What Is the Function of Patch Panel

As we know, patch panel is a passive device with a number of ports. It’s a cable management tool that most frequently used, typically in a data center. However, for some people, they are still confused about the function of patch panel, and post questions on forum such as what is the purpose of patch panel in networking, why not connect end device directly to switch? This article will help you find the answer.

How Patch Panel Works

Patch panels work in different ways due to the two types, fiber patch panel and copper patch panel. Usually, fiber patch panel is designed with ports both on the front and rear sides. Just insert the corresponding fiber cables into the ports, then you can achieve a neat cable management.

fiber patch panel

Figure 1: Fiber patch panel has ports on both sides.

Unlike the fiber patch panel, copper patch panel is divided into feed-through and punch down types. The feed-through panel contains RJ45 ports on two sides, which is convenient for users to plug the cables. And the punch down panel is equipped with Rj45 ports on the front side and punch down terminations and color coding on the rear side. Each set of punch down terminations corresponds to a port on the front side. So you have to terminate all cables into the patch panel first.

copper patch panel

Figure 2: The rear side of copper patch panel.

Main Function of Patch Panel

As a cable management tool, the primary benefit of using patch panel is the improved organization and easier management of your network. But how? As the figure 3 shows, a patch panel is usually installed within a server rack. And you may encounter many or even thousands of fiber optic cables and cable connection. Using a patch panel, you can label the patch panel, so that you know which end device or room the cable run goes to. This will be helpful when you need to make changes on the cables.

Also, we can see that all cables on the server rack have a bend radius (a term used to describe how sharply a cable can safely bend at any given point). If the fibers bent beyond the minimum bend diameters may lead to break, causing network failures. Therefore, using a patch panel, the cables bend radius will be reduced, which can enhance the cables’ long term reliability.

As described above, we have learned the main function of patch panel is to provide a robust, reliable management solution and protect the cables. It doesn’t have any electrical or logical function like the network switch or router. Patch panel is solely a physical connection, which means patch panel can’t replace a switch or a router.

function of patch panel

Figure 3: Cables are connected to the patch panel.

Where to Buy Patch Panel

FS.COM is the reputable source to buy patch panels. The following are some 1U patch panels I’d like to recommend to you.

1U Fiber Patch Panel

FS 1U fiber patch panels are designed with LC and SC ports. In order to meet different customers’ demands, FS has released 24 port patch panel and 48 port patch panel.

FS P/N
FHU-FPP48FLC10GMM
FHU-FPP48FSCSMF
FHU-FPP96FLCHSMF
Adapter Type
LC Duplex
SC Duplex
LC Duplex
Fiber Mode
OM3/OM4
OS2
OS2
Fiber Count
48 fibers
48 fibers
96 fibers
Insertion Loss
≤0.2dB
≤0.2dB
≤0.2dB
Return Loss
≥50dB
≥50dB
≥50dB

These 1U patch panels adopt the same material and design, but for different fibers connections. You can choose one according to your actual need.

1U Copper Patch Panel

FS provides Cat5e and Cat6 patch panels. Both are available in feed-through and punch down types. Here are the best-selling products.

FS P/N
C5EP-U24FT1U
C6P-U24FT1U
Cable Category
Cat5e
Cat6
Termination
Feed Through
Feed Through
Application
Unshielded
Unshielded
Port No.
24
24

The two products are used to connect unshielded copper cables. They share the same design. When you need to buy a copper patch panel, you should know what cables you want to connect, and this is very important.

Blank Keystone Patch Panel

If you need versatility of running different types of networking cable on a project, blank keystone patch panel is suitable for you. With a blank keystone patch panel, you can combine Ethernet cable, fiber cables through one patch panel. The following is a blank keystone patch panel from FS.COM. With no keystone jacks are pre-loaded into it, you can customize it according to your application.

keystone patch panel

Figure 4: Use blank keystone patch panel to make a mixed connection.

Conclusion

From the above, we know the main function of patch panel is to terminate all the cables, and provide a neat, reliable solution for cabling. When you want to buy one, please contact us via sales@fs.com.

Why Use A Patch Panel?

When we set up a network, we are accustomed to buying a patch panel as usual. And people always say they buy patch panels for cable management, as they are asked why use a patch panel. However, are there any other benefits of a patch panel? Yes, of course, here explains why use a patch panel in networking.

why use a patch panel

Figure 1: Patch panels in a rack for managing the fiber and copper cables.

Why Use A Patch Panel?

As shown in the picture above, patch panels are usually attached in the network racks. All the cables from the individual desktop, computer or printer go to the patch panel. Then the patch panel provides a protection and management for the cables, which contributes to ensure the cables’ performance in the whole network. This is the greatest benefit of using a patch panel. Whenever cables change direction, the bend of the cables is likely to change the electrical properties. If one cable bends too far, unfortunately, damages may occur inside where you can’t see it. So patch panels can help to protect the delicate cables.

Besides, using a patch panel improves working efficiency and workflow. How? For example, telecommunication and cable companies always use patch panels in strategic locations in their coverage areas. Therefore, the technicians can connect or disconnect services to the specific places without going to the actual locations just by managing the patch panels.

