PBX Technical

Question 1

What is the depth of a PATCHBOX Plus+?

Answer 1

It is 600mm deep.

Question 2

What is the depth of a PATCHBOX 365?

Answer 2

It is 365mm deep.

Question 3

Is the PATCHBOX Plus+ and 365 Frame the same?

Answer 3

It is. Cassettes are interchangeable, yet, warranty will be void it using a 365 Frame with Plus+ cassettes.

Question 4

What is the LongRange cassette?

Answer 4

It is a special solution if you need to patch top to bottom or vice versa. It should not be used on a regular installation.

Question 5

What is the extractable cable length of a PATCHBOX Plus+?

Answer 5

It has a total retractable cable length of 1.8m.

Question 6

What is the extractable cable length of a PATCHBOX 365?

Answer 6

It has a total retractable cable length of 0.8m.

Question 7

What is the total cable length of a PATCHBOX Plus+ LongRange cassette?

Answer 7

The total cable length is 2.5m of which 1.8m are retractable. 0.7m are not retractable and are hanging out of the cassette.

Question 8

How much RU does a PATCHBOX Plus+ cover?

Answer 8

It covers up to 30RU up or down.

Question 9

How much RU does a PATCHBOX 365 cover?

Answer 9

It covers up to 8RU up or down.

Question 10

What category is the PATCHBOX Plus+?

Answer 10

Both, the UTP and STP are Category 6a (Cat.6a).

Question 11

Can I get other connectors than the standard ones for fiber optic?

Answer 11

We can pretty much offer any combination of connectors, for special configurations we have an order minimum of 5 Patchboxes. Check back with sales operations for prices and lead times.

Question 12

What connectors do you offer for fiber optic?

Answer 12

We always have LC-LC and LC-SC on stock.

Question 13

How do you get the cable pulled back into a cassette?

Answer 13

Make sure the cable stopper is pulled out, then pull the other end out to the same length. Then let it go.

Question 14

Why is the spring that pulls the cable back not stronger?

Answer 14

To make it easier to actually work with it in a rack. A stronger spring would be counter prodcutive and require a second hand to hold the cable at length.

Question 15

How long is the warranty on the PATCHBOX?

Answer 15

We give a 5 year manufacturer warranty.

Question 16

Can the I change the cable in the cassette?

Answer 16

No, it is a sealed system.

Question 17

What to do if a cable breaks?

Answer 17

The cassette needs replacement, likely under warranty. Bear in mind, our cables do usually not break as this is a phenomen of cable spaghetti.

Question 18

How much extra RU’s does a PATCHBOX need?

Answer 18

A PATCHBOX unit is 1RU. Yet, it acutally saves RU’s in a rack as the use of horizontal (and vertical) cable guides becomes superfluous.

Question 19

How do I mount the Patchcatch?

Answer 19

The Patchcatch is mounted below the brackets of for example a patch panel. Loosen the screws pull the patch panel towards you, push the Patchcatch behind and tighten the screws again.

Question 20

Where should I place the PATCHBOX?

Answer 20

Directly above and below a 48-port switch. With a 24-port switch you place it ideally between the switch and patch panel you want to patch to.

Question 21

How can I make the installation of a heavy PATCHBOX easier?

Answer 21

Remove some of the cassettes from the sides. This reduces the weight and makes it easier to get the PATCHBOX on the mounting rails.

Question 22

Can different colors be mixed in a PATCHBOX?

Answer 22

Yes. You can get a Frame and populate it yourself with the colors needed. For large scale rollouts we offer custom built units.

Question 23

What PoE standard does the PATCHBOX support?

Answer 23

The STP version of the PATCHBOX supports PoE and the UTP version supports up to PoE++ Type 3. Be aware, that even if a device is labelled PoE++ Type 3 it mostly does on require a small wattage and could therefore still be used. For example, a very common Unifi PoE+ Access Point only pulls around 5 watts under usage.

Question 24

Is Cat.7 possible with the PATCHBOX?

Answer 24

No, Cat. 7 relies on specific connectors (Siemon Tera or GG45) to actually be able to reach the standard. Using Cat.7 cabling with classic RJ45 connectors results in a Cat.6a link. There has no market been developed in the past 20 years since this standard was ratified.

Question 25

Difference old version Setup.exe & new Setup.exe?

Answer 25

The 1st gen Setup.exe was only suitable for racks with square punched holes. With the new Setup.exe changeable pins were introduced, allowing the customer to adapt the Setup.exe manually for square punched or threaded hole racks.

Question 26

How does the PATCHBOX save space?

Answer 26

In a conventinal setup you would have a 19" horizontal cable managemet both, for the switch and the patch panel. Totaling to two used rack units for cable management. Wit the PATCHBOX only one rack unit next to the switch is required and no cable management on the patch panel, resulting in 50% reduction in occupied rack units.

Question 27

Will PATCHBOX fit in any rack?

Answer 27

For the PATCHBOX 365 we recommend a rack with 600mm depth and for the PTCHBOX Plus+ a rack with 800mm depth. Both version will fit in a 600mm wide rack, yet it is highly recommended to use a proper networking rack that allows horizontal cable routing and is 800mm wide.

Question 28

What cables do you use?

Answer 28

The PATCHBOX comes in a STP und UTP version. Both are capable of 10Gbit/s thanks to the Cat.6a standard they are tested to. We also offer a fiber optic version with OM4 and OS2 fibers.

Question 29

How much faster is the maintenance with PATCHBOX?

Answer 29

Replacing a switch is around 10-times faster than with conventional patch cords.

Question 30

How much faster is the installation of a PATCHBOX?

Answer 30

A PATCHBOX is around 8-times faster installed and ready to be used than conventional patch cords.

Question 31

What to do with unused patch cords/cassettes?

Answer 31

Leave them patched to the switch. Once needed, pull out the other connector and patch it within seconds. No need to search for the right length patch cord.

Question 32

What logic brings the PATCHBOX to a rack?

Answer 32

With the cassettes physically being assigned to switch ports (cassette 1 goes to switch port 1 and so on) you save time on documentation if the switch needs to be replaced.

Question 33

When do I have an ROI on the PATCHBOX?

Answer 33

Typically you already save on installation costs as well as on maintenance costs. After 1-4 years, depending on how much you work with your rack, you would need a rack clean up. This is usually the latest point of an ROI for a PATCHBOX.

Question 34

Why should I use PATCHBOX?

Answer 34

To prevent cable spaghetti. This will decrease maintenance times massively.

Question 35

Are the STP cables are as flexible as the UTP cables?

Answer 35

No. Since the STP cables are wrapped in foil, they are not as bendable as the UTP ones.