Patch Panels

Introduction

Ethernet Connectivity
Selection Tutorial
Category 5, 5e or 6? 110 punchdown, or RJ to RJ? T568A or T568B? Shielded or unshielded?
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

Will I choose the right Ethernet patch panel for my application? Will this choice work with future
applications? Am I getting the best overall value?
With all the choices you face as you design your network and select equipment, including available
Ethernet patch panels, it’s easy to become confused and frustrated. Ultimately your choice of
Ethernet panels should fit the applications you plan to run. ADC wrote this short tutorial to guide
you through these decisions, to make them as painless as possible and offer you the best solution
for your network.
First, let’s ask a few key questions. Your answers will help guide you in the decision process. Next,
we will briefly discuss each of the most popular options available so you can draw conclusions based
on your network needs.

Discovery Questions
• What applications are you or do you plan to run on this network? 10/100Base-T? 1000Base-T?
• What type of network are you designing? Data center? Data backbone? LAN?
• Is the project a new network installation or addition to existing network?
• Is the installation being built to expand existing capacity with current data capabilities or is it
for new, faster data applications?
Answers to these questions will guide you to a particular cable type, a particular data patch panel,
and the means to terminate the cable into the patch panel — whether the terminations into the
patch panel involve “punchdown” cable terminations, pre-made telco-type multi-pair cable ends,
or standard RJ45 cable ends.
The general guidelines for network transmission capabilities segment the data network; data
1287294

center and data network backbone system applications require the highest level of transmission
capabilities, while feeds to work areas generally require a bit less. However, all network
connectivity should be designed with only the highest network engineering standards available.

Category 5, 5e, and 6 Cabling

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards forming group consists of a variety
•

of industry experts including connectivity and cable manufacturers, distributors, installers, and end
customers. The TIA determines certain transmission characteristics that must be met to qualify a
3/04

cable for certain network applications.

Category 5 cabling is currently the most prevalent wiring in existing buildings. Electrical
characteristics defined by the TIA specify near end cross-talk (NEXT), attenuation, and return loss
to 100 MHz. The TIA Technical Services Bulletin (TSB) 95 recommends additional criteria for far end
cross-talk (FEXT).

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 8
 Patch Panels
Introduction
Category 5e is currently the minimum TIA recommended category of wiring for new installations.
Electrical characteristics for NEXT, FEXT, attenuation, and return loss are specified to 100 MHz. NEXT
performance is slightly better than category 5.
Category 6 is gaining popularity for new installations. Electrical characteristics for NEXT, FEXT,
attenuation, and return loss are specified to 250 MHz. Improvements in all electrical parameters are
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

part of the higher TIA Category 6 standard.

Category 7 cabling is a developing standard. The International Standards Organization (ISO) is leading
the standardization efforts for this new individually-shielded, overall-shielded, 4-pair cable with
transmission specifications referenced to 600 MHz. The cable end interface will probably be something
other than the familiar RJ45 connector, mainly to differentiate the Category 7 installation from existing
lower-bandwidth infrastructure.
So, which should you use? There is quite a bit of misleading information in the industry on this subject,
the biggest myth being that Category 6 is required to run Gigabit Ethernet over copper (1000Base-T).
Actually 1000Base-T was designed by the IEEE to run on Category 5. As long as the Category 5 is
installed according to TIA-568-B standards and meets the testing criteria in TIA TSB 95, 1000Base-T
will perform satisfactorily on Category 5. However, as of this writing, the TIA recommends Category
5e over Category 5 as the minimum cabling for new network infrastructure installations.
When do I use Category 6? Does the application standard (i.e., Gigabit Ethernet, 10G, etc.) specify
Category 6 as a minimal requirement? The TIA is making recommendations to the IEEE 802.3ae and
the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Alliance, who are currently working on 10 Gigabit cabling systems, that any
10 Gigabit Ethernet designed to run on copper cabling use Category 6 because of its improvement in
signal to noise. The good news is that Category 6 is backward compatible and will have no trouble
running existing applications such as 10/100Base-T and 1000Base-T.

