Accessorises

What to look for

• Match the tool to the plug. Pass-through (EZ type) RJ45 plugs let the conductors run all the way through the plug body so the installer can verify the colour order before crimping, and the tool trims the protruding conductors flush as it crimps. Standard modular plugs need a conventional modular crimping tool. The two plug types are not interchangeable with one tool.
• Field terminations versus factory cords. Crimped plugs belong on equipment tails and temporary links. Permanent horizontal runs should always terminate on a punched-down keystone jack at both ends, with factory made patch cords for the flexible sections. Crimping a solid conductor cable and calling it a permanent link is the most common cause of intermittent faults on Iraqi sites.
• Cable management is a design decision, not an afterthought. Allow horizontal management between patch panels and vertical routing at the sides of the cabinet before the cabinet fills up. Retrofitting management into a live rack means unplugging live services.
• Buy the tools with the first batch of cable. Tools are the item that gets forgotten in a bill of materials and then holds up a whole floor on the day of installation.

Range

Typical use

Integrators and contractors working across Erbil, Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah and Duhok carry both crimping tools in the van because sites mix pass-through and standard plugs. Cable management goes into every rack build: bank and government server rooms where an auditor has to trace a circuit, ISP aggregation racks where a 48 port panel becomes unusable without managed routing, and university and hospital comms rooms that are extended a few ports at a time over many years.

Related

Use these accessories with keystone jacks, patch panels and 305 m Cat.6 and Cat.6A cable. For rack shelves, PDUs and blanking panels see rack accessories. Guides: cable management best practices and network cable troubleshooting. Prices are not published online, so contact an authorized distributor for a quotation.