How to crimp an Internet cable correctly
When conducting a local network in apartments andPrivate homes often have a problem with crimping the network cable. Sometimes even with all the necessary tools, you can not perform this operation correctly. And all because the network cable RJ-45 has its own characteristics, which are necessarily taken into account when carrying out such work.
Features of network elements
Most often RJ-45, which is used forconnecting a computer to a local network, is called a twisted pair. This cable is 4 or 8 small wires, interconnected in pairs. Each of them has its own dense shell. Why twisted pair? It's very simple - a similar cable structure makes it possible to reduce interference when passing electrical signals. By the way, if it is an Internet connection with a speed of up to 100 Mbps, only two twisted pairs, that is, four wires, can be used to conduct electrical signals. However, for the construction of more high-speed gigabit networks, it is necessary to use cables with 4 pairs. Experts argue that the use of such conductors in the future will become more common. But so far in most homes where cable internet is provided, RJ-45 with four wires is used.
Crimping methods
There are two methods of crimping the mains wire:
- Straight.
- Cross.
Schemes for both you can see in the photo below.
Which method do you use to connect your homenetwork? All is very simple - a direct method is used in those cases when one computer is connected to the Internet. Cross only applies when there is a need to connect the two computers together. That is, having one laptop or PC at home, it is better to use a direct method of connecting the cable.
How to crimp an Internet cable at home? Cooking tools
In fact, you can cope with the twisted pair andwith your own hands, even if you do not have a great idea about local networks. As for the tools, they can be bought at any computer store in the city, and for a small price. So, what we need to buy:
- 1.5-2 meters of RJ-45 cable.
- Special connectors.
- Caps.
- Scalpel or side cutters.
- LAN tester.
- Well and most importantly - a tool that will allowTwist the twisted pair cable in a few seconds. He's called a crimper. It can be purchased at a price of 500 to 2 thousand rubles, depending on the modification, as well as the number of functions performed. With it, we can fix the connectors and crimp the cable. Outwardly, this device is a mechanism such as pliers.
How to crimp the Internet cable "4 wires"? Getting Started
Having prepared all necessary materials andtools, you can start working. Before you compress the Internet cable, you must first remove the layer of external insulation from it. As for the length, for connection it is enough to remove 2.5-3 centimeters of wire insulation. Remove a thick plastic shell, you can either with a knife, or with the help of the crimper. Now almost all crimping tools have a special blade for removing an extra layer of insulation from the twisted pair. After that, a thin nylon thread will be visible near the wires - it can be safely cut off.
By the way, when stripping the cable, the length of the weavetwisted pair should not be above 1.25 centimeters. To make it more convenient, it is advisable to use special "mites", which have knives with a stop.
How to crimp the Internet cable now? Unravel the two twisted pairs of conductors and align them for the following operations. After preparation, you can start the crimping procedure. It is done strictly according to the scheme.
Please note that before processing the twisted pairthe crimper must be as flat as possible, and the wires must be parallel to each other. If necessary, you can shorten the explorer in two times. This is done with the help of a blade on the crimper.
Work with the crimmer
Next comes the most important part of the work. So, we put on the connector and gently squeeze it with a crimper. To do this, enter the conductors in the network cable connector RJ-45. It is important to remember that all colors must match, that is, white is connected strictly to white, blue to blue and so on.
Also make sure that the conductor accuratelyentered the allotted hole on the connector. Otherwise, the transfer of data, and therefore, the operation of the Internet on the PC will be impossible. After making sure the colors are correct and the conductors are positioned, take the crimper and squeeze the network cable. This is done this way: the cable and connector are inserted into the device and the handles are compressed on the last. Note that this element has several holes for different types of wires (4P2S, RJ-12 and many others), namely three. Specifically for the RJ-45 cable, this hole is in the middle.
Checking the results of work
But on this question, how to squeeze a 4-wire cablefor the Internet with their own hands, is not yet fully resolved. Next, we have to verify the correctness of the work done. This is done not by a "poke method", but with the help of a special device - a LAN tester. How to use this tool? First, plug the cable connectors into the tester. Next, the device is connected to the power supply. If the tester does not detect any errors, all the indicators on it will light up one by one, one by one. If you notice that the instrument "missed" one of the wires (one indicator did not light up), then there is a loose contact in the socket. In this case, the network cable undergoes a repeated crimping procedure and is again tested.
What if the repeated crimp did not solve the problem?
In this case, the problem may be hidden in theconnector. It happens that at the entrance veins can twist in it, and then it is impossible to guarantee the tightness of the connection of the contacts. Try replacing the connector with another one. In most cases this helps when connecting to a local network.
Conclusion
Everything, at this stage, our cable is ready for use. Similarly, as described above, we process the second end of the wire. After that you can safely bring it to the computer. The main thing here is not to forget the order of connecting the conductors.
