Wired Router Connection 22 Meters - Fail!

[edavid]

What's the model name of your Test-Um device?

I have a TP500, which is a simple model with LEDs.  I paid $10 for it (used).  Seems to work fine, but now I realize that I've never used it on a cable with split pairs... guess I should make one to see if that feature works.

[deth502]

quick search shows the tp500 is supposedto detect split pairs and can be had for about $100 us.

http://www.itcelectronics.com/pdf/TESTP500.pdf

http://www.vetco.net/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1526&gclid=CKGzn_f2_boCFSTNOgodRUUAJA

*eta-no affiliation with the seller, was the first result right on top in my google search

[madires]

A proper tester costs about US$10k, a cheap continuity tester just US$10. It's not hard to guess which one is bought by most people ;-)

From memory my unit (that does split pair detection) was about $150 at the time.  Still quite affordable even if you don't do that many cables.

A few bucks more to skip the optical inspection :-) If you got some experience with LAN wiring the simple continuity tester is good enough. A bad wiring or cable occurs quite rarely. The $10k tester helps you to check if a cable meets Cat5/6/7 and, if not, what the problem is. Things like a too small bending radius or something else can't be detected by the $100 testers. So you think everything's fine but still get tons of FCS errors. And you have to install a new wire anyway. Split pairs are like an LM78xx put in reversed :-)

[SgtRock]

Greetings EEVBees:

--I just bought a pair of used Sergeant Crimpers. See below picture. I am not familiar with the brand, but they look to be well enough made to do the job. At $13 with shipping included, they seem like a reasonable risk. I will report back after they arrive, and I have done a few crimps with them.

"Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
William Claude Dukenfield - W. C. Fields 1880 - 1946

Best Regards
Clear Ether

[ejeffrey]

--I want to thank everyone for all of the good advice and tips. After I ran the approx. 22 meters of Cat 5e Twisted Pair, stranded cable, I installed the ends, and then tested the cable with a cable tester, which shows all 4 twisted pairs are connected correctly.

The cheap cable testers are not worth much either.  They are just continuity meters.  It is certainly useful to know that all the wires are hooked up, but good network testers measure impedance, crosstalk, attenuation, and reflection. Also they cost > $1000.  Not really something you are going to buy for home use.  This is one reason premade cables are preferable if possible.  For in-wall wiring where that isn't practical, you usually just have to be careful and hope.

[SgtRock]

Greetings EEVBees:

--I recieved the $9 Sargent RJ45/12 crimpers, see pictures below. These are missing the spring and arm that keeps them open, but they are more than sufficient for my purposes. These are very high quality professional crimpers, but even they do not do a perfect job every time. I have now re-crimped all my wrong and poor crimps, I bought a router switch so I can go beyond 4 taps, and I am running wire to every connection on the property, including my shed workshop. I find I have to re-crimp some joints while others must be cut off and re-crimped. Nonetheless with a little fiddling and inspection, I am able to get a very professional result. I did notice that the round cable was not being held very tightly by the plastic clamp, so started putting a piece of flattened cable behind it, so I now get mechanically sound attachment. See below the labeled pictures of various crimps.

--I am using solid RG45 Cat 5e cable, with solid wires, and the crimp-on plugs which have the two sharp points which penetrate the insulation. Should I be using a different crimp-on plug for solid wire, and if so, please give link or name of product, if you remember. Thanks Again.

"Human judges can show mercy. But against the laws of nature, there is no appeal."
Arthur C. Clarke 1917 - 2008

Best Regards
Clear Ether

[Monkeh]

Yes, you're using the wrong crimps. You don't want to try and punch into a solid wire.

Have a search for solid wire crimps, you'll find ones which have two or three prongs which are set to either side of the wire, and ride up inside the insulation instead of attempting to pierce the core.

Alternatively, get stranded cable.

[AndersAnd]

[SgtRock]

Dear Monkeh & AndersAnd:

--As usual you are indeed correct. The reason, apparently, that I am having to re-crimp and discard plugs is because the points do not slip to the side, and therefore will not go down, see picture below. I have ordered 100 of the correct plugs for solid wire for $14. The video provided by AndersAnd show exactly the trouble I have been having. I see now, I should have researched this, before jumping in. Nonetheless I have learned a lot, and am having fun, and other than the cheap crimpers which failed, I have not bought anything I do not need. Thanks.

