Installation Tips
Safety & Equipment
Protect yourself and others by following these basic safety
guidelines:
Wear safety glasses. If you're working in a crawl space or
above a dropped ceiling, you never know what might fall from above or what you might lean
into in the dark.
Use common sense with ladders. Don't stand on the top two
steps, and don't lean too far to one side.
Wear protective clothing. Long-sleeved shirts and pants will
protect you from minor cuts and from materials you don't want next to your skin, like
fiberglass. Don't wear loose clothing.
Don't be careless when lifting. Bend your knees and keep your
back straight. Don't be shy about getting help if you need it.
Use tools with care. If you use a saw or drill, work from a
stable position. Watch out for lengths on extension cords that are easy to trip over.
Don't leave tools lying in places where someone might trip over them.
Be wary of electrical cable. Category 5 cable systems, like
phone wire, carry low-voltage signals instead of high-voltage power, so they don't pose
the fire risks that high-voltage (power) cable systems do. Nevertheless, you'll probably
be working near power cable. Don't touch it, especially in ceilings and walls, you never
know when it might be live. Know where the nearest fire extinguisher is.
Know code. Building codes may prohibit frilling or cutting
holes in fire walls or ceilings. Also, some parts of a building may contain materials like
asbestos or PCBs that must be handled only by trained technicians. Check with your site
administrator to be sure you don't compromise safety in the building. If you drill through
walls, you may need to fill the holes completely with a noncombustible patching compound.
If your plan includes routing cable through spaces where air is circulated, you may need
to use fire-rated cable.
The following is a list of equipment you may need:
- Safety glasses
- Needle-nose pliers
- Ladder
- Adjustable pliers
- Drill and bits
- Utility knife
- Pull string
- Screwdrivers (in sample kit)
- Electrical tape
- Permanent ink marker
- Fish tape
- Scissors
- Wire strippers (in kit)
Cable Routing Basics
Do:
DO make the longest run first.
DO make a "cut sheet" -
if for example you are wiring a school, make a rough diagram showing
where the cable runs are and the numbers of the schoolrooms they go to. Later, when you
wire the patch panel, the cut sheet will tell you what order to position the wires in.
Don't:
DON'T EVER cut unlabeled cable. Label cable before routing it
or you'll lose track of which cables go to which schoolrooms.
DON'T label cable "Ms. Scholl's classroom".
Instead, use a label that will be understandable to someone years later, such as "Rm.
103".
DON'T allow cable to be stretched, pinched or kinked, or data
will travel over it more slowly. Don't tie tie-wraps too tight - they should be able to
slide a little.
DON'T cut corners with cable - leave ample slack. A few feet
of cable costs a lot less than the time it takes to redo a run because of wiring mistakes
or stretched cable. When you wire the jacks and patch panel, you shouldn't be tethered up
against the wall. Leave enough slack to reach the floor and extend another 2 or 3 feet at
both ends of the cable. In addition, it's standard practice to leave a service coil - a
few extra feet of cable coiled up inside the ceiling or other out-of-the-way place.
| 