Cable Type Summary

The chart below summarizes the industry standard UTP cable types used in current networking
installations.
In addition to the UTP cabling described above, you should understand the issues of cable shielding,
and stranded versus solid cable.
1287294

Category Test Frequency 10/100BaseT 1000BaseT Future Applications Relative Cost

Cat 5 100 MHz Yes Yes No $
Cat 5e 100 MHz Yes Yes Maybe $
Cat 6 250 MHz Yes Yes Yes $$
Cat 7 600 MHz Yes Yes Yes $$$$
•

Shielded vs. Unshielded Twisted Pair

3/04

Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cabling provides immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) with the
properties of the two conductors that make up a transmission pair being twisted together. When UTP
cabling encounters electrical interference, the noise crossing the twisted pairs is cancelled by the twists
in the cable (called “Common Mode Rejection”, a subject outside the scope of this introduction).
Standard Category 5, 5e and 6 cables contain four unshielded twisted pairs of conductors. For
10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX applications, only two pairs are used, one for the transmit circuit and one
for receive circuit. For 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet) all four pairs are required.
The term “shielded twisted pair” cabling can be misleading. There are actually two methods of
shielding a twisted pair cable. Screened twisted pair cable (ScTP) provides an overall screen or metal
foil around the four pairs of conductors, but each individual twisted pair is unshielded. Shielded

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 9
 Patch Panels
Introduction
Twisted Pair cable (STP) has each individual pair shielded, plus an overall screen around the four
individually shielded pairs. This makes a very expensive and hard to install cable - the legacy token ring
IBM Type 1 cable and Category 7 are examples of STP cable. STP cable requires metal end connectors
and metal jacks that bond the cable shield to earth ground to carry the interfering signals safely away
from the signal conducting pairs – failure to connect the cable shield to earth ground results in the
shield coupling the interfering noise to the conductors, providing very poor transmission performance.
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

Most of the world uses UTP cabling, with some exceptions located in a few countries in Europe.

Stranded vs. Solid Conductor Cable

Stranded cable is flexible and often used for patch panel jumpers and work area connections. Stranded
cabling is used for shorter patching applications for its flexible cable construction, but also exhibits
higher attenuation due to the smaller diameter conductors, and as such should not be used for long,
permanent installations. Solid conductor cable is used for the “horizontal” cable runs from the
telecommunications room to the work area wall outlet. The typical gauge for Category 5e cable is 24
AWG. Category 6 is 23 AWG - the larger conductor diameter improves attenuation characteristics and
signal-to-noise ratio versus the smaller conductor diameter of Category 5e.

Wiring Schemes, T568A vs. T568B

Wiring schemes also raise a variety of questions:
Q: What’s the difference between T568A and T568B?
A. The only difference is the positioning of the Green and Orange pairs of wires (see figure 1)

Pair 2 Pair 3

Pair 3 Pair 1 Pair 4 Pair 2 Pair 1 Pair 4

1287294

T568A T568B

Figure 1
•

Typical RJ45 cable ends, T568A vs. T568B

3/04

Q: Is there a performance difference between T568A and T568B?

A: No. Both wiring schemes have to meet the same performance criteria.

Q: Why two schemes?

A: The reason is outside of the scope of this paper but it is related to old telephone legacy issues.
All you really need to know is that there are two schemes, and how to deal with them.

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 10
 Patch Panels
Introduction
The solution really is fairly simple: Just pick one wiring scheme and use it consistently throughout your
network. The only problem you would ever encounter would be if the two wiring schemes were
accidentally mixed in an installation. T568B is the predominate scheme in the United States; T568A is
popular in Canada and in many other countries. The safest way to determine which to use is to check
with the network equipment provider to determine the predominant wiring scheme used in the
equipment. The reason for this check is quite simple: you can change the wiring scheme used in the
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

network but you cannot change the wiring scheme used in the network equipment.

