48 Unidentified Cables

[Kanly]

Small company is moving into a new office.
New office is already wired with 48 data drops.

When old occupants moved out they took patch panel with them and the cables have no ID on them at all.

So, I have 48 bare unidentified wires in the cabling room going to the 48 wall plates in different offices.

Move isn't happening for 2 weeks so I'm just trying to figure out the best way to identify these cables and get everything wired up. So far, I see three options:

1) Try to put a tone on each cable then run around to the 48 outlets and see what happens. Seems like lots of fun.

2) Just wire the cables up to a 110 style patch panel to get everything up. Then hook everything up and identify cables from there. Then repunch wires in correct jack order and label them.

3) Use a keystone jack style patch panel. Wire everything up. When everything is up and running, ID cable then simply switch the keystone jacks into correct order in the patch panel.


All ideas and comments appreciated

 

[Bobg1]

If the jacks are numbered, you might want to just tone them from the jack end (in order) and as you find the toned cable label it and punch it down on the patch panel. This way as you go along you will have less to guess which each sucess.

 

[Kanly]

Thankfully, the wall jacks are numbered.

Good idea Bobg1. That idea hadn't even crossed my mind.

Guess I was just too focused on thinking from wiring closet to jacks and not the other way.

 

[skip555]

How are you going to test ?

I use a siemans stm 8 with 4 remotes

I recently had a simalr job we just plugged the 4 remotes in and then ran down the patch panel with the base unit till we got readings

I used a sharpie pen and put a black dot next to each one we read so we werent checking ones we had already done

It really went pretty quick and its killing two birds with one stone in that we were testing and id at the same time

the down side is the number plan is all over the place but It wasnt a problem at this site.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

http://www.idealindustries.com/IDEAL-EZ/products.nsf/ItemMasterLookup/p33-840?OpenDocument

Punch the cables down in whatever order you want, plug the lights into every port on the patch panel. Remove the current markings on the jacks. When you are ready to test, plug the DataLight Power unit into the jack, it will light up the light module back at the patch panel. Pull out the module, plug in your test dongle, run the test while you make up a new label for the jack. Move on to the next one.

 

[AvayaNovice]

Make sure you do everything in sequence that was it's the most efficient, otherwise TouchToneTommy might tell you: "You're slowing down, son."

 

[AvayaNovice]

was = way

 

[RandyVSP]

I recommend plugging in the dingle box at the jack and tone out the lines, making a list as you go....a little work now will save alot of headaches later...

Besides, all that running around is good exercise....

two people with some walkie talkies make it very fast...

I run into this all the time, my previous installers never documented anything...

Randy