Free CompTIA A+ 220-1101 Practice Question

A patch panel is a board with a number of electrical sockets, in networking you will often see ethernet patch panels with RJ-45 sockets. A punch down tool helps insert ethernet wiring into the back of the RJ-45 sockets. You can do this by hand, but it is difficult to get good connections leading to packet drops. Using a punch down tool makes this process faster and ensures solid connections between your cabling and patch panel.