An Information Guide On Cat 6 Patch Panels
A patch panel is the name given to a rack of ports that are used to connect different cable lines from electronic and communication devices. These are made from small patch cords from the front sides, but at the back, there will be longer wire connections that will be needed for the circuits to work. The advantage of using patch panels is that it allows easy wiring and switching between circuits than using switches. The activities that can be done with the cables connected to a patch panel are monitoring the circuit, making interconnections and testing the circuits as they are being used. A typical example of patch cables is in the electrical room of a theater where several sound and light components may be connected to a single patch panel network.
Patch panels today generally use the Cat 6 cables since they are known for less interference, better transmission, faster transmission rates and workability for a high range of frequencies. The Cat 6 cables allow for Gigabit transfer, and therefore they are a prime choice in Ethernet networks, such as those used in workplaces where a large number of computers have to be connected in a LAN. In such workplace environments, several computers will be cabled into Cat 6 patch panels which allow them to communicate with each other. Not just the computers, but also devices like scanners, printers, fax machines and other such office equipment can be connected together. This becomes very convenient when circuits have to be rerouted, or other changes have to be made.
Cat 6 patch panels are generally arranged in the form of racks that can be made to stand on the floor. Each individual component of the patch panel is called as a faceplate, for which special arrangements are made to shield them from any kind of electromagnetic or radio frequency interference. Each component of these patch panel racks is generally 19 inches in dimension. Another design for the Cat 6 patch panel is the wall-mounted pattern. Nowadays, there are also some wireless patch panels being introduced in the market, but the Cat 6 patch panels are still holding out their popularity.
The specifications of Cat 6 patch panels are as follows - a bandwidth of 250 MHz, maximum data rate 10 Gbps. Despite that, lower Gbps rates are also used, even as less as 1 Gbps.
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