Patch Panels

How to choose a patch panel

• Port count and rack space. A 24 port panel occupies 1U, a 48 port panel occupies 2U. The 48 port format doubles density for the same two rack units, which is what main distribution frames, dense floor distributors and ISP aggregation racks need.
• Loaded or unloaded. A fully loaded panel arrives with jacks already fitted and cuts installation time. An unloaded panel is a blank frame with 24 keystone openings you populate yourself, which is the right choice when a single panel has to mix UTP and FTP, Cat.6 and Cat.6A, or when you standardise on a jack you already stock.
• Shielded or unshielded. A shielded panel has a metal body that bonds the cable screen to the rack ground, which is what makes an F/UTP or SF/UTP channel actually work. It requires a properly earthed rack. If the cabling is unshielded, the unshielded panel is the correct and cheaper choice.
• Category. Cat.6A panels are rated to 500 MHz for 10GBASE-T to 100 m. Cat.6 panels are rated to 250 MHz for 1 Gbps. The panel must not be a lower category than the cable.

Range

All loaded panels terminate on rear IDC punch down contacts and accept T568A and T568B wiring.

Typical use in Iraq

Office and hotel projects in Erbil normally fit one 24 port unshielded panel per 24 drops with a cable manager between panels. Bank and government server rooms in Baghdad specify the shielded panels because the horizontal cabling is screened and the rack is earthed. ISPs and telecom operators, plus large university campuses in Sulaymaniyah and Duhok, use the 48 port 2U panels in main distribution frames where rack units are the scarce resource. Data centre and 10 Gigabit floor distributor projects take the Cat.6A panels so the whole channel certifies at 500 MHz.

Related

Mount panels in a 19 inch rack or cabinet, populate the unloaded panel with Cat.6 or Cat.6A keystone jacks, patch the front with copper patch cords, and dress the rear with cable management or rack accessories. Guide: data centre cable management best practices. Prices are not published online, so contact an authorized distributor for a quotation.