Patch Panel Rear Termination Options

Popular choices for patch panel rear terminations include 110 Insulation Displacement Contact (IDC)
punchdown termination, and connectorized cable end terminations (RJ45 and RJ21X).
Many popular data patch panels are designed using 110 IDCs, requiring the manual punchdown
termination of each individual wire. A typical 24-port panel requires 192 individual punchdown
terminations. With this many manual terminations, installation mistakes are common, including
incorrect wire mapping (cross-wiring), opens, shorts, and excessive untwisting of the wire pairs.
Terminating the “horizontal” cabling from the work areas in the telecommunications room typically
uses 110 IDC punchdown panels.
For patch-panel-to-patch-panel connections in a data center or telecommunications room,
preterminated cable assemblies and connectorized patch panels can improve installation time and
connectivity success. A preconnectorized solution dramatically decreases the assembly time and
increases the quality of the termination, as the contact points are typically gold-on-gold with high
contact forces. Preconnectorized solutions do require up-front planning — the distances between
panels must be determined so the correct cable assembly length can be ordered.
RJ45-to-RJ45 and RJ45-to-RJ21X panels are the two most popular preconnectorized systems. The
RJ21X, also known as 50-pin telco or 25-pair Amphenol® connectors, is popular because six 4-pair
Ethernet (1000BaseT) or twelve 2-pair Ethernet (10/100BaseT) circuits can be terminated at one time
on a panel using the correct multi-pair cable assembly.

ADC Solutions
1287294

Listed below are some of ADC’s panel solutions that meet the recommendations above. Please contact
ADC’s Technical Assistance Center for more information on these or any other solutions.

Catalog Number Category Wiring Scheme Rear Termination Applications Supported Page
ADCPP24505 5e Universal T568A/B RJ45 All 15
ADCPP245800BTEL 5e T568B RJ21X All 16
ADCPP245100TEL 5 10/100Base-T Specific RJ21X 10/100Base-T 16
•

ADCPP245EB110 5e T568B 110 All 14

3/04

ADCPP245EA110 5e T568A 110 All 14

ADCPP24C6 6 Universal T568A/B 110 All 13

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 11
 Patch Panels
T1 Demarcation Modular Patch Panels
ADC modular T1 demarcation patch panels feature RJ48X or RJ48C wiring with a variety of rear
termination options. The T1 demarcation patch panels offer the end users a familiar RJ interface by which
the T1 signal can be accessed via industry standard RJ45 patch cables.
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

Features

• Bantam nonintrusive T1 signal monitoring

(MPP-N28BA1 only)
• RJ48X (T1 loopback) or RJ45C (no loopback)
wiring MPP-N28BA1 (front)
• Variety of rear termination options (wire-wrap,
64-pin, 50-pin)
• Category 3 performance
• Variety of mounting options (19- or 23-inch
rack mounting, wall mounting)
• Compatible with industry standard RJ45
patch cords MPP-N28BA1 (rear)

Shorting Bar

Pair 1 Pair2
Pair 1 Pair2 MPP-CXFBA1 (front)

12 34 5 6 78 12 34 5 6 78

RJ48x RJ48C

RJ48X has a shorting bar between transmit and receive

pins 1, 2 and 4, 5 to allow for T1 signal loopback when
no patch cord is present. The RJ48C has no shorting bar.
1287294

Ordering Information
Port Count Wiring Rear Termination EIA Mounting Ordering Number

28 (with bantam RJ48X 64-pin or wire-wrap 2 RU x 19" or 23" MPP-N28BA1

monitoring ports)
28 RJ48X Wire-wrap 1 RU x 19" or 23" MPP-GDXBA1
•

28 RJ48X 64-pin 1 RU x 19" MPP-DXZBA0

14 RJ48X Wire-wrap, front access Wall mount, 3.5" x 19" MPP-CXZXF4
3/04

8 RJ48X Wire-wrap, front access Wall mount, 3.5" x 14" MPP-CXZXF3

5 RJ48X Wire-wrap, front access Wall mount, 3.5" x 9.9" MPP-CXZXF2
28 RJ48C Wire-wrap 1 RU x 19" or 23" MPP-GDXBA2
24 RJ48C shielded 50-pin shielded 1 RU x 19" MPP-CXFBA1-S
24 RJ48C 50-pin 1 RU x 19" MPP-CXFBA1
32 RJ48C 50-pin 1 RU x 19" MPP-CXZXBT2A

