Disagree with the guys who say punchdown blocks are dead tech

Went to a job in Des Moines last month where a new fiber run failed and the backup copper pair on an old 66 block saved the day, and I think we ditch traditional cabling too fast just because it's not shiny anymore, has anyone else had a copper setup bail them out when the new stuff went down?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sarah11d agoMost Upvoted

Funny you say that, actually used to be in your camp totally. Thought copper was just old junk taking up space in the rack, you know? But after a few close calls like the one in the post, my view shifted a bit. It's not that copper is better, it's more about having a backup plan that doesn't rely on the same single point of failure. Fiber can go down from a dig up or a rodent chewing through it just as easy as copper can, just different problems. Keeping a 66 block around with a few copper pairs isn't about being a hero, it's about having an extra tool in the bag when the fancy new stuff has a bad day. So yeah, I get why some guys dismiss it, but I've seen it save a few jobs now and it makes me glad we didn't toss all the old gear.

carter.thea11d ago

Copper setup bailed them out" - is this really that deep, man? I mean sure, a 66 block worked that one time but let's not act like copper is some kind of hero. Fiber fails WAY less often than copper in my experience. The whole "backup pair" thing sounds like a project that should have just been done right the first time with modern gear. But hey, if it makes you feel better keeping old stuff around for emergencies, whatever works.