Achieving efficient cable management is the dream of every IT technician, and this is where a patch panel comes in handy. A Cat6 patch panel realizes the connection, scheduling, and allocation of cable links. Through this article, you will get a thorough understanding of the patch panels.
How does the patch panel work?
Patch panels are also dubbed as patch bays and jack fields. A patch panel is a network component that connects incoming and outgoing LAN lines or other electronic, communication, and electrical systems. If you are mulling over setting up a wired network with several wall ports, patch panels can offer you neat, simple, and easy to manage solutions. Based on ports, these are the most frequently used patch panels:
- 12 Port Patch Panel
- 24 Port Patch Panel
- 48 Port Patch Panel
When you deploy a Cat6 patch panel, it bundles multiple ports together and connects outgoing and incoming lines. If you have deployed a patch panel in your networks and want to arrange circuits, all you need to do is to plug or unplug the concerned patch cord.
Must Read: What are the Patch Panels and Why do You need them?
The Importance of Patch Panel In Your Network
Usually, patch panels are connected to the network racks, either below or above switches. To quickly connect ethernet cables, a Cat6a patch panel comes with ports. They come in multiple configurations and sizes, and you can customize a Cat6a patch panel for different networks. You can gauge the importance of patch panels from the fact that if something goes wrong with them, the whole network collapses. As far as the number of ports in the patch panels is concerned, it varies between 12 ports to 96 ports. And when it comes to large networks, you may need hundreds of ports. Besides facilitating smooth networking, these awesome machines also help technicians by offering flexible and convenient routing options.
Copper Patch Panels and Fiber Patch Panels
Patch panels are used in both fiber and copper cabling networks. First, let’s discuss copper patch panels. 8-pin modular ports are used in the construction on one side, whereas the 110-insulation displacement connector blocks are used on the other side. The wires that are coming into the patch panels are terminated. The 8-pin modular connector is plugged into the ports on the other side to correspond to the terminated wires. It is pertinent here to mention that each pair of wires has an independent port in the copper Cat6a patch panel. On the other hand, fiber patch panels need two ports for each pair.
Shielded vs. Unshielded patch panels
For environments with high EMI interference, you should use a shielded patch panel. A shielded patch panel comprises a metal panel and snap-in shielded keystone jacks. Shielded patch panels are often used with shielded ethernet cables to ensure better signal transmission performance. Depending on the number of ports, you can categorize the shielded Cat6 patch panel into 12-port, 24-port, and 48-port types. Those patch panels that come with snap-in unshielded keystone jacks are classified as unshielded patch panels. Just like shielded patch panels, you can classify unshielded patch panels depending on the number of ports, i-e, 12-port unshielded patch panel, 24-port unshielded patch panel, and 48-port unshielded patch panel. With demand for effective cabling growing at a rapid pace, patch panels are also witnessing more advancements. Here at New York Cables, we make top-quality patch panels that are TIA/EIA verified and RoHS compliant. To ensure optimum performance, we have extensively tested our patch panels in the field and laboratories.
