Networking → [Other] Network Infrastructure Questions

Hello, Jeff here.

I am in the planning stage of upgrading my network infrastructure and I'm seeking suggestions/input.

1. I need to run a conduit from my wiring closet to my server room and I had thought about using schedule 40 PVC for a conduit to do the run but I can't do to an obstruction in the way.
>>> So what type of conduit is good that can make a less than 90 degree bend and has little resistance to pulling cable? ( all indoor )

2. I am going to be replacing all of my old ethernet cabling to a newer standard. I will be using cat6 or cat6a. ( all indoor )
>>> What brand of quality cabling do you us or suggest?

3. I plan to use toolless keystone jacks.
>>> Anyone have any experience using toolless keystone jacks, and if so, do they make good connections and hold up well as compared to regular punch down jacks?

Thanks,
Jeff

Back in February I cabled our upstairs with CAT 6 and some RG-6 Trishield solid copper conductor coax. I added a few runds of fiber to my wife's new office.

You can see in this picture, I used "smurf tube" for runs to our daughter's new desks where I couldn't go strait up because of the Attic storage above. It's flexible for slight to large bends and is made for pulling electrical wire. You can normally get it at Big Box stores and it attaches to low voltage boxes.

Just make sure you use a decent brand that is Solid copper, 23ga riser rated. Monoprice, Cable Matters, Fiber Store brand or similar for budget. About $150 for 1000ft. Or Comscope, Hitachi, Belden for high end. I had partial boxes of Comscope from work so I used those which were CAT6 and CAT6e. The coax was Belden 7915a Tri-shield.

Tooless may be okay. But I went with punch down as I have the other end in a rack mount punch down. And I know at work they only use punchdown so it's field proven. You will want to get at least a continuity tester for ~$10 if you go with either so you can make sure all 8 wires make contact in proper order. I would love to Fluke test mine but those are expensive.

Also, some tooless jacks may be bigger so keep that in mind if you have several jack close together in a 4, 6, or 8 port face plate.

You can heat up conduit with a heat gun or torch and bend it around obstructions.

Unless, the runs aren't long enough anymore, there is no point in pulling out cat5e as it works just fine with 2.5gigE and 5gigE, so long as the cable and terminations are good. Anywhere you think you might want 10gigE, go ahead and pull in an additional cat6a.

There are a ton of cable manufactures out there, just stay away from the really cheap stuff. Monoprice generally has decent cable that doesn't break the bank.

Tool-less keystones are fine, as with any other connector, just make sure you don't untwist any more wire than is necessary.

Speaking of cables, I never hear Blue Jeans cables ever mentioned on this forum.

Back when I was into audio, they were a supplier of extremely well-made, well-priced yet no-nonsense cables.

They extended this thinking to Ethernet cables - more high quality, well-priced and certified cables.

Well having not priced cables lately (and not even being able to order them since I'm not in the U.S.) maybe they're not well-priced?

»www.bluejeanscable.com/s ··· ndex.htm

Anyway, if you want a good read about their fantastic attitude (and why they'd get my business if I could), take a look at this old story: »www.bluejeanscable.com/l ··· gal/mcp/

I think Blue Jeans Cable is good for patch cables and such. Maybe custom lengths. But their bulk real Ethernet cable isn't the best deal IMO.

Fiber Store has US based warehouses and makes quality stuff. Out networking team even uses some of their SFP transceivers. I would try their CAT 6 if I had to buy some right now.

»www.fs.com/products/5870 ··· d=285005

If an inspector will be looking at it, no single bend can be greater than 90. (and there's a limit to the total amount of bend per pull, before a box has to be installed.) I've not seen many people use interduct (innerduct) in houses, but plenum rated shouldn't raise any issues.

Toolless jacks are the spawn of Satan. Buy a crimp tool, and learn to use it.

And what ever you do, leave some pull strings in there with it. You can't see it in these pictures but I did leave some mule tape in that blue conduit along with the CAT 6 run.

I also leave mule tape in each wall where the run goes up to the Attic or down to the crawlspace. I stapled them high up on the rafters so they could be seen after insulation was blown in where you could find them later to make changes. This was my alternative to conduit in the walls given the time, materials and budget I had to work with during Covid. PVC boxed and stuff was hard to find.

Does that go for low voltage or is that only for power distribution?

All wiring, as far as I know. (due to force needed to pull)

What size is the smurf tubing?
Seems to me that smurf would make it harder and add resistance to the cable pulling.

What makes Comscope so much better?

Do you do your own fiber terminations?

I may go with a punch down but I had seen these toolless jacks from Truecable that looked interesting.

Seems to me the PVC pipe would collapse at the bend.

I hate to admit it but I had to look up the term "mule tape".

Mule tape, aka pull strings, makes good and common sense.

In NC, can conduit be made using schedule 40 PVC?
I had read that in some places, not necessarily NC, that schedule 40 was not allowed for in-home use. But regular white PVC was fine for plumping.

So, could regular white plumbing PVC pipe be used as a conduit? Seems to me it would be better for pulling than ENT piping.

I think that was 3/4" I used. It was because I had to go up the wall, over, and then up again to the attic. This is normally used as electrical conduit where EMT is not required. So it's made for pulling wires in. You can shape it easier and faster then Electrical PVC.

I would look at the gray Electrical PVC because it already has one end belled out so you just put electrical PVC glue on the next piece and insert them together. You don't need primer since it's not pressurized. Cut with hack saw or whatever you have. You can heat it and shape it some. It's also schedule 40. They have schedule 80 but you just have less space inside the pipe.

With most low volt, you don't need conduit at all. In commercial buildings they use conduit down the wall to the box for pulling. But the rest of the runs are in an open tray above the ceiling in the hallway back to the wiring closet.

And the fiber cables I has were pre-terminated 150ft runs, like are used for GPON. Single mode with SC-APC connectors.

Belden, Comscope, and others have test reports and are "guaranteed" to specs for government, education and cooperate use. Better quality. Like Acura vs Honda. Same car, but one is better made for more money. But both work well.

Punch down keystone jacks and an unloaded panel OR a punch down patch panel???

What is your preference, and why?

I like keystone panels. Invariably, the panel is a hard to reach area if you need to add runs. much easier to punch a keystone and snap it in place.

It will flatten slightly if you're not careful or make the bend radius too tight, but it's surprising how well it works

I watched several videos on Youtube on how to do it. Seems simple enough after some practice. I don't think this solution will work good for me because I will be working in the crawlspace pulling the conduit from point A to point B.

I need a flexible solution.

Thanks anyway for the idea to bend PVC. I had never really thought about bending PVC.

Currently, I have both. I just filled up my first 24 port 1/2U patch panel as well as a 2nd one when I added upstairs drops during our renovation/addition this Spring. I still had some drops left over for exterior cameras but not enough for a full panel. So for those I used a blank panel and punch down CAT 6 jacks. The rest of the blanks I can user for Coax or the 4 fiber lines I ran to my IT closet. Blank panels allow you to add any kind of keystone termination to it.

My 1980 era house had not structured wiring for Phone or Cable. What few things were there were crappily added post facto. Took a small closet area under the bottom of the Stairs that sloped down in the back and made it into my IT closet. It's in the middle of the house next to the HVAC shaft that goes up to the attic. So it was a good central place for all the runs. My crawlspace isn't too small so I've done it over years as I had time.