Q&A for How to Crimp Rj45

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Can you crimp RJ45 without a tool?

Ricardo Mitchell
Electrician & Construction Professional, CN Coterie
Ricardo Mitchell is the CEO of CN Coterie, a fully licensed and insured Lead EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Certified construction company located in Manhattan, New York. CN Coterie specializes in full home renovation, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, cabinetry, furniture restoration, OATH/ECB (Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings/Environmental Control Board) violations removal, and DOB (Department of Buildings) violations removal. Ricardo has over 10 years of electrical and construction experience and his partners have over 30 years of relevant experience.

Ricardo Mitchell

Electrician & Construction Professional, CN Coterie

Expert Answer

Well, you can always use a connector to join two lengths of RJ45, but if you don't have a crimping tool, that's basically your only option.

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Question

What are the picture representations of the color codes while in the RJ45?

Community Answer

The colors are arranged in a similar fashion so that the computers know what they are sending/receiving. The lines don't specifically carry an arranged data line, but there are data+, data-, data2+ and data2+ in there. Wikipedia would help you with that. Fun fact: as long as the colors match at both ends you should be fine, if you messed up a color. However, the pairs ARE twisted still. There are two extra pairs in the cable which aren't used until cat6, with Gigabit. You can do perfectly fine without the extra pair for c5 and 5e.

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Question

How do I determine how many centimeters to cut when trying to crimp one?

Community Answer

You can use the length of the RJ-45 connector itself. I use the width of my thumb. You will figure out a way that's good for you have you have done a few. Make sure the individual wire pairs maintain their twist right up to the crimp mechanism in the connector. If you have too much of the twisted wires showing prior to the crimp put both hands a foot down the cable and with one hand grip the cable loosely and gently slide the cable cover towards the crimp. The neoprene cover will stretch a little and make a nice looking crimp job.

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Question

Is it really necessary to have one meter of cable for crimping the wires?

Community Answer

Not really, but usually, one meter of spacing fits perfectly.

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Question

What is the difference between CAT5e and CAT6e?

Community Answer

CAT6e cabling has higher performance specifications and is about 20% more expensive than CAT5e.

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Question

Can I make my own color coding?

Community Answer

The wires in a cat5 cable are arranged in twisted pairs to a specification that prevents crosstalk between pairs. If you use a different sequence, you will likely end up with a lot of data loss due to crosstalk.

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Question

What colors are used in LAN cables?

Community Answer

White and orange, white and green, white and blue, white and brown. Wires are twisted type we have to straighten the wires and connect with RJ-45 pin.

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Question

What are the uses of the network cable?

Community Answer

Ethernet cables are used to connect hard-wired network devices (computers, printers, game consoles, etc.) to a central point instead of using WiFi.

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Question

Are the ends of the Rj45 cable waterproof?

Community Answer

They aren’t “waterproof” per se, but if subjected to accidental exposure to water, they should more than likely be perfectly fine to use after they are sufficiently dried. Never plug in or use a wet or damp Cat5 or Cat6 cable, as many devices run power through the cable (Power over Ethernet or PoE). This small amount of power is still enough to give you a shock, or fry your equipment.

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Question

How much do I strip when crimping Rj45?

Community Answer

1 inch of shielding, individual wires are not stripped, and extend 1/2 inch from shielding.

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Question

Do the two ends of the wires use the same specification of arrangement?

Community Answer

Yes. The wires must be in the same order at both ends and not mirrored. The order specified by the Cat standards ensure minimal crosstalk between wires.

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Question

I don't have to strip those colored wires?

Community Answer

No you don't, just follow the colour code guidance above. The colors are arranged in a similar fashion so that the computers know what they are sending/receiving.

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Question

On the top side of the ethernet connector, should I see the cable ending or does it not matter as I used the crimping tool? The tip of the cables on the top side of RJ-45 is not in: is it a problem?

Bluecar5556

Community Answer

The wires ideally shouldn't be exposed outside of the connector. what the tutorial doesn't seem to mention is to ensure the cable jacket is past the strain relief in the connector. It's the rectangle portion where the wires come in. The crimp tool will also crimp the strain relief down, thereby retaining the cable at the jacket, preventing it from being pulled out by the strongest portion of the cable: the jacket.

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