discussion General question(s) on Ethernet crimping / cables

[sswilson]

You just untwist the wire.

I have Klien crimpers and they are great. So can't comment on any of the cheaper options.

I really like the crimp in place boots. They look really good. These VCE connectors and boots are great.

VCE UL Listed Cat6 Pass Through RJ45 Connectors with Protection Boots 50-Pack,Ethernet Crimp Modular Plug for Cat6/Cat5/Cat5e UTP Solid & Stranded Network Cable,Transparent : Amazon.ca: Electronics

VCE UL Listed Cat6 Pass Through RJ45 Connectors with Protection Boots 50-Pack,Ethernet Crimp Modular Plug for Cat6/Cat5/Cat5e UTP Solid & Stranded Network Cable,Transparent : Amazon.ca: Electronics

a.co

I ordered a 50 pack of those, and it just so happens that the crimping tool I ordered was VCE so it came with 50 of exactly the same PN.

Just waiting for my bulk cable order to come in so I can start playing with creating my own custom length cables.

 

[sswilson]

Finally got all of the bits delivered.... went with a prime cables solid core that sounds like it's not CCA. One of the things I wasn't thinking of was how stiff the cable was going to be.

 

[Caldezar]

Finally got all of the bits delivered.... went with a prime cables solid core that sounds like it's not CCA. One of the things I wasn't thinking of was how stiff the cable was going to be.

You can get different variations of cables that are either stiffer or more flexible. Anything that's either outdoor cabling or plenum rated tends to be the stiffest. (Although for good reason.) I find the standard FastCat stuff isn't too bad for flexibility. But if you want it most flexible and you know it will be indoors only with minimal interference, then you can buy ultra-thin cabling. But you need small diameter ends to go with it.

 

[sswilson]

You can get different variations of cables that are either stiffer or more flexible. Anything that's either outdoor cabling or plenum rated tends to be the stiffest. (Although for good reason.) I find the standard FastCat stuff isn't too bad for flexibility. But if you want it most flexible and you know it will be indoors only with minimal interference, then you can buy ultra-thin cabling. But you need small diameter ends to go with it.

This is the stuff I ended up grabbing....

PrimeCables Cat6 Ethernet Bulk Cable CMR-Rated 500ft - Solid, Network Internet Cord 23AWG UTP, Pure Bare Copper Wire White : Amazon.ca: Electronics

PrimeCables Cat6 Ethernet Bulk Cable CMR-Rated 500ft - Solid, Network Internet Cord 23AWG UTP, Pure Bare Copper Wire White : Amazon.ca: Electronics

www.amazon.ca

It's not crazy stiff, just not as flexible as pre-made cables which I'm assuming probably aren't solid core wires.

Managed to create a couple of custom length cables without any major issues. The biggest hassle seems to be getting the cable stripped without nicking the wires.

 

[Caldezar]

This is the stuff I ended up grabbing....

PrimeCables Cat6 Ethernet Bulk Cable CMR-Rated 500ft - Solid, Network Internet Cord 23AWG UTP, Pure Bare Copper Wire White : Amazon.ca: Electronics

PrimeCables Cat6 Ethernet Bulk Cable CMR-Rated 500ft - Solid, Network Internet Cord 23AWG UTP, Pure Bare Copper Wire White : Amazon.ca: Electronics

www.amazon.ca

It's not crazy stiff, just not as flexible as pre-made cables which I'm assuming probably aren't solid core wires.

Managed to create a couple of custom length cables without any major issues. The biggest hassle seems to be getting the cable stripped without nicking the wires.

I've never worked with that cable, but it's likely comparable to the Fast Cat stuff. And yes, premade patch cabling is typically made from stranded cabling rather than solid core. Stranded is more flexible than solid core, but in large spools it can sometimes be a bit less reliable. (ie. breaks in cabling midway in the roll, which can lead to a bad cable once in a while.) That said, you can definitely buy stranded cabling in bulk, and it's fine for most things around the house. I typically buy solid core as it's the most universal in commercial environments where I'm mostly running it.

