Please do more in depth videos on ground/bonding of network racks. It's a subject that's hard to find information on.....If all of your cabling in your network rack is unshielded, is there any benefit to grounding/bonding the network rack?
Hello! We have many more rack/patch panel bonding and grounding videos and blogs (found in our Cable Academy) coming up. We will be selling a shielded patch panel very soon. We agree, it is a subject that is difficult to get reliable and useful information on. That is going to change with our upcoming content. As to your question, if ALL of the communications cable coming into the rack is unshielded there is still a benefit to bonding the rack itself to ground and that is safety. Now, in small installations where you don't have anything more than residential voltages (240V/120V AC) involved this is not as important. In commercial installations where 480V and higher may be present somewhere in the building, ALL metal in the TR/ER and ALL metal used for supporting your SCS installation (excepting small items like J hooks) should be bonded to ground due to possible differences in voltage potentials in the case of building damage or AC system faults. You can obtain professional bonding and grounding information by taking BICSI classes. They have installer certifications that cover this plus discrete courses that cover bonding and grounding of ICT systems. Hope this helps!
Can you elaborate on what codes require the fireproofing measures you describe? What about the telecom room that’s not present in the small business version required the fire rated plywood and paint?
Hello Darren. The NEC/NFPA 70 spells out national recommendations that were typically adopted as law (Code) in many states/jurisdictions in full and without modification. That said, there are some jurisdictions that did not adopt the NEC/NFPA 70 completely or heavily modified the requirements, typically making them stricter. What local Codes apply to you will depend upon the jurisdiction you are in, and you can cross-check with your local Code inspector. When dealing with commercial installations, it is wise to always have the latest edition of the NEC/NFPA 70 on hand in addition to your local Code inspector on speed dial, as the laws change and may do so frequently. Be aware that if you do business across multiple counties, you may be subject to differing requirements on a county-by-county basis!
Hello Jonathan! We are considering adding rack busbars and maybe even SBBs (secondary busbars--which is what you saw in the video) to our catalog. The fact you asked is just another data point in favor of us carrying them! Thank you, and keep the product suggestions coming. We try to think of everything but often rely upon our customers to tell us want they want, too.
Hello Cris! Not necessarily. In fact, unless your cameras require 10GBASE-T speeds (and they likely don't need anything above 1G), you are fine with Cat5e. Cat5e can handle 2.5 Gb/s. As for shielded Ethernet cable, the decision to use shielded should not be taken lightly. Shielded Ethernet should be used when you know you have an EMI/RFI problem or potential ESD issue. Otherwise, use unshielded Ethernet. Shielded Ethernet increases costs, complexity of installation, and requires proper bonding to ground. Hope this helps!
Hello! Yes, we still carry the unshielded load bar RJ45s (I like them too). The 20pc are out of stock. The 10, 50, and 100 piece are in stock on our website.
You have a keen eye for detail! Indeed, there was not one in the video. It is addressed in the written blog that this video goes with, found on our Cable Academy. This video and blog combination was meant to address network connection hookup and overall strategy as opposed to cable installation specifics and best practices, so specific items like service loops and terminations were not covered.
Hello Derrick. No, the keystone jacks are a considerable distance away from the AC power. The keystones are also mounted outside the wall and the AC power circuit is mounted inside the wall, so we are talking a couple of feet separation here. As for INSIDE the wall, shoot for 8" or better separation on parallel when using unshielded Ethernet cable with unshielded AC circuits (romex not inside conduit, for example).
Love these in-depth videos, great work
Thanks! We appreciate your feedback.
Please do more in depth videos on ground/bonding of network racks. It's a subject that's hard to find information on.....If all of your cabling in your network rack is unshielded, is there any benefit to grounding/bonding the network rack?
Hello! We have many more rack/patch panel bonding and grounding videos and blogs (found in our Cable Academy) coming up. We will be selling a shielded patch panel very soon. We agree, it is a subject that is difficult to get reliable and useful information on. That is going to change with our upcoming content. As to your question, if ALL of the communications cable coming into the rack is unshielded there is still a benefit to bonding the rack itself to ground and that is safety. Now, in small installations where you don't have anything more than residential voltages (240V/120V AC) involved this is not as important. In commercial installations where 480V and higher may be present somewhere in the building, ALL metal in the TR/ER and ALL metal used for supporting your SCS installation (excepting small items like J hooks) should be bonded to ground due to possible differences in voltage potentials in the case of building damage or AC system faults. You can obtain professional bonding and grounding information by taking BICSI classes. They have installer certifications that cover this plus discrete courses that cover bonding and grounding of ICT systems. Hope this helps!
Can you elaborate on what codes require the fireproofing measures you describe? What about the telecom room that’s not present in the small business version required the fire rated plywood and paint?
Hello Darren. The NEC/NFPA 70 spells out national recommendations that were typically adopted as law (Code) in many states/jurisdictions in full and without modification. That said, there are some jurisdictions that did not adopt the NEC/NFPA 70 completely or heavily modified the requirements, typically making them stricter. What local Codes apply to you will depend upon the jurisdiction you are in, and you can cross-check with your local Code inspector. When dealing with commercial installations, it is wise to always have the latest edition of the NEC/NFPA 70 on hand in addition to your local Code inspector on speed dial, as the laws change and may do so frequently. Be aware that if you do business across multiple counties, you may be subject to differing requirements on a county-by-county basis!
@trueCABLE - Do y'all sell the rack busbar and the primary busbar used in the video?
Hello Jonathan! We are considering adding rack busbars and maybe even SBBs (secondary busbars--which is what you saw in the video) to our catalog. The fact you asked is just another data point in favor of us carrying them! Thank you, and keep the product suggestions coming. We try to think of everything but often rely upon our customers to tell us want they want, too.
Great video! Love ya'll content!
Thanks for the support! 😉
So if I have 8 poe cameras, are they supposed to be shielded Cat6a cable ?
Hello Cris! Not necessarily. In fact, unless your cameras require 10GBASE-T speeds (and they likely don't need anything above 1G), you are fine with Cat5e. Cat5e can handle 2.5 Gb/s. As for shielded Ethernet cable, the decision to use shielded should not be taken lightly. Shielded Ethernet should be used when you know you have an EMI/RFI problem or potential ESD issue. Otherwise, use unshielded Ethernet. Shielded Ethernet increases costs, complexity of installation, and requires proper bonding to ground. Hope this helps!
Does TrueCable still sell the load bar RJ45's? I couldn't find them the other day when I looked.
Hello! Yes, we still carry the unshielded load bar RJ45s (I like them too). The 20pc are out of stock. The 10, 50, and 100 piece are in stock on our website.
I don't see a maintenance loop for the wire.
You have a keen eye for detail! Indeed, there was not one in the video. It is addressed in the written blog that this video goes with, found on our Cable Academy. This video and blog combination was meant to address network connection hookup and overall strategy as opposed to cable installation specifics and best practices, so specific items like service loops and terminations were not covered.
Aren't those ethernet jacks waay too close to that outlet?!? That would also cause interference.
Hello Derrick. No, the keystone jacks are a considerable distance away from the AC power. The keystones are also mounted outside the wall and the AC power circuit is mounted inside the wall, so we are talking a couple of feet separation here.
As for INSIDE the wall, shoot for 8" or better separation on parallel when using unshielded Ethernet cable with unshielded AC circuits (romex not inside conduit, for example).