Patch panels consist of a combination of punch down blocks and RJ-45 connectors.
In an office setting, you usually find rows of cubicles. Each of these cubicles will need Ethernet cables provided to them by running the cables through the ceiling or in the floor and generally terminate in a patch panel. Patch panels terminate the wires on what’s called a 110 block and provides a set of RJ45 connectors. The patch panel is generally in a closet with the rest of the networking equipment. With the networking equipment nearby, it’s easy to create a simple patch between the patch panel and networking equipment by extending Ethernet patch cables inside of the closet.
With patch panels, you can make changes very easily. If you decide you want to connect a user to a different switch, you just move the patch wire from one switch to the desired switch. So if someone moves desks, you don’t need to re-run the cable to the user’s new desk. You can simply make the changes via the Ethernet cable connections on the patch panel. No special tools are needed.