Finally, using a patch panel also improves the aesthetics of your work area. All cables are in place and accessible represent a well managed workstation, which also shows your professional quality.

Why Not Use A Switch Instead of Patch Panel?

When someone connects the cables, he may wonder why use a patch panel is a requirement and why they aren’t connected to network switches directly. The answer is that patch panel and switch play different roles in the cabling system. Patch panel acts just as a connector which will not make any influences on data transmission, but a network switch connects hardware within a network to enable them to access the Internet, share data etc. In a data center rack, there are many network switches with numbers of ports. Routing cables from one rack to another is a tough job. So you have to use patch panels to manage these cables.

Fiber and Copper Patch Panels Recommendation

Designed for specific cables like Cat5e, Cat6 copper cables and OS2, OM3 fiber cables, patch panels types are different.

Fiber Optic Patch Panel

This type of patch panel takes the simplex, duplex and quad model designs at FS.COM. There are 24 port patch panel and 48 port patch panel available for you to choose. All products are produced strictly in accordance with national standards. The following is a 24 port LC duplex fiber optic patch panel used to connect 48 OS2 single mode fibers. It uses the standardized jack that makes it easy to insert and remove fiber cables, so that to ensure the long-term and stable performance of the fiber cables.

fiber patch panel

Figure 2: 24 Port LC Duplex Fiber Patch Panel

Ethernet Patch Panel

FS.COM offers punch down and feed-through Ethernet patch panel. And the feed-through patch panel falls into unshielded and shielded types to wire the unshielded and shielded Ethernet cables. The following is a 24 port Cat6 unshielded feed-through patch panel. Design with SPCC and ABS plastics materials, the Ethernet patch panel is sturdy and durable that can work in the environment of -25°C to 70°C.

Ethernet patch panel

Figure 3: 24 Port Cat6 Unshielded Feed-Through Patch Panel

Blank Keystone Patch Panel

When you are unable to decide in advance which type of cables will be used to connect your hardware, you can use a blank keystone patch panel. The following is a 48 port blank keystone patch panel that provides flexibility in the type of jacks. As a result, you can make a mixed connection based on your actual demands.

blank keystone patch panelFigure 4: Cables connected on 48 port blank keystone patch panel.

Conclusion

What is the purpose of patch panel in networking, or why use a patch panel? I think now you have a good understanding. Today’s fast changing technology makes more and more electrical and electronic devices connected to each other, so don’t hesitate to use a patch panel to simplify the cabling.

Shortcuts to Install Your FHD Wall Mount Enclosure

As a space-saving fiber optic enclosure, the wall mount enclosure is popular with people around the globe. Except FHX fiber enclosure, FHD fiber enclosure is also our signature product to provide the essential interface between multiple fiber cables and optical equipment installed on the customer’s premises. To install it on the wall and to place the accessories in it may be a puzzle for some people. In the following part, I will make a illustrate to help you avoid the unnecessary triviality.

Two Ways to Load the FHD Wall Mount Enclosure

FHD wall mount fiber patch panel comes with two separate compartments with two steel doors. As shown below, the left side is used for accommodating outside plant cables entering the building, pigtails and pigtail splices. Whereas the right side is designed for internal cable assembly networking that connected by fiber adapters or fiber optic cassettes.

Come With Fiber Adapter Panel

According to its capacity, the wall mount fiber enclosure can accomodate two or four adapter panels. Start with a blank enclosure, after inserting the adapter panels, we may need spools ready on its place to manage the fiber slack. Take out both the covers on the slots of the adapter panels and the cables, and then couple them. Mark the slacks with number and strip them into a grommet for better protection. Use a strain relief brackets outside the enclosure to protect the cable.

with adapter panel

Come With Fiber Optic Cassette

Take FHD MTP-LC cassette an example, the front side of it, 12 or 24 fiber connects are used to match with with LC or SC patch cables, while the rear side of it is to interconnect MTP backbone cabling. Since there are not many cables and yet enough space, the spools aren’t used here.

with fiber cassette

Hold up FHD Wall Mount Enclosure against the Wall

The wall mount enclosure can be fixed quickly and easily to the wall using four screws.There are four key slots on the back of the enclosure for wall mounting. Make sure the size of the wall is large enough to hold the entire enclosure. And plan properly the optimum height, otherwise the equipment will be lower that people will bump on it when passing by or it will be too high that is beyond the users reach to complete the cabling.

Conclusion

Fiber optic adapters are the critical part of fiber enclosure to accept the various fiber optic connectors. And MTP fiber optic cassettes are pre-terminated and pre-tested enclosed units. Whichever you choose is reasonable. In addition, the accessories mentioned above will be offered freely by FS.COM. And we have produced a short video about wall mount enclosure installation for your reference. Any question or suggestion form our esteemed customers will be sincerely considered. We really hope to grow better and be your best partner alongside you.

Perfect Couple: Fiber Splice Tray and Fiber Enclosure

In the cabinet, we may find many devices and gadgets, such as fiber patch panel, fiber splice tray, fiber enclosure, adapter panel and zip ties which are all little but critical components for cable management. Fiber patch panel, the one we have cued for a lot of times, will give way to fiber splice tray and fiber enclosure, the two subjects that we will introduce today.

