Question First time building network cables

[weeber]

During these stay-at-home days, I decided to pull Cat6 through my walls to a couple of rooms. The pull and wiring the jacks went better than expected, when I quickly tested with a couple of store-bought patch cables everything connected at gigabit speeds and I was able to transfer to between my desktop and server at just over 100 MB/s so everything looked good with the backbone.

Now I'm trying to make my own patch cables, and I'm having a little more difficulty with it.
1. One cable I made initially connected at gigabit speed, but now only negotiates at 100mbs speeds. Obviously I messed up at least one end. Other than cutting off the ends and trying again, anything I should look for?

2. Another cable is connecting at gigabit, but my speed from my desktop to my server is only 80MB/s but from my server to desktop is just over 100MB/s, as expected. Is that another indication of a bad connector on at least one end?

I'm just using equipment that Amazon could get to me relatively quickly: a Trendnet crimper and some clear plastic RJ45 ends, nothing fancy. Any tips for getting these connections right the first time?

 

[SamirD]

Glad to hear you have a nice wired backbone. These are game changers.

As far as making your own cables--it's just practice and experience. I had to replace the end on a fixed point of sale cable once and it took me 3 attempts, cutting off the bad end each time before I finally got it right. This is why no one makes patch cables any more and just buys them. Although the knowledge is handy for fixing patch cables where an end has gone bad.

 

[boomerang]

You may be experiencing the trouble you are if you are using the same cabling you used for your runs to make your patch cables. Ideally, you would use solid core wiring for the runs and stranded for patch cables.

The 8 individual connectors in an RJ45 connector differ for stranded and solid cabling. In the past I have gotten away with ignoring the difference when using CAT5e cable but have found that CAT6 cable is fussier.

Are you using solid core wire for your patch cables?

 

[DainBrammage]

For what you are doing ti makes no difference if it is stranded or solid cable. You are not building a data center. The patch cords from jack to jack with store bought cables negotiated at 1GBps then you put your home made patch cable in and got 100Mbps. Check all four of your patch ends ends you have likely missed a conductor when you crimped on one or more of them

 

[weeber]

Thanks for the help guys, it ends up that it was trial and error until I got it right. I won't admit to how many errors it took to get a perfectly functioning cable on both ends, but I eventually got there. I totally understand why people just buy patch cables now instead of making their own. I was just trying to use up the spool of cable I bought for the main run I did. Anyways, I can say I learned a new skill during this cray time, so that's something.

FYI - I was using wire I bought from Microcenter, solid core, but the thinner 24awg instead of 23.

 

[SamirD]

Glad you were able to figure it out and learned something new!

 

[Genx87]

During these stay-at-home days, I decided to pull Cat6 through my walls to a couple of rooms. The pull and wiring the jacks went better than expected, when I quickly tested with a couple of store-bought patch cables everything connected at gigabit speeds and I was able to transfer to between my desktop and server at just over 100 MB/s so everything looked good with the backbone.

Now I'm trying to make my own patch cables, and I'm having a little more difficulty with it.
1. One cable I made initially connected at gigabit speed, but now only negotiates at 100mbs speeds. Obviously I messed up at least one end. Other than cutting off the ends and trying again, anything I should look for?

2. Another cable is connecting at gigabit, but my speed from my desktop to my server is only 80MB/s but from my server to desktop is just over 100MB/s, as expected. Is that another indication of a bad connector on at least one end?

I'm just using equipment that Amazon could get to me relatively quickly: a Trendnet crimper and some clear plastic RJ45 ends, nothing fancy. Any tips for getting these connections right the first time?

1. Yes a pair was not properly crimped on one side. There are testing tools that can tell you which one. But may not be worth investing into for a small project. Just recrimp ends imo.
2. The cap for 1Gbps is 120MB\s. But hard drives or client systems rarely can achieve this due to overhead in TCP\IP and limitations in the hardware. If you are getting 80-100MB\sec. That is probably as good as it gets.

 

[MtnMan]

2. Another cable is connecting at gigabit, but my speed from my desktop to my server is only 80MB/s but from my server to desktop is just over 100MB/s, as expected. Is that another indication of a bad connector on at least one end?

80MB/s = 640Mb/s
You will never reach 1,000Mb/s due to protocol overhead, latency, IRG.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Test the real speed of the gigabit connection using iperf. If you test with file transfers, you're introducing other variables. Iperf runs in RAM and will show you real speed on cable.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Thanks for the help guys, it ends up that it was trial and error until I got it right. I won't admit to how many errors it took to get a perfectly functioning cable on both ends, but I eventually got there. I totally understand why people just buy patch cables now instead of making their own. I was just trying to use up the spool of cable I bought for the main run I did. Anyways, I can say I learned a new skill during this cray time, so that's something.

FYI - I was using wire I bought from Microcenter, solid core, but the thinner 24awg instead of 23.

If you're saying that your crimping heads onto solid cable, just stop and get patch cable to crimp...or by prefab patch cable

 

[ViviTheMage]

Ohhh man, how I hate making patch cables. In your central area, are you using a punch down. Those are a bit easier, and you can then use premade cables to go to your network equipment.

If you are making cables outside of punch downs, you should make sure to get the EZ RJ45 heads, so you can push the copper through and see if you screwed up before crimping.

 

[skyking]

It's just a no for me, as far as making patch cables. I only crimp ends at POE camera installations or POE access points outside. It is too frustrating and you have to pay yourself something for your time. Fiddlefart around with a bad end for a while and you went in the hole