On 11 Jun 2002, Erik Mitchell wrote: [snip] > Also, don't fall for those super-expensive home data wiring setups at > Home Depot. I'm sure you can do better if you snoop around. Try Axman > Surplus in St. Paul on University and in St. Louis Park on Minnetonka. > They have all kinds of good stuff, including phone/security wiring > products. Axman on University has a bunch of 10U racks for about $30 each. They may not have many on the floor, but if you ask at the counter they should have a bunch at their warehouse. That's as of about 3 weeks ago. General Nanosystems has Trendnet branded patch panels that are pretty inexpensive. We use Avaya branded patch panels here at work, which would have cost me about $175 for a 24-port. The 24-port Trendnet patch panel at GNS was about $50, and has been working just fine. As others have mentioned, Home Depot has a pretty good price on CAT5/CAT5e cable. Home Depot also has decent prices on modular wall jacks. All of this stuff will be color coded for you (either T568A or T568B, or both). It really doesn't matter which you use, as long as you're consistent. http://www.cableu.net/uncleted/unclet04.htm will give you more specific information. You'll need to find a 110 punchdown tool somewhere. Try to borrow one from someone if you can, a 'real' punchdown tool with a 110 blade can be kind of expensive for a one time job. If you do need to buy one, I believe Home Depot has them too, but I don't recall if their pricing is competitive. http://www.cableu.net/ is pretty good for basic cabling information. Specifically, take a look at http://www.cableu.net/online/wuonline.htm for more information. [snip] > When you're pulling wire - pull one more than you think you'll need. > You'll thank yourself later! [snip] Definately. Cat5 cable is cheap, and it's much easier to pull a bunch all at once than it is to pull a little and then have to pull more later. Personally, I would pull more than one extra cable. A little planning for the future can save you a lot of grief later on. Jeff