Re: Home networking cable or wireless
[QUOTE=Daysleeper]Am I right I can put my ADSL signal from my router into the patch panel and it will split it XX ways.QUOTE]
No.
A Patch Panel is for connecting the physical cables around the house to an Ethernet network device such as a hub or switch.
Wall socket - physical cable - patch panel. It is a distribution system only - just like a telephone exchange.
So if you connect your ADSL modem to (say) patch socket 1, all you are doing is connecting the ADSL modem to the wall socket cabled to patch socket 1.
You should think of each socket on the patch panel needing a one-one relationship with a port on a switch or hub.
Now, if you plug your ADSL modem into switch port 1 (may require x-over cable) and connect switch port 2 to a patch socket, and connect your PC to the corresponding wall socket, you have connected the ADSL modem and the PC.
Just continue connecting switch ports to patch sockets to enable other PCs to connect to the ADSL and to each other.
So in summary, you need a network device (hub or switch) in addition to a patch panel.