atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Extending Cat5e cables

Hi, My customer wants to move IT closet about 40 feet. about 20 drops, running voip phones as well, I'm thinking of pulling the existing patch panel above ceiling height, adding a second patch panel next to the existing one, extending cable to new location. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Your kidding, right .

Are you a electrician or IT guy?

My thoughts?? Do it the right way, don't be a hack. Unless of course, you'd like to have your pictures featured in a different part of this site....pictures of ugly work.

Explain to the customer that it is not the accepted / standard way of doing it. Then explain that it will most likely work just fine and they could save thousands of dollars and let them decide.

I've seen data cables extended over 2 pairs of a 25 pair Category 3 cable and it worked just fine (it was existing - we didn't do it!).

With a small business sometimes money is tight and something like this goes a long way and if someone comes along later and says you are a hack the customer will know that it was their choice and not blame you.

If I had to do it I would use these

Cat 6 splice box

I agree with Skip. I carry a few of those splice boxes for those times that I need a quick fix. Of course, the operative word is "if I had to do it".

Another possibility and one that I almost never do unless there is no money for recabling is one that will get a few folks mad at me. If $ is the deciding factor, have you ever noticed that R66M1-50 blocks have Cat 5 stamped on their sides? A little known fact is that if you terminate the pairs just a little differently, you can get an acceptable result using them to splice Cat 5 cables. Maintain the twist by bringing the 1st pair and lace it between clips 1-2. Then terminate it by looping the wh/bl upwards through clip 1 and the Bl/Wh downwards through clip 2. Repeat the procedure between clips 3-4 for the 2nd pair and so on. Perform a data test after the 1st cable if you don't believe me. I know that I will get flack over this but before you think I have lost it, please contact those companies who rate their 66 blocks for Cat 5 and ask them about it.

Just tell the customer that there is no acceptable way to splice or extend data cables. So moving an IT closet shouldn't be taken lightly. Some damn customers think like women rearranging furniture. The only real way is to rerun the drops that can't be pulled back to reach the new location.

I also get this from time to time from customers who move into a new space and want to re-use the old crap that was left there from the previous tenants. I just tell them that I have to run new runs as well as charge them to pull out the old stuff that the landlord should have made the old tenants do.

-Hal

Id do a site survey. Then tell the client that you can move X amount of existing at my normal labour rate to reterminate. The rest will have to be new pulls.

Been there, done that (about 20 feet as well). Client understood my points.

That being said, today I found that the contractors on a McDo refurb, had cut 1 telephone & 1 data cable going to one office. They could not be re-pulled due to the layout, so I terminated the cables on a BIX1a Block in the ceiling. Again the client understood.

Extending data cables is something that should only be done as a last resort, but let's be honest, the Earth isn't going to stop spinning on its axis if you do it right.

The one time that we had to extend some cables across a hallway, we used BIX to do the job. See Dave, your southern neighbors do pay attention occasionally.