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Need help figuring out if my home's CAT5 wiring was done incorrectly!

A

ahdaniels76

Member
Hi everyone,


I just moved into a house that supposedly has working CAT5 wiring. It has the core wires, 5 room jacks, and a mounted keystone block in the basement that connects to the 5 core wires.


Trouble is I can’t get it to work. I run 5 separate patch cables from a switch (which works and has network connectivity) to the 5 jacks on the keystone block (or patch panel… whatever it’s called). Then I go to the rooms with the jacks and run a patch cable to a plugged in network device. No light to the switch port and no dice getting the device connected. Router doesn’t note any activity.


So I took a closer look at the keystone wiring. The cable in the walls is Cat5e, I think. The keystone block has a sticker on it showing wiring order to 568 A and B. I know – use B. It appears it’s wired according to the diagram for B, EXCEPT that the white copper wires are reversed with the solids (i.e. instead of blue, white/blue it goes white/blue, blue). ALSO, the diagram shows 4 color pairs (pair meaning green and white/green for example) in order, whereas everything I see online has one color pair (green or orange) getting split up. Finally, one of the wired up keystones is set apart from the other 4 and it has only 6 copper wires attached (and they are set up in a different order), with the orange & orange/white wires left disconnected.


Any idea what’s going on here? I assume the keystone wiring is the heart of the problem. But if the wall jacks in the house rooms are wired up the same way, wouldn’t it be okay? Or no? I suppose I should check the house jacks, but I’m not sure if the wiring order on a jack is different from the wiring on the keystones, because I’m not sure how the keystones trace into the patch panel jacks.


Before I spend lots of money on an electrician, can someone offer me some advice? I’m fairly handy, but don’t have a punch down tool.

Thanks in advance!
 
Making matters more confusing - I came across this website:

http://discountlowvoltage.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-punch-down-cat5ecat6-keystone.html

It shows the proper 568B diagram, says it is going to use it, and then uses a different layout based on the sticker on the keystone! (i.e. the guy doesn't swap the blue/white for the green/white) At least his solid vs. white wire layout matches the sticker and the separate 568B layout image. I feel like I'm missing something... are the white wires just not impotrant?
 
ahdaniels76 said:
Hi everyone,


I just moved into a house that supposedly has working CAT5 wiring. It has the core wires, 5 room jacks, and a mounted keystone block in the basement that connects to the 5 core wires.


Trouble is I can’t get it to work. I run 5 separate patch cables from a switch (which works and has network connectivity) to the 5 jacks on the keystone block (or patch panel… whatever it’s called). Then I go to the rooms with the jacks and run a patch cable to a plugged in network device. No light to the switch port and no dice getting the device connected. Router doesn’t note any activity.


So I took a closer look at the keystone wiring. The cable in the walls is Cat5e, I think. The keystone block has a sticker on it showing wiring order to 568 A and B. I know – use B. It appears it’s wired according to the diagram for B, EXCEPT that the white copper wires are reversed with the solids (i.e. instead of blue, white/blue it goes white/blue, blue). ALSO, the diagram shows 4 color pairs (pair meaning green and white/green for example) in order, whereas everything I see online has one color pair (green or orange) getting split up. Finally, one of the wired up keystones is set apart from the other 4 and it has only 6 copper wires attached (and they are set up in a different order), with the orange & orange/white wires left disconnected.


Any idea what’s going on here? I assume the keystone wiring is the heart of the problem. But if the wall jacks in the house rooms are wired up the same way, wouldn’t it be okay? Or no? I suppose I should check the house jacks, but I’m not sure if the wiring order on a jack is different from the wiring on the keystones, because I’m not sure how the keystones trace into the patch panel jacks.


Before I spend lots of money on an electrician, can someone offer me some advice? I’m fairly handy, but don’t have a punch down tool.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...


