Cross-Over Cable Steps to a successfully terminated end!

When connecting two computers together, use a “cross-over” cable.

When connecting computers directly to a hub or switch, “straight-through” cables are used.

Tools we will use include: Crimper, stripper, cat 5 wire, wire cutters, RJ45 jacks

Follow these 6 steps… 1) - Start by stripping off about 2 inches of the plastic jacket off the end of the cable. Do not nick or cut into the wires inside. (Doing so could alter the characteristics of your cable, or even worse, render it useless.) Check the wires, one more time for nicks or cuts. If there are any, just whack the whole end off, and start over.

2) - Spread the wires apart, but be sure to hold onto the base of the jacket with your other hand. You do not want the wires to become untwisted down inside the jacket. Category 5 cable must only have 1/2 of an inch of 'untwisted' wire at the end; otherwise it will be 'out of spec'. At this point, you obviously have ALOT more than 1/2 of an inch of un-twisted wire, but don't worry - well take care of that soon enough.

3) - Below are two diagrams which show how to arrange the cables for each type of cable end. Decide at this point which end you are making and examine the associated picture below.

4) Begin to untwist the twisted exposed wires on your cable. Use caution so that you do not untwist them down inside the jacket. Once you have all the wires untwisted begin to arrange them in the proper order based on the previous picture. This stage can be a pain, especially some of the middle wires. Once you get all the wires arranged in the proper order, make sure your wire cutters are within reach.

5) Grasp them at the point where they enter the jacket. Make sure you keep them in the proper order! Grab your cutters now. Line them up along your prepared wires, about 1/2 inch above the jacket. You want to make a clean cut here - also make sure you don't let go of that jacket / wires!

6) - Grab your RJ-45 jack, and begin to slide the wires into it. Have some patience and hold onto those wires. It will fit in just fine. Once it is in as far as it will go, the wires should extend almost to the front of the jack, and about 3/8 of an inch of the jacket will be inside the jack. Like the picture below.

Here are a few other things to keep in mind... Maximum Cable length = 100 meters (or about 328 feet) Do not allow the cable to be sharply bent, or kinked, at any time. Do not overtighten cable ties Do not use excessive force when pulling cable Do not use staples to secure category-5 cable,

If I want to create a network, which should I use, a hub or a switch? Check the following slide to see the differences between the two. Remember: If you connect two computers directly together, you need a cross-over cable. If you use a switch or a hub, you use straight-thru cable.

HubsSwitches Half Duplex Mode: Send OR receive data to or from a node Full Duplex Mode: Send AND receive data to or from a node at the same time Shared Bandwidth: All users share the hub's bandwidth Dedicated Bandwidth: Each user enjoys dedicated bandwidth without sharing with other users Broadcasts Data Packets: Sends data to all nodes until it finds the right address Address Storing Feature: Recalls data packet's destination and sends it there directly What's the difference between a hub and a switch?

Good Luck! and may the force not kill you!