Network wiring (New construction Apartments)

GuardianX

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Moved recently for a job and am renting from a relatively new construction development. On tour of the apartment I noticed that all the wall jacks had 2 connections, a typical network plug modded bot plug for phone and a top cat 5e plug. When we finally got into the place I plugged in my stuff to the network plug (one of 3 in the house) pretty much knowing there would be no connection but wanting to see anyhow for shits and giggles.

Long story short, the wires have been run to every socket but not actually connected.

Is there anything I can do personally inside?

- Have read that contractors typically use wiring diagram "B" on the wall socket, is this true?
- I have enough skill with electronics that I can safely put it all together, if I know certain answers.

My worry is that the cable termination box isn't inside the apartment (brilliant. . .) and if I dick around and actually punch the cable into place here (as "A" or "B") and it turns to be the opposite of the way I punched in the termination location, I'll be screwed.

My ultimate plan for all this is to:

- Find the Termination location
- Put a straight network cable from 1 point to another, so i don't need to use a switch or hub there
- Punch the cables into the wall sockets

Anyone find any issue with this? Will distance come into play? Will the management group of the apartments have an issue with me wiring their building?

I assume the termination location is somewhere outside the actual apartment unit. I doubt that the location would be too far, likely right outside In the maint closet.
 

Ramar

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Yes, almost all UTP terminations are "B" configuration. Are they not already terminated? I'm not sure why you would need to punch the cable in the wall sockets. The other end is mostly likely terminated on a patch panel in the maintenance closet (like you said), and if they'll give you access it shouldn't be a problem. Also, if they aren't labeled you may need a tone and probe kit to find the proper jack on the patch panel. Distance can come into play too. If your apartment is over 150' from the maintenance closet, you probably shouldn't even bother (cat5e tops out at approx 300', so directly patching one jack to another can exceed that limitation).
 

Ramar

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"According to the ANSI/TIA/EIA standard for category 5e copper cable (TIA/EIA 568-5-A[5]), the maximum length for a cable segment is 100 meters (328 feet)."

Nope.
 

Ramar

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How about actually providing a source or something constructive to the thread?
 

Ramar

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Why don't you google it for me? Or maybe you should google the difference between a foot and a meter.
 

brekk

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Do you also not know how to use Google?
It's 100m or ~300 ft.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_5_cable

If the network outlets don't come to a patch panel within your apartment I'd say screw it and deal with wireless. Fuck having my network converging in a closet that's either publicly accesible or only accessible through contacting the building maintenance.

PS: All the cool kids wire Cat5B
 

brekk

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Electronic standard is not the same as a cable limitation.
 

Ortega

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Definitely can vouch for the 100M/300FT limitation. If you want to test it feel free to go buy a 1000FT box from Home Depot for Lowers for $75.00 and put an end on both sides then try to get connectivity through it.. wont work.
 

GuardianX

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It's 100m or ~300 ft.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_5_cable

If the network outlets don't come to a patch panel within your apartment I'd say screw it and deal with wireless. Fuck having my network converging in a closet that's either publicly accesible or only accessible through contacting the building maintenance.

PS: All the cool kids wire Cat5B
Honestly, this is what I may do (leave it alone I mean) if it gets too...annoying. ATM the plan is to network the bedroom and family room, that can easily be done with a straight cable put on the patch panel. I wouldn't have to mess with it ever and it should last forever assuming they actually ran the cables.

Honestly, who runs cables and doesn't terminate them? That's like working your lover into the mood when they clearly didn't want it and leaving JUST before actually having sex.
 

GuardianX

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Okay, holy shit...

That AT&T tech, by far one of the most badass techs I have ever seen. Comes in, takes a look around and basically says "They didn't connect anything, what me to connect it?" and then basically does everything I mentioned in this thread.

My faith in humanity, restored like a motherfucker today.

Say what you want about AT&T as a company but their people are pretty badass sometimes.

Edit:

Apparently the tech was from Kansas City, KS. Who says google lighting the fire under them there didn't do anything to the industry.
 

Kithani

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Edit:

Apparently the tech was from Kansas City, KS. Who says google lighting the fire under them there didn't do anything to the industry.
Why would it do anything to the industry? WE DON'T EVEN WANT THIS HIGH SPEED INTERNET STUFF THAT GOOGLE IS OFFERING, REMEMBER?
 

tOne_sl

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Definitely can vouch for the 100M/300FT limitation. If you want to test it feel free to go buy a 1000FT box from Home Depot for Lowers for $75.00 and put an end on both sides then try to get connectivity through it.. wont work.
+1. You can stretch it out a bit but starts proving to be unreliable after 120m. It will definitely not reach 300m without repeaters.
 

chilansl

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Why would it do anything to the industry? WE DON'T EVEN WANT THIS HIGH SPEED INTERNET STUFF THAT GOOGLE IS OFFERING, REMEMBER?
What are you talking about? I would love high... (er, reverse psychology?) Uh, I wouldn't want high speed internet. Nossir. /crosses heart
 

ramp

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You need to not read pollack manuals. It's 300 meters.
Take it from someone who comes across this stuff in datacenters;

Anything beyond 100 meters is stretching it while retaining the maximum speed. Even at 100 meters it will depend on the quality of your ethernet cable, ie, don't buy the stuff which uses iron or a mix instead of proper copper. While that might work for the few meters of a cable modem to the PC/Switch, it won't work long distance.

300 Meter is roughly the maximum length for multimode optical fiber (OM3) at 10Gb/s.