Which Patch Panel?

[janullrich]

Hi,

Whilst I'm not new to networking, I am new to Patch Panels and I'm looking for some advice when choosing one for a Cat 6a setup.

Is there anything I should be looking for?
Any particular Make/Model?
Recommendations?

Please let me know.

 

[bill001g]

There really are only 2 types. The most common has a bunch of rj45 punch down keystones and the other less common is a bunch of simple couplers. The second being very cheap since there is not a lot to it. The difference is the labor to install. The punch down ones with the proper tool are very quick. The cheaper coupler type require you to terminate every cable on the back with a rj45. When commercially installed labor is the biggest expense when you are doing it yourself you have to make the trade off of your time compared to the costs.

Pretty much as long as you don't buy from a company that misrepresents the product you will not see a huge difference between brands. This is the reason for specifications like cat5e and cat6a etc. Most the differences are appearance and port layout.

Be very sure you need cat6a. It is designed for 10g cabling. It will not improve gig connections in any way, the ports in the machines control the speed not the cable or the patch panels.