A Dummies Guide To Patch Panels, The Switchboard Look-a-like

Why on earth would anyone want to know about patch panels, I hear saying. But whether one believes it or not there are people out there who enjoy the thought of working on all things technical. One of these things is a patch panel, which on the surface looks a lot like a switch board only there is a difference; they are used for very different things. Quite simply they look exactly like a normal panel with short cables plugged in to the front of it and longer cables plugged into the back. These are cheaper to use and make for a good replacement for normal switching equipment.

These generally remind people of an old fashioned telephone switchboard, with bits of cable sticking out from the front and back of it. Even today the patch panel is used for making telephone connection. However, these patch panels are now mainly used for data transfer and audio and visual applications. Much more than just a board with lots of cables sticking out of it, these panels have different types of electrical connectors as well.

An example of these electrical connectors is a breakout box that has individual connectors on the front of it which then has a compound connector on the back where all of the cables plug into. Not all breakout boxes have an even number of individual connectors, though some may have an even number. With the diversity of the patch panel, it comes as no surprise then that they are also used in computer Local Area Network (LAN) connection. These are used with the LAN to connect the computers of a network to communicate with the internet and to each other. They can also be used to connect the LAN to a Wide Area Network (WAN).

In short the patch panels are an ideal piece of equipment for effective transmission of data or information by travelling from one cable to the other without losing a signal. The cables on the front are also interchangeable, with the back of the patch panel containing compound connectors which do not differentiate signals coming from individual ports. Many connectors are unable to function in the same without losing some signal or data.

There is software available for the patch panel to aid the data transference process, with Microsoft being the leading company offering their software to be used in patch panels. These also monitor the signal strength of each data transfer, temperature changes and any power fluctuations on the equipment itself. As a backup plan for preventing loss of data transference, some panels have a redundant power supply in case of power failures.

The panels are often known as a jackfield or patch bay, and are normally rackmounted, typically with cables sticking out of it. The hardware is assembled in such a way so that a number of circuits will appear on jacks for continuous monitoring and testing the circuit with more flexibility. It also makes it easier for technicians to make relevant changes to signal paths, without using other switching equipment that is often expensive.