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Crimping Your Own Network Cables
Twisted-Pair Cabling
There are different grades, or categories, of twisted-pair cabling. Category 5
is the most reliable and is highly recommended. Category 3 is a good second
choice. Straight-through cables are used for connecting computers to a hub.
Crossover cables are used for connecting a hub to another hub (there is an
exception: some hubs have a built-in uplink port that is crossed internally,
which allows you to link or connect hubs together with a straight-through
cable instead).
You can buy pre-made Category 5
cabling, or cut and crimp your own.
Category 5 cables can be purchased or
crimped as either straight-through or
crossover cables. A Category 5 cable
has 8 thin, color-coded wires inside
that run from one end of the cable to
the other. All 8 wires are used. In a
straight-through cable, wires 1, 2, 3,
and 6 at one end of the cable are also
wires 1, 2, 3, and 6 at the other end. In
a crossover cable, the order of the
wires change from one end to the
other: wire 1 becomes 3, and 2
becomes 6. See the diagrams on the
next page for more detailed informa-
tion on straight-through
and crossover cabling.
To determine which wire
is wire number 1, hold
the cable so that the end of the plastic RJ-45 tip (the part
that goes into a wall jack first) is facing away from you.
Face the clip down so that the copper side faces up (the
springy clip will now be parallel to the floor).When look-
ing down on the copper side, wire 1 will be on the far left.