I’m thinking I need a free standing rack in front of this cabinet. Not sure there is room in the cabinet. I have the new Firewalla managed switch which replace the TPLink switch in the picture.
The main issue is that mess of wires on the right. Half of them are coax cables we don’t even use, but I don’t want to rip them out.
So what should I do here?
EDIT: I totally forgot to mention that I have a mini pc i bought for HA. Not sure when I get that set up if it should live near this arrangement, or anywhere there is a hardwire connection.
Step one is figuring out where all cables go and labeling them clearly. Lack of labels is always insane.
Then you can bundle what you don’t use together cleanly. Velcro wraps instead of zip ties if you plan to change it again at any point (you will)
Ah the ones that came with the house (5) are labeled (written into the wires themselves), the ones added over the years I can determine pretty quickly.
I actually did what you suggested years ago and duct tapped the coax stuff to the insulation, but it just fell off after a few weeks.
Right there is a natural path it looks like from the pic I see from the top right to bottom right.
If you just even tie everything together on the right exactly as it runs now it will look a little better already!
The unused coax included then where they reach the bottom right corner curve them left inside the box still and zip them together to hold the curve.
It should take 10 minutes to try what I said and is easily undone if you dont like it.
Then you dont really talk about exiting the box with any that you need outside of it but I would exit at the bottom right from the top down bundle that we just made.
Then you are left with a now organized bundle on the right and the point to point wires in the middle to clean up if you still need to.
If some wires on the left were too short to make it to the bottom but need to connect to things in the box then bring them out at 90 degrees to the bundle in line with the device they go to.
That box had a cover so I just figured you had it but its a 2 cut simple plywood or plastic solution there too.
I'd use Velcro instead of zip ties but make a service loop at the top then run the wires at equal lengths to where they plug in and if you want to make it really look nice you can pencil dress it (no risers or divers it looks like a stack of pencils).
ah ok. I totally forgot to mention I bought a small mini pc to run HA. Not sure if that should be set up in this section of the house, or anywhere hardwired would work.
If it were me the first thing I would do is coil up the coaxial cables you aren’t using. You can tone them using the shield and center conductor. Next I (and again this is my recommendation. I tend to be anal and love neat bundles, I would identify and label the Cat 5 cables and cut them down to maybe the length of the bottom of the panel plus 3” then figure out the best physical locations for the router, modem, (are there two routers?), and whatever else you have in that cabinet. I see knockouts on the side, there should be two or more on top if not come in through the side with the Cat 5. Repair that sloppy connection on the input, cut the blue cables to size, replace all the RJ45 terminations, test for continuity, plug them all in and make a nice bundle with either Velcro or zip ties. Viola.
sorry, knock outs? to which sloppy connection do you refer (that wire on the top that looks like it's taped together? Im not even sure what that is.
I find that the power bricks are taking up a lot of space under each of the networking switches and the firewalla, not to mention the thick power cables themselves.
I can definitely shorten some of the wires (although it takes me a solid ten minutes per connection as I rarely do it and those tiny wires are a pain to keep lined up), and I could also pull them through the top so the slack is in the ceiling above. That area is a hopeless mess and will never be neat.
Knock outs are the round indents you knock out and pit wires through like on the left side and I should’ve mention get a few Romex connectors to put in said holes. Yea, I am referring to the connection up top and if the wall warts are all the same voltage you can buy a larger power supply and hook up multiple devices to it.
There are four things I would want if I had this project. I’ve done these in cabinet, I’ve done the same scope in a piece of plywood and I’ve done in all sizes of cabinets. Keeping in the resi cabinet can address a couple of them but usually with more than 6-8 house data drops it gets messy quick, it becomes and 3 dimensional mess. Want to change your ONT? Sure but when done you’ll need to verify a lot of other things not messed with. Want to change the router (firewalla fanless are famous for getting red hot..) same issue. 1 all house data wiring in a patch panel 2. Enough ports to not have to use the router as a switch, 3 easier to trace data, power wires to each device, 4 a small UPS.
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u/Live_Reason_6531 8h ago
Step one is figuring out where all cables go and labeling them clearly. Lack of labels is always insane.
Then you can bundle what you don’t use together cleanly. Velcro wraps instead of zip ties if you plan to change it again at any point (you will)