FREE SHIPPING on orders OVER $250
Use code SHIP4FREE at checkout
Fast Lead Times | Fast Shipping
Before you begin, you should know which wiring scheme you will be using. The only difference between 568A and 568B wiring is that pairs 2 and 3 (orange and green) are swapped. If you are unsure which one to use then you should go with the 568B diagram. It is the 568B diagram that we demonstrate in this tutorial and the 568A wiring is shown in the diagrams below mainly for illustration. In our estimation the 568B connection is used in over 99% of all straight through applications. Know that using either the A or B standard will produce a "straight through" connection that should work for any Ethernet or POE (power over Ethernet) application. Therefore do not sweat over the choice.
LANshack.com was the very first e-commerce website to offer free online tutorials for cable connections. To say that our articles have been popular over the span of many years would be an understatement. But time marches on and we now have three major updates. For one, we have updated this very popular tutorial, and two, we now have a video tutorial to go with it. But most importantly, we have now developed a totally new system for termination cables called the QuickTreX™ PRO System™.
Pair # | Wire | Pin # |
---|---|---|
1White / Blue
|
White / Blue | 5 |
4 | ||
2White / Orange
|
White / Orange | 1 |
2 | ||
3White / Green
|
White / Green | 3 |
6 | ||
4White / Brown
|
White / Brown | 7 |
8 |
Pair # | Wire | Pin # |
---|---|---|
1White / Blue
|
White / | 5 |
4 | ||
2 White / Orange
|
White / Orange | 1 |
2 | ||
3White / Green
|
White / Green | 3 |
6 | ||
4White / Brown
|
White / Brown | 7 |
8 |
1
Start at about 1.5" to 2" back on the cable and skin the cable's jacket. Circle the cable with the tool 1-2 times. |
2
Remove the stripper tool and gently bend the cable where it was scored by the tool in both directions (back and forth). The cable's outer jacket should just pull off. |
3
Begin to untwist each pair |
4
Use the discarded piece of the cable's jacket to complete the process. Leave about 1 twist at the end. |
5
Straighten out the wires. Use of a blunt edge tool like a long nose pliers will help greatly and save your fingers. |
6
Refer to the diagram that you intend to use. In this case, we are using the 568B scheme. |
7
Put the wires in the appropriate order and get them as straight and close together as possible by running them through your fingers |
8
While holding the group of wires in perfect fashion, cut off about 0.25" from the end to get the wires ready to go into the loadbar. |
9
Insert the wires into the loadbar with the hollow end of the loadbar facing the wires. Slide the loadbar down on the wires |
Gently jiggle the wires from side
to side while maintaining pressure
on the bundle and they will all come
through easily.
|
||
10
Use the electrician's wire scissors to cut the wires straight across at the point where you made the mark. |
11
Use the electrician's wire scissors to cut the wires straight across at the point where you made the mark. |
12
>
With the Orange pair furthest away from you and the Brown pair closest, slide the connector on to the assembly with the pins facing up and the locking clip facing down. Push the assembly into the connector with a slight wiggling motion to make the ends of the wires go all the way to the end of the connector. It may be necessary to use moderately firm pushing to make this happen. At this point it is advisable to use a magnifying glass or jeweler's loop |
13
Insert the connector into the crimper and keep pressure on the cable (pushing it in to the connector) until the crimp is complete. Use a high quality Industry Standard Crimper such as our QuickTreX® Professional "Five In One" Modular Crimping Tool |
14
If you intend to use cable boots, slide them onto the cable now before installing the opposite connector. Boots are completely optional. |
15
Repeat the process and install the connector on the opposite end. |
16
|
Test the cable with a 4-pair type Cable Tester. |
1) The RJ-45 plugs are normally made for either solid conductors or stranded conductors. It is very important to be sure that the plug that you use matches the conductor type. It is extremely difficult to tell the difference between the two by looking at them. When you buy these plugs, be sure to categorize, and store them carefully. Using the wrong type can cause intermittent problems. The QuickTreX™ Category 5E, 8 Conductor Modular Plugs, OR QuickTreX™ Category 6, 8 Conductor Modular Plugsthat we sell are rated for both Solid and Stranded cable.
2) Ordinarily, it would be taboo to untwist the pairs of any category 5 or 6 cable. The one exception to this rule is when crimping on RJ-45 plugs. It would be impossible to insert the wires into the channels without first untwisting and straightening them. Be sure not to extend the un-twisting, past the skin point. If you do it properly, you will wind up with no more than 1/2" of untwisted conductors (up to 1/2" of untwist meets the cat 5 or 6 specification).
3) If the completed assembly does not pass continuity, you may have a problem in one, or both ends. First try giving each end another crimp. If that does not work, then carefully examine each end. Are the wires in the proper order? Do all of the wires fully extend to the end of the connector? Are all of the pins pushed down fully. Cut off the suspected bad connector, and re-terminate it. If you still have a problem, then repeat the process, this time giving more scrutiny to the end that was not replaced.