CAT5E is expensive. Our unit would go through several boxes during exercises or deployments just making 20-30ft long patch cables to support, most of which was only used during that mission only to be bundled up and taken to post recycling afterwards (cause we're environmentally friendly!). Not only monetarily is it expensive, but time wise, it was taxing. A well trained installer can terminate a CAT5 cable in about 4 minutes on average. To wire up 8 drops, it takes one installer working about an 45 minutes after taking into account running the cable properly.

Enter the InstaDrop system. This DIY project provides 8 drops of re-usable cable to a TOC, cuts that 45 minute installation time to about 5 and in the long run saves you green: green cable, green money and green environment (not that I'm a hippy or anything, blood does more to make the green grass grow).

Merry Christmas everyone! This Christmas, I give you the greatest gift of all! Free Visio stencils! These stencils are custom made for the Army IT guy and are primarily used in floor plans, site physical layouts, and I even have some stuff for rack diagrams. Take a look below, feel free to download and redistribute what you want.

UPDATE: I've overhauled the Installer tool box design. The peg board is still used (sort of) but its just there to hold the MOLLE panel. Giving credit where credit is due, the panel was made by Mark at custommollegear@gmail.com. He did a great job, had a good turn around for about $90, and did pretty well working with my seemingly bizarre specifications.

The pouches were purchased at an army surplus store and most of them were gutted and re-sewn by my wife to accommodate the type of tools each would carry. The first prototype tool box i built had problems with the parts container shelf breaking. It was made out of pegboard. this time around I used steel, haven't had a problem since. The toolbox as pictured currently has one overseas deployment and probably 15 major projects tallied up and has been a real asset on the job site, but getting it there is not for the faint of heart; it weighs about 115lbs when loaded up. While it does have wheels, most job sites are not wheel friendly, and just getting it off the truck (alone) can really take a toll on the back if the installer is not careful.

Problem: Getting the proper equipment for a hard install of a data network down range ain't easy. After you finally figure out what you need and order it, it can take several months just to get the equipment in, which is not good when people wanted to start using the network yesterday.
Solution: These kits are packed with all the basics to lay down a professional data network infrastructure in an office area. They are packed in a way to minimize the space that they take up in the ISU. It is recomended that you maintain 5 of these, or one per building you plan on installing. *Please note that the kit does not yet include unterminated CAT5 cable as built on this page. Download the Packing List