You need to match the colors on the keystone or it is not 568B. Same thing on the patch side. The combo you are talking about sounds like a telephone guy who had no clue wired it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TIA/EIA-568

Use this ^

Check the patch panel also. If they screwed up one end, it is likely they screwed up there also.
 
Thanks. Just to be totally clear, when you say "match the colors on the keystone" you mean follow the sticker with the "B" label on the keystone block? [blocks for colors, blocks/wedges for white wires, with no ] That would mean I should reverse the order of all the color/white pairs (like flipping batteries around).

If it's not clear, I'm calling the keystones the thing in the hub in the basement mounted to the wall.

Then, I should check the wall jacks? Or are you saying the patch panel (the row of jacks in the basement) might not be properly connected to the hub of keystones? It looks like it's bolted on so not sure how to get in there easily.
 
A simple tester will tell you if the wires are at least connected the same way on each end. I don't think it will give you any useful information other than that.

Super cheap, and reliable enough for a very simplistic test:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/rj45-rj11-2-in-1-network-and-phone-cable-tester-1261 (~two weeks for delivery to the U.S.)

Connect one part to a patch cable on each end. The numbered lights should run in order, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. If they don't you have something crossed. If it skips a light, your connection isn't good. Just because it does show all light in order does not necessarily mean that your cabling is done properly, but its a start.
 
Last edited:
Imagoon - thanks for the patience, and I read that stickied post before making my post. I was still confused because it did not address my concerns.

I understand that 568B has a wiring scheme. I also see on every patch panel I've seen (at home and searched pictures) that there is a univeral sticker on patch panels that seems to CONTRADICT the 568B scheme (the green-white and blue-white are not swapped, just like in the link I posted in the second message on this thread). Does this mean the sticker is wrong and to igore it, or that the patch panel area (its keystones or whatever you call the lined-up little white things with space for 8 wires that go to the hub of plugs) re-routes the pins to match the wikipedia link diagram?

In short - do I follow the sticker, or override the sticker in favor of Wikipedia?

I'm sorry if I haven't been communicating this clearly, but this is very confusing to a noob when stickers on hardware and web guides seem to cite the 568B standard but then wire the patch panel up differently.
 
ahdaniels76 said:
Imagoon - thanks for the patience, and I read that stickied post before making my post. I was still confused because it did not address my concerns.

I understand that 568B has a wiring scheme. I also see on every patch panel I've seen (at home and searched pictures) that there is a univeral sticker on patch panels that seems to CONTRADICT the 568B scheme (the green-white and blue-white are not swapped, just like in the link I posted in the second message on this thread). Does this mean the sticker is wrong and to igore it, or that the patch panel area (its keystones or whatever you call the lined-up little white things with space for 8 wires that go to the hub of plugs) re-routes the pins to match the wikipedia link diagram?

In short - do I follow the sticker, or override the sticker in favor of Wikipedia?

I'm sorry if I haven't been communicating this clearly, but this is very confusing to a noob when stickers on hardware and web guides seem to cite the 568B standard but then wire the patch panel up differently.
Click to expand...

Something to remember... the sticker on the patch may say 568B but not follow the order. The reason for this is for ease of patching. The swap is made in the connector or on the PCB. So it may say 568B and show blue orange green brown (with the whites in there) in order but electrically at the RJ45 port it would be swapped and swung out.

Basically if it says 568B: [some pattern] follow that because there is some wire swapping happening where you can't see it. Same with the keystones [wall jacks.]
 
That wikipedia article you linked to shows the wiring layout for patch cables. The wiring on patch ports/panels is reversed to match up with the wiring on the cables.
 
Thanks, everyone. I think I've got it now.

Basically the installers botched the patch panel install by not following the stickers (reversing colored and white wires). Presumably if they did the room-jack-keystones properly that would lead to mismatched wires and explain the dead jacks.

I will check the room jacks and then get it all fixed.

Thanks again!
 
ahdaniels76 said:
Thanks, everyone. I think I've got it now.