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 12
 Patch Panels
Category 6 Patch Panels

Features

• Category 6 performance 24-Port Patch Panel

• Universal T568A and T568B wiring
• Backward compatible in component, link,
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

and channel
• Patented angle-right/angle-left port rotation
feature reduces cable strain, reduces cable
congestion, and enforces improved cable 48-Port Patch Panel
management with orderly flow of patch cords
• Color-coded, gas-tight 110 IDC provides
sound connections for terminating stations,
equipment, or tie cables
• Supports 10Base-T and 100Base-T Ethernet,
1000Base-T Ethernet, token ring, up to 155
Mbps ATM, and proposed 1000Base-TX
• Supports any next generation applications
designed for TIA/EIA Category 6 transmission
requirements 96-Port Patch Panel

Rear View,
Ordering Information
Description Port Count Wiring Configuration Rack Units Ordering Number

Category 6 24 Universal T568A/B 1 ADCPP24C6

patch panels 48 Universal T568A/B 2 ADCPP48C6
96 Universal T568A/B 4 ADCPP96C6

DIMENSIONS (W X H)
1 RU 19.0" x 1.75" (48.26 x 4.45 cm)
2 RU 19.0" x 3.50" (48.26 x 8.89 cm)
1287294

4 RU 19.0" x 7.0" (48.26 x 17.78 cm)

•
3/04

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 13
 Patch Panels
Category 5e Patch Panels

Features

• Exceeds Category 5e requirements

• Durable construction for maximum performance
- Steel frame with black corrosion-resistant
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

48-Port
finish
- High-impact UL 94 V-O polycarbonate used
for all plastic parts
- Modular 8-pin, 4-pair jacks
24-Port
• Advanced features include:
- Patented angle-right/angle-left ports Category 5e Patch Panels
- Color-coded icons for quick port identification
• Includes labeling for front and rear
• Supports 10Base-T, 100Base-T, and 1000Base-T
Ethernet, token ring, 155 Mbps ATM
• Supports network speeds up to 1000 Mbps

Ordering Information
Description Port Count Wiring Configuration Rack Units Ordering Number

Category 5e 24 T568B 1 ADCPP245EB110

patch panels 24 T568A 1 ADCPP245EA110
48 T568B 2 ADCPP485EB110
48 T568A 2 ADCPP485EA110
96 T568B 4 ADCPP965EB110
96 T568A 4 ADCPP965EA110
1287294

DIMENSIONS (W X H)
1 RU 19.0" x 1.75" (48.26 x 4.45 cm)
2 RU 19.0" x 3.50" (48.26 x 8.89 cm)
4 RU 19.0" x 7.0" (48.26 x 17.78 cm)
•
3/04

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 14
 Patch Panels
RJ45 Coupler Panel
ADC's RJ45 coupler panel provides feed-through data and voice connectivity on the front and rear for
Category 5e and 6 applications. Connectivity on the front of the panel accommodates standard RJ45 patch
cords. Connectivity for hubs, routers and other active equipment on the back of the panel is also designed
for RJ45 patch cords – creating a convenient connection field for data applications. Includes port labeling
for front and rear. Width is 48.26 cm (19-inch).
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

Ordering Information
Description Port Count Category Rack Units Ordering Number

RJ45 24 6 1 ADCPP24606
coupler panel 48 6 2 ADCPP48606
24 Shielded 6 1 ADCPP24RJ6-S
24 Shielded 5e 1 ADCPP24RJ5E-S
24 5e 1 ADCPP24505
48 5e 2 ADCPP48505
16 5e 1 ADCPP16KSRJRJ
32 5e 1 ADCPP32KSRJRJ

