Patch Cords and Patch Panels what are they?

Patch cords like Cat5e patch cable and a patch panel is a central point of a network cable system. When you run a computer network you run horizontal cable runs to your computers. They are different from patch cable or patch cords as they run from a central point up the walls or ceilings out to your computer or terminal. At that point you have a RJ45 connector jack in the wall. This female RJ45 cable jack needs to have a flexible cable that you can plug from it to your computer. That’s a Cat5e Patch Cable or Cat6 patch cable or whatever type cable you are using.  The horizontal cable run, that’s the one that runs up the walls and in the ceiling, run back to central point, a closet or a wall somewhere. When it gets there it has to attach to something in this central location. Here you can terminate the cable onto a patch panel or 110 block. The panel has 110 type punch downs in the rear that are internally connected to a RJ 45 plug in the front. It is at that plug that you will connect a patch cord or cross over cable and run it to your hub or router or to another connection panel. Cat5e patch cables as with others are stranded cable so they can be easily moved or flexed without breaking the cable inside or the connection inside the plug. They come in various lengths and colors so you can keep things color coded.

Patch panels usually come in 12, 24, 48 or 96 port configuration. That means you can have that many connections or computers attached.  So, don’t use solid copper cable for your cords use flexible stranded cable for patch cords.