running back and forth.

 

[hot_cocoa]

Thanks!

 

[kanewolf]

I work for a small business in a generalized IT role. We are moving to a new location and I've got 100 Ethernet cables coming into a patch panel. The previous occupant did not leave the information on the panel to tell me which desk has which cable. I know there must be something I can attach at the desk end, and something I can plug into each of my patch panel ports to figure out which cable I am now looking at. I just don't know what that is. Please let me know what I should be looking for in the market place. The distance between desk and patch panel - I can't imagine over 60 ft. Each desk has two cables, with one as a spare. So 50 seats or so. Thanks.

If you have standard keystone jacks on both ends, I would recommend this -- https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-VDV501-852-Tester-Locates/dp/B08BDBB983/
You can locate 18 ends at a time. Plug the numbered remotes into all the jacks in an area, then at the patch panel start plugging in. Mark the location then put painters tape over the jack when it has been identified.