Three weeks in the lab will save you a day in the library every time"
R. Stanley Williams 1951 -

Best Regards
Clear Ether

[madires]

Use standed cable for patch cables, e.g. to connect a PC to a switch port or a wall socket. Use solid cable for fixed installations like between patch panels and wall sockets. Crimping a solid cable (even if you get RJ45 plugs for that) and using it as a patch cable is nonsense. It would be like running solid wire from your mains panel directly into your coffee machine or TV.

[SgtRock]

Dear Madires:

--What you said is indeed correct, though perhaps not as dire as your comparison indicates. The house I am working on is my brother's, and is scheduled for a total rehab in the coming year, so I am not going to invest in wall mount jacks (~$5 each) at the present time, I will just reterminate if a wire breaks.

Yield to temptation. It may not pass your way again.

Robert Anson Heinlein 1907 - 1988
Best Regards
Clear Ether

[AndersAnd]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_connector#8P8C

8P8C plug with contacts for solid wire (left) and stranded wire (right)


contacts for solid wire (top left) and stranded wire (bottom right)

Also note there's differences between Cat 5 and Cat 6 plugs. Cat 6 wires has a larger diameter than Cat 5 wires, so the Cat 6 wires are in two rows in Cat 6 plugs to make room for all of them.

http://fieldcomponents.com/RJ45-C6.html


http://www.accesscomms.com.au/reference/cat5&6plugcomparison.htm

How to distinguish a Cat 6 plug from a Cat-5 or Cat-5E plug

To maintain transmission characteristics and network integrity, it's essential to use the correct type of patch-cord to match the installation. A network port will perform only at the level of the LOWEST-rated component in the chain. If a Cat-5 or Cat-5E patch-cord is used in a Cat-6 system, only Cat-5 or Cat-5E specifications will be achieved for that circuit.

To distinguish a Cat-6 plug from a Cat-5 or a Cat-5E plug, just simply look at the way the cable's wires have been terminated at the end of the plug.


A Cat-5 or a Cat-5E plug will ALWAYS have all eight wires in a single row


The majority of Cat-6 plugs will have wires in two rows with four wires per row

   
Some Cat-6 plugs will have wires in two rows with 6 wires in the top row and 2 wires in the bottom row.

And then there's also shielded vs. unshielded plugs and cables, but all the ones shown here are unshielded.

[Fsck]

um, they're wrong. my cat5e plugs are 4 top, 4 bottom offset.
they also clamp down near the end point almost like the picture of the cat6 plugs.
however, they're clearly indicated for cat5e.

[TerraHertz]

There's another crucial detail for long cable runs no one has mentioned. If your cable goes through any conduit that might become waterlogged (and if if goes underground it _will_ get wet, by condensation) you must use a very different type of Cat5/6 cable.

The ordinary type for use in buildings has a thin outer sheath of PVC, and the pairs fairly loose inside.
Problem is, PVC is semipermeable to water. So water outside the cable gradually diffuses into the spaces inside. This completely changes the impedance of the pairs, and attenuates higher frequencies more. In a nutshell, the cable stops working. I've seen this happen. It took about 6 months from installation to dead.

The correct cable for underground cat5/6, consists of a thick polyethylene outer sheath, with the inner space around the pairs fully packed with thick silicone grease. It's pretty much the same construction as underground phone cable, but with different pair twist lengths.
The underground cable is thicker overall than standard cat5/6, and can't be terminated in plugs. It's normally terminated to the back of patch panels.

It's just called "cat 5 underground" (or 6) by cable suppliers.

[peter.mitchell]

There's another crucial detail for long cable runs no one has mentioned. If your cable goes through any conduit that might become waterlogged (and if if goes underground it _will_ get wet, by condensation) you must use a very different type of Cat5/6 cable.

The ordinary type for use in buildings has a thin outer sheath of PVC, and the pairs fairly loose inside.
Problem is, PVC is semipermeable to water. So water outside the cable gradually diffuses into the spaces inside. This completely changes the impedance of the pairs, and attenuates higher frequencies more. In a nutshell, the cable stops working. I've seen this happen. It took about 6 months from installation to dead.

The correct cable for underground cat5/6, consists of a thick polyethylene outer sheath, with the inner space around the pairs fully packed with thick silicone grease. It's pretty much the same construction as underground phone cable, but with different pair twist lengths.
The underground cable is thicker overall than standard cat5/6, and can't be terminated in plugs. It's normally terminated to the back of patch panels.

It's just called "cat 5 underground" (or 6) by cable suppliers.

And you probably want an organ donors card to pay for it with your arm and your leg.