sundance-communications.com Forums Telephone Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Small office install - bigbox 4 line phones

First off let me introduce myself since this my first post. I am a systems administrator (one of those IT guys I keep reading about on your forum) except I know when something has me licked.

After a fire at one of my clients, they decided to build new. I am taking care of the data wiring, have did that for quite some time. What has me a bit puzzled is the choice in phone equipment. Unfortunately, I don't have any say because the owner is determined he knows better (and doesn't want to spend additional money on a PBX).

-Cabling: Cat5E, most places are either 4 or 6 drops for multiple items (it amazed me how many optometrist measurement devices are now Ethernet capable.) I know many of you guys don't like running Cat5 for voice but again, out of my hands.

-Phones: Typical office superstore with 4 line up to 16 extensions. I tried like a dickens to get him to go with my vendor and let them install a small ESI or Vodavi system but had no luck.

-Lines: Unfortunately he has a long standing with his cable company providing him 4 lines and has had no problems. Same as the phones, owner knows better...I'd rather deal with the telco but once again, he pays the bills that let me continue eating...and from the size of my gut, I like to do that often!

All of the Cat 5 cabling will go to patch panels and I planned on taking whatever type of output from the cable company to a 66. What I'm not sure about is how I should "hub" all these phones together.

My initial thought was: Floor drop patch panel -> Patch cable -> Telephone patch panel where all 4 pairs are connected together and taking the lines from the 66 back into a 8P8C modular connector into the first port of the panel to feed the voice circuits into each pair.

On the station end, 8P8C modular at the wall that splits into two 6P4C to enter the phone.

I obviously know there's no real "right" way to do this as 16 extensions SHOULD be on a PBX but for now I'm stuck working with this without option of using an outside telephone guy.

I will deeply appreciate any suggestions and criticisms.

Thanks!

What I would do is similar to your first idea. A telephone patch panel with patch cords from it as necessary to the ports on the premises wiring patch panel that are for the jacks used for the phones.

Wire the back of the telephone patch panel with individual 4 pair cables as 568A and terminate the other ends (all four pair) on split 66M blocks. You will need two blocks, 6 cables per side. Then what you will do is use cross connect wire to loop all the white/blues together and then over to line 1 on another block with the COs from the cable modem. Do the same with the W/O, W/G and W/Br for lines 2,3 and 4.

Back at eack jack use a splitter to provide 2 separate 6pos/4pin jacks.

This will provide maximum flexibility not only for moving phones but should he give in later and go for a key system.

-Hal

I'm guessing from your email that the customer wants to use 4 line non-ksu phones. Sure, it's his money and his business. If it doesn't work well, then it's his problem.

I would bring the 16 Cat 5 voice cables to 3 66 blocks mounted next to the feed coming in from the cable company. Cut the cables down on one side of the blocks and then loop the 4 lines to each of the cables, terminating the cross connects on the opposite side of the block. Use bridging clips to establish a connection. (This will help you to troubleshoot in the event you've got a bad set that screws up the whole shebang.)

Now you're all set for when the phones don't work. Doing it this way, it should be easy enough to have a telephone vendor install a real phone system and connect it up properly.

Sam

Looks like Hal beat me to it.

Sam

If you can get him to punch those 16 drops down directly on 66 blocks Sam.

-Hal

Nope, I tried. All of the premise wiring onto patch panels then jump to the telephone patch panel via patch cable. Sounds like a "patchy" day!

Please see if this is logically laid out properly. I'm a very visual type of person...especially on things I'm not very familiar with.



If all is good, there's only one thing I am unsure on. On Block #1, the first four pair will be telco lines; where will I connect the 128 cross connects to?

Or did I just confuse myself even more??

Thanks!

You'll loop CO line one to all your w/bl pairs CO line two to all the white orange and down the line. You'll have two jacks at each station location one for lines one and two and one for lines three and four.

I didn't read all the post in here but these things work on 600 feet of cable max per the manufacture. 16 phones that's just a little over 37 feet of cable per phone. These things are also a pain to trouble shoot when one phone goes bad and causes line troubles. I'm sure I repeated some of what Sam and Hal said.

Please see if this is logically laid out properly. I'm a very visual type of person...especially on things I'm not very familiar with.

Instead of the 48&48&32 cross connects you should LOOP down each of your three 66 blocks using the 66 blade on your punch tool that doesn't cut the wire. So you will have only the ends of the loops which is 4 pair from each block to cross connect over the the cable company block.

-Hal

I was not aware of the 600' limitation. Is this just limiting intercom functionality or will no stations be able to use CO lines?

The building's size is 60x60 and includes a second floor. The telephone room is near the rear corner. Looks like its time to break out the blueprints to see if its even possible to use this system.

And if you use CAT5 those distances will probably be even less.

-Hal