RJ45 Coupler Panel

(Front View)
1287294

RJ45 Coupler Panel

•

(Rear View)
3/04

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 15
 Patch Panels
Fast Ethernet Patch Panels

Features

• Durable, quality construction for maximum

performance
• Saves time in moves, adds, and changes
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

• Features secure and convenient 25-pair connections

on the rear
• Modular 8-pin, 4-pair jacks on the front 5100 Patch Panel, 48-Port
• 5100 pin-out is 1,2-3,6
• 5800 has all pairs wired
• Includes write-on labels on front
• 5100 supports 10Base-T and 100Base-T Ethernet
• 5800 supports 10/100 and 1000Base-T Ethernet
• Optional icons speed circuit identification

The first step to integrate Fast Ethernet traffic into a twisted pair network is to terminate both station side
and equipment side connections on high performance ADC patch panels.
For the Ethernet switching system, 5100 and 5800 patch panels provide convenient 25-pair (50-pin)
female RJ21x connections on the rear, with rugged 8-pin modular jacks on the front. Port identification is
accomplished with write-on port labels and optional icons.

Ordering Information
Description Pin-Out Port Count Rear Connector Rack Units Ordering Number

5100 patch panel 1,2-3,6 24 RJ21x 2 ADCPP245100TEL

5100 patch panel 1,2-3,6 48 RJ21x 2 ADCPP485100TEL
5800 patch panel, T568B 1-8 24 RJ21x 1 ADCPP245800BTEL
5800 patch panel, T568B 1-8 48 RJ21x 2 ADCPP485800BTEL
1287294

DIMENSIONS (W X H)
1 RU 19.0" x 1.75" (48.26 x 4.45 cm)
2 RU 19.0" x 3.50" (48.26 x 8.89 cm)
•
3/04

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 16
 Patch Panels
Ethernet/Data Connectivity Multimedia Patch Panels

Multimedia Patch Panels Feature Single Circuit Access

Features

• Category 6 performance
• Front or rear loading, single-circuit access 48-Port Panel with Angled 6000 Modular Jacks and
saves time in moves, adds, and changes Flat 6000 BNC Media Adapters
• The highest density panel available
• Build each patch panel for twisted pair, fiber,
and coax applications using any mix of 6000
modular jacks and 6000 media adapters
- Jacks and media adapters installed and 24-Port Panel with Flat 6000 Modular Jacks
removed in single circuits
- For Category 6 and Category 5e modular
jack applications Ordering Information
- Singlemode and multimode fiber
Description Port Rack Ordering
applications using LX.5®, LC, SC, duplex
Count Units Number
SC, and ST® media adapters
- Handles applications for BNC, F-adapter,
6000 24 1 ADCPP246SUM
RCA-adapters, and S-Video adapters
multimedia 32 1 ADCPP326SUM
• Creates angle-right/angle-left or conventional patch panel 48 2 ADCPP486SUM
flat panel profile chassis 72 2 ADCPP726SUM2U
• Simple installation and removal of individual
1287294

96 4 ADCPP966SUM
jacks/adapters allows for rapid change-over
and minimized downtime
6000 24 1 ADCPP246SUMR3
• Supports 10Base-T, 100Base-T, and multimedia
1000Base-T Ethernet, token ring, up to 3" recessed
155 Mbps ATM, and proposed 1000Base-TX
patch panel
• Includes port numbers or row identification chassis
and write-on panel labels
• Jacks and adapters install without panel Note: Order modular jacks and media adapters
•

faceplates or pairing of jacks/adapters separately.

