sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring say you'd mix star with daisy chain

Hello all,

I'm a learn-as-I-go newbie - done my own structured wiring at home with 66 blocks and all home runs. Also wired my business premises' LAN.

Deteriorating wire runs on my business' phone installation is forcing me to attack it now. Generally, all runs are home runs to single ESI phones with the exception being an analog fax or modem extension on some runs using the 2nd pair of old quad or even 3 pair wire. Terminations are usually single biscuit blocks or pairs of biscuit blocks ganged together when a digital extension and an analog line is needed in the same location.

I plan on replacing the runs one at a time as needed. They're usually run outside and along the soffit to the wiring blocks and I'll be moving them into a crawl space. Some runs have up to 4 splices (!) dating back to our telco's lax attitude in handling an old 10A2 key system.

So much for the background. My specific question to start is: One particular long run I plan on starting with has need for a digital jack for the ESI and an analog jack for a fax. As I said, they are now on 2 biscuit blocks close together. Because of the devices' location in the office, I want to separate the jacks about 15 ft apart in the same room using screw-terminated jacks whether they be biscuit or flush.

Is it the worst thing in the world to run the home run to the first jack, and attach it and a daisied run to the 2nd jack on the same screw terminal? IOW, a mix of star and daisy? Is there any other way short of running a 2nd home run? I'm trying to avoid that and keep changes to a minimum at the wiring blocks. I thought I've seen small wiring blocks at local suppliers that would in effect make another star topo off this one leg and wonder if that's more viable.

Sorry for the long post, but hope it helps with any replies. TIA,

Charlie

Where are you running it to? The Demarc or your equipment room? I'd go with home run, wiring is cheap compaired to the time to redo it later. You could always use cheaper 2 pair wire for your faxes and modems. You could do as you said, run a 4 pair to the first jack and run from there to the second jack, but just how much are you really saving doing it that way?

I would pull two home runs at the same time one for each .

pulling a pair off the first cable would work but as bill said labor is the big thing here same effort to pull two cables or one

I like to have plenty of spare pairs for future

That's why we have multiple reels or boxes of cable. Grab what you need and pull. Just as easy to pull several to the same general location as one.

And yes, absolutely not a good idea to do any looping.

I hope you are using CAT3!

-Hal

A common practice would be to split a 4 pair cable into multiple jacks, one pair per jack...is that what you are talking about?

A common practice would be to split a 4 pair cable into multiple jacks, one pair per jack...is that what you are talking about?

Well, yeah, but the jacks are 15 feet apart. That's OK when everything is on the same plate.

-Hal

I hate to say it, but why not just put them both on the same plate and run a long line cord to the fax?

That's fine if you're just trying to make do with existing wiring. If you're running new cable anyways you aren't doing yourself any favours by taking shortcuts.

Run the extra home run cable for the fax jack, and for any other location you think you might possibly need a jack.

Home run for each jack will pay for itself later. Use 4 par cat 3 cable....there's not a heck of a lot of difference in price. Never use quad in a business locale.

I agree, but what about when the customer says 'oh we just need a phone here' and then a month later when the place is finished they decide they also need a fax machine...so you just split the pair out into another jack. I don't think it makes sense to go in and run another home run just for that.