Phone to internet.

[kiatech]

Since my new house is wired with cat5e and its only used for phone (rj11) I am taking full advantage and installing rj45 jacks. I went to lowes and looked at the the the punch down tool and jacks I was shocked. $5 for ONE jack and that is not including a wall plate. Is a punch down tool a punch down tool? or is there something I am missing.?

 

[nanofrog]

They're not all the same.

Not sure what they have on the shelf, but there are different blade sizes (66 and 110 for example, as well as some specialty blades which are meant to work with specific terminals <Krone and Bix>, and a combination 66/110 blade).

In the case of the Keystone jacks you're looking at, 110 (or 66/110 combo) would be the size you want (very common size, so they should have it). Be warned, that the cheap ones may punch down OK, but don't do so well on cutting the wire.

Hope this helps.

 

[gMonkwb]

Hi kiatech,

Before you swap out the RJ11 to RJ45 connections, you'll want to make sure that the CAT5e was installed in a "home-run" configuration. If the cable was installed "daisy-chain" style then you will not be able to use the CAT5e cable for an Ethernet network. A quick way to verify if the CAT5e was installed in a home-run configuration: remove the RJ11 cover from the wall box and look to see if only 1 CAT5e cable feeds into the box and that it terminates into the RJ11 plug. If it terminates but continues on to another RJ11 wall box then you have a daisy-chain configuration. Also, a home-run configuration will have each CAT5e run coming back to a wiring closet location, and preferably terminating into a patch panel made up of several RJ11 plugs.

Assuming you are able to proceed, I would recommend Monoprice for your RJ45 keystones and accessories. I have wired my entire house using their products and have not had a problem in the 3+ years since I wired it up.

Good luck!

 

[PsRumors]

With the advancement of wireless, why bother (spending money) changing to RJ45?

If you do decide to change over go to Graybar, MicroCenter or online to buy your equipment. Lowes and HD tend to be overpriced.

 

[Lotek]

With the advancement of wireless, why bother (spending money) changing to RJ45?

If you do decide to change over go to Graybar, MicroCenter or online to buy your equipment. Lowes and HD tend to be overpriced.

+1, I pulled cat5 for both Phone and network when I first bought my house...and there it sits, obsolete and lonely, between cellphones and encrypted wifi...

 

[aandpdan]

With the advancement of wireless, why bother (spending money) changing to RJ45?

The only "advantage" to wireless is being able to move things around.

Wired is more reliable, has better security, and often has higher throughput than wireless.

I second Monoprice. I've wired three houses using their products. I like their RJ-45's better than the Leviton's that HD used to carry. Now they're carrying some other brand, still for a ridiculous price.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

@Kiatech- what u plan on doing is vague. Are u planning on using the in-wall Cat5e for networking? If so, u should do what Monk suggested first to make sure your house was wired correctly for networking! If you're not trying to setup a network, then why bother with changing the jacks to RJ45? They won't improve your phone service!

 

[PsRumors]

The only "advantage" to wireless is being able to move things around.

Wired is more reliable, has better security, and often has higher throughput than wireless.

I second Monoprice. I've wired three houses using their products. I like their RJ-45's better than the Leviton's that HD used to carry. Now they're carrying some other brand, still for a ridiculous price.

Wireless also has the advantage of needing less hardware (wiring, jacks, blocks, tools, etc).

When setup properly wired or wireless are equally reliable. Both can be unreliable if not installed correctly.

As for throughput, its going to be a tie, when setup correctly.

Security, yes, wired can be more secure only in the fact one is not broadcasting an over the air signal. Both can still be hacked though, relatively easy when the typical homeowner sets up the network.

 

[Falcon67]

I'm a network guy by profession. I pulled one Cat5 wire in this house, from the demarc to the wireless router location. The house has Cat3 but we don't use it. We're all mobile, no landlines other than the DSL. As above - if it's home run, you're good. And don't buy anything network related from Lowes or HD. I don't handle Layer 1 or 2 at work, but we have a Lowes down the street and don't buy ANY networking products there. All bought online from various suppliers.

 

[bdamico]

I'm a network guy by profession. I pulled one Cat5 wire in this house, from the demarc to the wireless router location. The house has Cat3 but we don't use it. We're all mobile, no landlines other than the DSL. As above - if it's home run, you're good. And don't buy anything network related from Lowes or HD. I don't handle Layer 1 or 2 at work, but we have a Lowes down the street and don't buy ANY networking products there. All bought online from various suppliers.

Sorry to hijack. But I have cat5 throughout the house and it appears to be daisy chained. My uverse router stopped getting signal and att came in and they couldn't make it work at the outlet anymore. They can get signal outside the house. They can get signal in my garage where the daisy chain starts in my openhouse panel (I guess) but now there is a problem somewhere in between. Any good resources as to how to start tracking the problem between the openhouse panel and the jack in the house?

 

[jeffmoss26]

I am a network guy also. I still prefer wire everywhere, with wireless to supplement it.
Hopefully everything is homerun to a central point so you can just replace the jacks and install a patch panel.
Personally I buy 99 percent of my stuff at Graybar or other supply houses. I use Leviton unless I am matching an existing cabling system. HD used to sell Leviton but they have switched to some house brand which is junk. At least in the past if I ran short on a part, I could go to HD. Oh well, I've got a good inventory here anyway!

