Making my own network cables

randym431

Golden Member
Jun 4, 2003
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I'm tired of having a mess of 6' network cables between router and other devices like the cable modem and wireless access point and the such. Is there a "kit" to make your own cables at your own length? Can anyone give me a link(s) to buying kits to do this?
donka...
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,544
5,590
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randy, it is generally a bad practice to "crimp your own". Bad cables can show up as strange problems, not always hinting at the cause.

For less than $20 you can buy an assortment of different lengths from any of the vendors listed in this thread. you can use different colors for different runs, and that helps sort out the mess sometimes.

link
 

JackMDS

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 25, 1999
29,516
408
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Originally posted by: skyking
randy, it is generally a bad practice to "crimp your own". Bad cables can show up as strange problems, not always hinting at the cause.[/L]
Very True.

Inexpensive commercially terminated Cables here (7? is $1.35), http://www.computergate.com/products/prodlist.cfm?prodseq=D2CT03

However, experience shows that many people are undeterred by this warning.:thumbsdown:

In such a case this might help, Wiring - I would like to wire my Networked Computers (Home Wiring).

:sun:

 

Booshanky

Member
Dec 17, 2001
124
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Hrm, I've always made my own cables and never had any problems. Weird.

Anyway, just get a spool of cat 5, a crimper, and get a diagram off google. Simple enough.
 

pikachu656

Senior member
Jan 9, 2006
200
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Originally posted by: skyking
randy, it is generally a bad practice to "crimp your own". Bad cables can show up as strange problems, not always hinting at the cause.

I've never had any problems crimping my own cables. I've wired my whole house and also several friends too. Whenever my friends need cat 5 they usually call me to crimp it for them.

Get a spool of cat5, some plugs, a good crimper, cable tester (optional, but it helps to remove any doubt that it's done incorrectly), and you can check out this website for wiring
 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,544
5,590
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I'm wondering how many thousands of computers the 'roll your own' guys administer. My experience is only a hundred or so( I'm a fast learner;) ), but you and scottmac and cmetz and garion...... I'm guessing 10K or more users/computers that rely on your expertise.
 

RebateMonger

Elite Member
Dec 24, 2005
11,586
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I quit making my own cables long ago. Yeah, I have a crimper. And, in an emergency, I'll do it. But computergeeks.com has reliable 15-foot cables for $1 each. And shorter cables are easily purchased if you need them.

I've had many problems that turned out to be from homemade cables. It's just not worth the potential hassle to save a dollar on a cable. Now, running wire from wall plug to wall plug is a different story. As long as you aren't using a crimping tool and attaching RJ45 connectors, no problem....
 

Fallen Kell

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,130
492
126
I've personally had more issues with store bought cables then my own cables in my home network. Now the opposite goes for my work's network. Here is my input on the matter, it is all about the quality of the job. At work, crimping cables is monotoneous, boring work when you need to make a couple dozen or more cables. Screw-ups ARE going to happen. The cables will not be properly terminated, wires might be mixed up, the insulation might not be stripped too far, etc.... All things which will lead to problems now or possible a year or so down the road.

However, the cause of those problems is from the person/tools used to make the cable and can all be fixed if done properly. I'm still using several cables at home and at work that I crimped 10 years ago, but that is because I took the time neccessary to do them correctly. It doesn't take a lot of time, just really the knowledge and experience of having done it properly before. You simply need to check and recheck everything. Know about how much of the outside insulation you need to strip (to give you a hint it is just a little more then the width of the crimping tool), know how to untwist the ends of the twisted pairs and straighten them out, then CUT them to the correct length so they are all even and will fit into the RJ45 connector endpiece while having the insulation reach far enough into the endpiece that about 1/8-1/6 inch of the insulation is past the base part where the little plastic tab will crimp down and into the cable to hold it in place without placing stress on the twisted pairs.

Again, it is all about knowing what to do. Making custom length cables can be very handy if you want a clean installation. Just take your time and do it right.
 

Slowlearner

Senior member
Mar 20, 2000
873
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Computergeeks used to have a kit with 1000' cable/crimper/tester/connectors etc for like 50$. I couldn't find it but found something similar
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=CAT5E-300-30U&cat=CBL

Network cabling requires some expertise best left to professionals, who have the tools and experience to do the job. There is a whole bunch of good practices that need to be adhered to - discarding initial pull runs, using properly sheathed cale for exterior runs, blah blah that an occasional crimper will rarely do - and bad cable is usually the last thing everyone thinks of while trying to trouble shoot - so you will waste a lot to time to figure out why a particular pc is not connecting to the the network. Even plain crimping is an art some do it right the first time some do it right sometimes.