1000ft 4 Pair CAT6 Stranded 24AWG UTP FT4/CMR Bulk Cable

Overview This bulk riser rated Cat6 cable is 1000 feet in length and consists of 4 pairs of 24AWG stranded wires. It is typically used to manufacture Cat6 unshielded patch cables and terminated with RJ45 plugs. 100% Bare Copper Stranded Conductors This cables is manufactured using high quality...

www.infinitecables.com

Solid Core = best for reliability, adverse environments, in-wall runs, etc.
Stranded = Great for patch cabling, short exposed runs, flexibility requirements, etc.
Copper Clad Aluminum = Cheap, unreliable, fire hazard with PoE... stay away

 

[sswilson]

Also in the video I think he did b-spec. Always do b-spec just in part to annoy the a-spec guys

Anyone that does structured cabling in a-spec should have their cabling privileges revoked. Re-terminating cabling is a pain in the ass when you don't realize the other end is a different pin out. It's 'B' or nothing for this guy.



The rule for me is typically that any deal on cabling that seems too good to be true, probably is. Stick to name brands like FastCat, Beldin or CommScope of you want to be sure. Or stick to a company like Infinite Cables that typically doesn't even stock CCA.

Heh.... just realised that I did A spec.

I'm assuming B is the standard these days???

WTH are the colours/stripes not just done in order for a standard (not crossover) connector????

 

[Izerous]

WTH are the colours/stripes not just done in order for a standard (not crossover) connector????

Technically you could go orange, green, blue, brown, orange stripe, green stripe, blue stripe, brown stripe and chances are over a short run if it was done the same on both sides it would likely work. But the A/B specs are there for consistency and reliability to avoid crosstalk and interference. You start doing non-standard stuff and you also suddenly you have to fix a cable that runs through walls into other rooms and you have no idea what the other end is. In all reality you could take 4 runs of lamp wire and turn it into ethernet cable if you felt so inclined but doesn't mean you will get rated speeds over rated distances.

Your really basic cable testers you just plug in two devices one on each end and it just sends power down wire 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and you watch the other end for the light to light up in order. If the other end goes 1,2,5,6,2,3,7,8, or say one light doesn't light up then you screwed up. If it lights up in order changes it will work even if wired weird just maybe not work well.

 

[sswilson]

Technically you could go orange, green, blue, brown, orange stripe, green stripe, blue stripe, brown stripe and chances are over a short run if it was done the same on both sides it would likely work. But the A/B specs are there for consistency and reliability, though it is questionable how important it is on the last few cm's at the conector. You start doing non-standard stuff and suddenly you have to fix a cable that runs through walls into other rooms and you have no idea what the other end is. In all reality you could take 4 runs of lamp wire and turn it into ethernet cable if you felt so inclined but doesn't mean you will get rated speeds over rated distances.

Your really basic cable testers you just plug in two devices one on each end and it just sends power down wire 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and you watch the other end for the light to light up in order. If the other end goes 1,2,5,6,2,3,7,8, or say one light doesn't light up then you screwed up.

I get that it's all about consistency, and that worst case scenario would be having to re-terminate a cable that's previously been run if it originally hadn't been done to spec. That said.... as long as a person sticks to having the same pin-out on both sides of the cable then it shouldn't make a difference unless the cable needs to be re-terminated.

It seems weird to me that there's a "new" spec, but it still mixes up the coloured pairings. I wonder if that's intentional to keep certain pins from being directly beside each other to prevent cross talk.

Doesn't modern networking gear automatically negotiate between normal and crossover cables?

 

[Caldezar]

Heh.... just realised that I did A spec.

I'm assuming B is the standard these days???

WTH are the colours/stripes not just done in order for a standard (not crossover) connector????

Time to go back and do them all in B.

T568B is absolutely the modern standard. But the key is consistency. If you have an entire building wired in 'A', then you have to stick to that or recable the building. Going from A to B makes a crossover connection. So if you start patching in 'A', and that patching continues a run from a patch panel that's punched down in B, then you'll end up with a crossover connection. So all-in-all, stick to B.

I think the design for the standard is a carry forward from a ways back when interference could be an issue if the twisting wasn't completed right to the cable termination. (And crossover negotiation wasn't automatic.) You need to make sure that 'like pairs' always terminate together in order to maintain signal integrity. The green pair being split to either side of the blue is done to maintain backwards compatibility. But separating and organizing the colors is always the most annoying part of the cabling work IMO. Thousands of crimps in, and I still ask myself that same question frequently.

 

[Izerous]

I re-worded my message a little but wasn't as quick as your quote... the spec if there specifically for crosstalk and interference. Not following it espeically over longer distances can introduce crosstalk preventing the cable from working at rated speeds.

Also as we are pushing 2.5g 10g etc it is even more important to follow the spec to get the rated results*