3/04

• Available in standard and high-density

port sizes DIMENSIONS (W X H X D)
- Standard sizes – 24-ports/1 RU, 48-ports/ 1 RU 19.0" x 1.75" x 0.50" (48.26 x 4.45 x 1.27 cm)
2 RU, 96-ports/4 RU 2 RU 19.0" x 3.47" x 0.50" (48.26 x 8.81 x 1.27 cm)
- High-density sizes – 32-ports/1 RU and 4 RU 19.0" x 6.97" x 0.50" (48.26 x 17.70 x 1.27 cm)
72-ports/2 RU

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 17
 Patch Panels
Multimedia Patch Panels – 6000 Modular Jacks and Icons

Features

• Exceeds Category 5e and Category 6 performance requirements

• Backward compatible in component, link, and channel
• Supports 10Base-T and 100Base-T Ethernet, 1000Base-T Ethernet, token ring, up to 155 Mbps ATM, and
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

1000Base-TX
• Supports any next generation applications designed for TIA/EIA Category 6 transmission requirements
• Available in flat profile or angled version for bend radius protection in universal T568A and T568B
wiring schemes
• Includes one jack with color-coded 110 IDC connections and clear stuffer cap
• Universal T568A/B wiring

6000 Modular Jacks

Ordering Information
Description Jack Type Wiring Configuration Category Ordering Number

6000 Angled Universal T568A/B 6 ADCJA6XX*

modular jacks Angled Universal T568A/B 5e ADCJA5XX*
Flat Universal T568A/B 6 ADCJF6XX*
Flat Universal T568A/B 5e ADCJF5XX*

Blank inserts ADC6SADUMBKXX*

(Ships 10
per pack)

*Replace the XX in the ordering number with choice of color, below.

00 = Electrical Ivory
01 = Office White
02 = Black
1287294

Angled Flat
Icons
Ordering Information Ordering Information
Description Ordering Number Description Ordering Number
•

Icons for angled Icons for flat modular

3/04

modular jacks jacks and patch panels

(Ships 25 per pack)
Blank ADC6SICNPXX* Blank ADCICBXX*
Data ADC6SICNDXX* Data ADCICDXX*
Voice ADC6SICNVXX* Voice ADCICVXX*

*Replace the XX in the ordering number with choice of color, below.

03 = Red 08 = Orange 11 = Brown

04 = Green 09 = Yellow
05 = Blue 10 = Purple
Icon

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 18
 Patch Panels
Multimedia Patch Panels – 6000 Media Adapters

Features

• Fully supports fiber, coax, RCA, and

S-Video applications
• Available in angled or flat profiles
Ethernet/Data Connectivity

• Blank inserts available to fill unused ports

on 6000 multimedia patch panels

6000 Media Adapters

Ordering Information
Description Ordering Number

Flat media adapters

Singlemode LX.5® ADC6SADUMSMLX5XX*
Multimode LX.5® ADC6SADUMMMLX5XX*
Singlemode LC ADC6SADUMSMLCXX*
Multimode LC ADC6SADUMMMLCXX*
Singlemode SC ADC6SADUMSMSCXX*
Singlemode duplex SC ADC6SADUMSMDSCXX*
Multimode SC ADC6SADUMMMSCXX*
Multimode duplex SC ADC6SADUMMMDSCXX*
Singlemode ST® ADC6SADUMSMSTXX*
Multimode ST® ADC6SADUMMMSTXX*
BNC ADC6SADUMBNCXX*
F-adapter ADC6SADUMFCNXX*
RCA-adapter ADC6SADUMRCAFXX*
S-Video ADC6SADUMSVHSFXX*

Angled media adapters

1287294

Singlemode LX.5® ADC6SADANSMLX5XX*

Multimode LX.5® ADC6SADANMMLX5XX*
Singlemode LC ADC6SADANSMLCXX*
Multimode LC ADC6SADANMMLCXX*
Singlemode SC ADC6SADANSMSCXX*
Singlemode duplex SC ADC6SADANSMDSCXX*
Multimode SC ADC6SADANMMSCXX*
Multimode duplex SC ADC6SADANMMDSCXX*
Singlemode ST® ADC6SADANSMSTXX*
•

Multimode ST® ADC6SADANMMSTXX*

3/04

Blank inserts (Ships 10 per pack) ADC6SADUMBKXX*

*Replace the XX in the ordering number with choice of color, below.

00 = Electrical Ivory
01 = Office White
02 = Black

w w w . a d c . c o m • + 1 - 9 5 2 - 9 3 8 - 8 0 8 0 19