 

[rodm1]

Any good resources as to how to start tracking the problem between the openhouse panel and the jack in the house?

Run a new home run you will be glad you did. The majority of low voltage now days needs to be done that way in order to prevent signal lose. My cable box wouldn't work correctly with out doing this.

 

[Vinci]

Keystone jacks are definitely expensive. $5 isn't a shock at all. I largely use Ortronics jacks at work. You can get those at various supply houses, but not Lowes/Home Depot.

Most of those jacks require a 110-block punch tool. You don't have to go nuts and get a commercial tool, but they make life a lot easier when you have a lot of punches to make.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Yeah, we use Panduit at work and it's a bit more than Leviton.
Graybar is 10 minutes from the office which is great!

 

[The Frisco Kid]

I like Monoprice for the items that you know that you are going to need. I wouldn't use it in the office, but it's fine for home installs, IMO.

 

[ishiboo]

Keystone RJ45 jacks are not that bad... get into banana, RCA, BNC, etc. and prepare to be surprised.

 

[mrjaw14]

I once ran into an electrician converting a phone system over cat5 to network jacks and when I got called out to find out why it wouldn't work I discovered that he had not only daisey chained everything, but had literally 8" of untwisted wires connected with wire nuts. I agree with my fellow network guys, thing 1 is to find out if it's home run or chained together. Must be home run for this to work.

Now, if you're lucky and it's home run, then at the head end, get a multi-port patch panel. They usually come in 6, 12, 24, or 48 ports. 6 or 12's can be wall mounted with the right bracket, 24 and 48 you need a rack mount setup of some kind. You'll punch down your cat5e wires to the ports, being careful not to untwist the wire more than 1/2". I'd google how to do that before you jump into it because if you untwist the wire you'll loose performance. If you have extra cables, don't cut it off, give yourself a service loop and neatly coil it with wire ties. Label both ends of the runs in numbers or letters.

As for the hardware, if this is a one time deal, you can get a cheap punch down tool for 110 that doesn't cut the wires. you can punch down the jacks, put the jack cover on, then use flush cut dykes to snip the excess off. That works fine on the jack end, but that non-cutting punch down tool will make you hate life on the patch panel end. It's technically do-able, but it'll be ugly and time consuming. You could look on ebay for a used punch down tool that will be a world of difference in this project.

FWIW, network stuff is ALWAYS 110. 66 blocks are for telecom, which uses 110 as well. So all your jacks, patch panels, blades for punch down tool will all be 110.

The jacks and patch panels will usually have an "A" scheme and a "B" scheme. You have to pick one and use only that or you'll run into issues. Most commonly used is "B" for some reason. If you ever have to call someone out to work on it, they'll most likely be used to the "B" color code, and might make it easier for them to work on it.

While you're on ebay, get a cheap network cable tester. doesn't have to be fancy, just something that tells you that all 8 wires are terminated and they are in the right order.

 

[Vinci]

The jacks and patch panels will usually have an "A" scheme and a "B" scheme. You have to pick one and use only that or you'll run into issues. Most commonly used is "B" for some reason. If you ever have to call someone out to work on it, they'll most likely be used to the "B" color code, and might make it easier for them to work on it.

This is an excellent point. Most pre-made patch cables will be terminated in the B standard. It's best to stick to that for ease of maintenance.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I once ran into an electrician converting a phone system over cat5 to network jacks and when I got called out to find out why it wouldn't work I discovered that he had not only daisey chained everything, but had literally 8" of untwisted wires connected with wire nuts. I agree with my fellow network guys, thing 1 is to find out if it's home run or chained together. Must be home run for this to work.

Now, if you're lucky and it's home run, then at the head end, get a multi-port patch panel. They usually come in 6, 12, 24, or 48 ports. 6 or 12's can be wall mounted with the right bracket, 24 and 48 you need a rack mount setup of some kind. You'll punch down your cat5e wires to the ports, being careful not to untwist the wire more than 1/2". I'd google how to do that before you jump into it because if you untwist the wire you'll loose performance. If you have extra cables, don't cut it off, give yourself a service loop and neatly coil it with wire ties. Label both ends of the runs in numbers or letters.

As for the hardware, if this is a one time deal, you can get a cheap punch down tool for 110 that doesn't cut the wires. you can punch down the jacks, put the jack cover on, then use flush cut dykes to snip the excess off. That works fine on the jack end, but that non-cutting punch down tool will make you hate life on the patch panel end. It's technically do-able, but it'll be ugly and time consuming. You could look on ebay for a used punch down tool that will be a world of difference in this project.

FWIW, network stuff is ALWAYS 110. 66 blocks are for telecom, which uses 110 as well. So all your jacks, patch panels, blades for punch down tool will all be 110.

The jacks and patch panels will usually have an "A" scheme and a "B" scheme. You have to pick one and use only that or you'll run into issues. Most commonly used is "B" for some reason. If you ever have to call someone out to work on it, they'll most likely be used to the "B" color code, and might make it easier for them to work on it.

While you're on ebay, get a cheap network cable tester. doesn't have to be fancy, just something that tells you that all 8 wires are terminated and they are in the right order.

And that about sums up apprentice/DYI networking 101!