The cost of network cable is not too high, even walmart.com offers it, so why waste time and energy trying to make your own.
 

nweaver

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2001
6,813
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The 2 big reasons for ordering the proper length premade...
1. Known quantity, those are made and tested for compatibilty. There are VERY FEW bad cables that way (I have seen 1 in thousands)
2. Time: Anyone who gets paid to work on PC's as a full time job is way too expensive to pay to make cables. WAY too expensive in most cases. Consider a net admin, making 75K a year. Break that down, and it's probably $30 an hour, give or take. Do you want to pay someone $30 an hour to make cables?
 

JackMDS

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 25, 1999
29,516
408
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Hint, if you need long Run you need solid core, otherwise you lose ?Speed?.

Hint, if you need short patches you need stranded.

Hint, for long runs you do not crimp you use Solid with Keystones.

So what you buy 1000? of Solid or Stranded?

I notice few of my neighbors, they are saving with Kits. Usually they make few cables and then they have hundreds feet of CAT5e sitting in deep storage (I guess it is like saving in self Bank).

If you really compute the expense vs. what they actually using, in many cases they lose money. Might be that some simply need the good feeling that they have few hundred feet of CAT5e covered with spider web sitting in their basement.

Therefore, the saving is usually self-delusion that is achieved by comparing the cost Kit to the cost of Belkin?s Cat5e in plastic bubbles.

:sun:
 

petey117

Senior member
Jul 24, 2003
755
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i believe the ethernet spec calls for a minimum cable length of 3'
anyone that can back this up?
yes, i have made cables less than 1' , but specs are specs....
 

DaiShan

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2001
9,617
1
0
Originally posted by: JackMDS
Originally posted by: skyking
randy, it is generally a bad practice to "crimp your own". Bad cables can show up as strange problems, not always hinting at the cause.[/L]
Very True.

Inexpensive commercially terminated Cables here (7? is $1.35), http://www.computergate.com/products/prodlist.cfm?prodseq=D2CT03

However, experience shows that many people are undeterred by this warning.:thumbsdown:

In such a case this might help, Wiring - I would like to wire my Networked Computers (Home Wiring).

:sun:

I disagree, you can (and should) purchase a network cable tester to test your crimps. Your first few cables will probably be bad, but I do all of my own crimping (as I have for the past 6 years or so as a systems administrator) and I have not yet attributed network related problems to my cabling (packet loss intermittent connections etc) Keep in mind that it is more economically sound to just purchase cables of the right length if you are only going to be making a few cables (like 20 or less). I have a lot of clients and do a lot of wiring so I generally by it in spools of 1000' and get a sizable discount ($59.99 + tax on non-plenum)
 

silicon demon

Member
Jan 26, 2006
38
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0
hi bro, nice to meet you

i'm a real novice in motherboard architecture and other high-falootin in-depth computer stuff. and i just became a member on this site.

but what i am relatively knowledgeable about is cables.

i'm a commercial/industrial electrician with Local 569, San Diego. I occassionally have to do IT work. I'm the type of guy that builds the electrical and data transmission infrastructure that serves every business and high-rise.

my simple 2 cents of input here would be that crimping (low-voltage) cables isn't rocket science, but it does take a little practice...and it does take tools...and it does take test equipment. and you have to be perfect; otherwise, your system has a weak-link just because of poor connectivity problems in one lousy connector.

after a few terminations you'd probably be very adept. but cheap testers aren't worth the money you pay for them. crimping tools are usually over-priced. and since this will probably be a one-time gig and you won't be doing this for a living (hence, no need to invest in high-priced tools...or go through 5 or 10 connectors just to get one that's good)...my advice is: don't overthink this issue.

i agree with skyking and JackMDS. save yourself the time and energy and buy the prefab solution (factory-tested and inexpensive, to boot). Spend $15 or so and continue exploring the myriad apps and interests on your computer.



 

skyking

Lifer
Nov 21, 2001
22,544
5,590
146
i believe the ethernet spec calls for a minimum cable length of 3'

They will fail a certification test if they are below 2', in my experience. We've used the lucent and fluke testers ,and it seems to have a cow right about there. I will buy 2' to neaten up a patch panel installation, but never shorter.

welcome to the forums, silicon demon:)
I've crimped plenty, and never will again unless I need a 23' crossover or something very bizzare, it just does not pay. I make way more than it would pay me to crimp a cable.
Once you try and find a bad one in a network, now you are GIVING your time away, and in some cases, your job!

:p
 

Joony

Diamond Member
Jan 17, 2001
7,654
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0
The kits they have at compgeeks tend to be CMR rated solid core cable for going inside walls and stuff. Those would be bad to crimp from my own experience. If you want to make good flexable cables, use stranded core! Also, get a good crimper!