Fiber Splice Tray Unveil

As we all know, it is usually unavoidable to match splice fiber optic cables with fiber pigtails in data center, which not only demands lower space requirement but also allows a better network performance compared with other fiber optic termination methods.

Fiber splice tray, very popular in data center and server room, is a plate to store the fiber cables and splices and prevent them from becoming damaged or being misplaced. Splice trays are necessary for holding and protecting individual fusion splices or mechanical splices. One of the important factors of fiber splice tray is the fiber count that it can hold. Most fiber splice tray can hold up to 24 fiber splices. 12-fiber splice trays are the most commonly used fiber splice tray in fiber optic network.

A Closer Look At Fiber Enclosure

It is a box that contains the devices to connect various fiber optic cables. Fiber enclosures can be classified into two configurations, namely rack mount fiber enclosure and wall mount fiber enclosure. And the rack mount fiber enclosure can be further categorized by its height and the design. We have 1U, 2U and 4U choices. The rack mount enclosures come in two flavors. One is the slide-out variety , and the other incorporates a removable lid which requires the user to remove the whole enclosure from the rack to gain internal access.

How The Two Coordinate?

Owning solely a fiber splice tray is far more enough. It should be equipped with a device to provide a safe and easy-to-manage environment for fiber splices. Apart from fiber optic splice closure, fiber distribution box and fiber optic enclosure, we can adopt the fiber enclosure displayed today. Fiber splice tray can be installed in fiber enclosure.

Here takes the example of fiber splice tray used in FHD fiber enclosure of FS.COM as shown in the following picture. It is a 96-fiber enclosure which has four 24-fiber adapter on the front panel. This 1U fiber enclosure can hold up four 24-fiber splice tray to provide the space for 96 fiber optic splices.

fiber splice tray and enclosure

Conclusion

As optical fibers are sensitive to pulling, bending and crushing forces, fiber splice tray and fiber enclosure serve as double protections which are used to provide a safe routing and easy-to-manage environment for the fragile optical fiber splices. Attention! Bare fibers without protection tubes should never be exposed outside of a splice tray. It’s our pleasure to provide you with the best solutions.

Patch Panel Recommendations

As a patch panel offers people easy cable management, it has been widely acknowledged by more and more users and expertise. When choosing a patch panel, a lot of factors can be considered, like types and designs. I would like to recommend you patch panels from there perspectives, that is, cabling system, port density, and space saving.

Cabling System of Patch Panel

As we all know, the patch panel used in fiber cabling system is called fiber patch panel and the one used in copper cabling systems named copper patch panel. As far as I am concerned, the fiber patch panel deserves the higher price since it is a lot easier to install. However, copper patch panel can also be your first choice as it is cost-efficient and durable, like the Cat6 patch panel introduced in the next part.

1U High 19″ fiber patch panel is easy to install for better deployment and expand your network for interconnection and cross-connection inside the rack mount and cabinet. It has 24 ports and is available with two adapter types: SC and LC duplex.

Specially designed for Gigabit Ethernet applications, Cat6 Ethernet patch panel meets and even exceeds the TIA/EIA 568 industry specification, and are compatible with all kinds of Cat6 cables and related accessories. Besides, Cat6 patch panels feature high-density and offer the performance required for present and next generation data communications networks and applications.

fiber patch panel

Port Density of Patch Panel

Port density seems to be a main concern when choosing a patch panel. The patch panel with more ports enables more connectivity. Common patch panels are always designed in 8 or 12-port configurations. While high-density patch panels are available in flat and angled designs with 24 or 48 ports configurations. High-density patch panel is suitable for installations with limited space.

Take the Cat6 Ethernet patch panels we mentioned above as an example, as high-density patch panels, they are available in 12-port, 24-port, 48-port configurations, and feature enhanced front and rear labeling mark for easy circuit identification. In addition, the cat6 patch panel provided by FS.COM contains user-friendly number coding and removable rear cable manager which is conducive to uninstall and install.

Cat.6 patch panel

Space Saved by Patch Panel

In general, I, myself, prefer wall mount patch panel to rack mount patch panel, because it is installed above the floor, sparing much space for other equipment standing on the ground.

Wall mount patch panel provided by FS.COM possesses number labeling for easy outlet identification, and is used to provide the critical connection between various fiber cables and optical equipment fixed on the customer’s house or office, offering networking and fiber distribution from the wiring closet to the user’s terminal equipment. Furthermore, it can be fixed quickly and easily to the wall using four screws.

wall mount patch panel

Conclusion

Hope you have saved a lot of time and energy by checking out the list we have above. However, another aspect not mentioned is the budget, as many people would struck in a dilemma that whether to choose a patch panel only for now or the expensive one for future. Considering this, you can first choose what function and performance you actually need, then compare the price of the same type of patch panel between different vendors. Here I can assure you that FS.COM can provide you with best quality and reasonable price. If you have puzzles, please do not hesitate to contact us.