Basically the installers botched the patch panel install by not following the stickers (reversing colored and white wires). Presumably if they did the room-jack-keystones properly that would lead to mismatched wires and explain the dead jacks.

I will check the room jacks and then get it all fixed.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Per your comment I updated the article. Good point. And yes if they reversed the wire on one side and not the other, phone would normally work [most phones auto reverse ring and tip now] but Ethernet would fail.
 
ahdaniels76, I just wired up my house with Cat6 with some wire and tools i got on monoprice for cheap and I am not handyman, so you will be able to fix this yourself once you get a punchdown tool. I had family and friends help me with no experience and we did run into issues but easily fixed them with a cable tester. I have confidence that you can fix this since you can articulate what you are seeing enough to know it is wrong.

I do think for the most part if the cables were wrong at both ends it should work albeit not as well. But someone can correct me if I am wrong.
 
Update: I checked the room jacks and they are wired properly to their keystones, so it's just the patch panel wiring that needs fixing. And now I have the tool to do it, it seems.

Question - so, to FIX the wiring, can I do this? (1) Yank out individual wires from panel, (2) push proper wires into slots, (3) use punchdown tool to trim wires, (4) enjoy?

Or is Step 1 more complex?

Thanks!
 
ahdaniels76 said:
Update: I checked the room jacks and they are wired properly to their keystones, so it's just the patch panel wiring that needs fixing. And now I have the tool to do it, it seems.

Question - so, to FIX the wiring, can I do this? (1) Yank out individual wires from panel, (2) push proper wires into slots, (3) use punchdown tool to trim wires, (4) enjoy?

Or is Step 1 more complex?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


Pull gently on the wires until they pop out. Push them gently in to the top part, you will feel the wire drop down and seat loosely. place the 110 punch in the slot above the wire, cutting side out and press down until the tool locks the wire in or you hear the hammer strike (for springloaded ones)

You may need to strip more wire out of the jacket. Do not attempt to reuse the chunk that was punched down prior. the cutting tool should cut off at least 2/3 of a centimeter.
 
I was going to LOL at the fraction of a centimeter (normally one would reference 6mm instead of 2/3cm) then realized that different strokes are what make the world go round, I wired my house 568A knowing that 568B is more widely accepted, just because I could.
 
kornphlake said:
I was going to LOL at the fraction of a centimeter (normally one would reference 6mm instead of 2/3cm) then realized that different strokes are what make the world go round, I wired my house 568A knowing that 568B is more widely accepted, just because I could.
Click to expand...

I'll go with 6,666 micrometers for accuracy!
 
ahdaniels76 said:
I ordered up a punchdown tool and I'll take a crack at it soon enough
Click to expand...

ALWAYS punch on the "light" setting, especially on keystones, and most panels.

Punching on the strong settings can damage the IDC (IDC = Insulation Displacement Connector).

Even repeated "light" punches can damage the IDC, especially if the punch tool is skewed ... try real hard to keep the tool at 90 Degrees / perpendicular to the punch.
 
CRAP. Upon closer inspection, I think the guy here before me royally screwed things up.

In the basement I see 5 wires on the data hub (patch panel), 4 of them are grey and 1 is blue (sheathing). There are 10-12 phone wires (say CAT5e) on a phone patch panel, all with blue sheathing.

But when I open up the data jacks in the rooms, all the wires are blue. Did they wire phone connections into the data jacks? Argh!
 
ahdaniels76 said:
CRAP. Upon closer inspection, I think the guy here before me royally screwed things up.

In the basement I see 5 wires on the data hub (patch panel), 4 of them are grey and 1 is blue (sheathing). There are 10-12 phone wires (say CAT5e) on a phone patch panel, all with blue sheathing.

But when I open up the data jacks in the rooms, all the wires are blue. Did they wire phone connections into the data jacks? Argh!
Click to expand...

Sounds like it. Sorry. They wired it for voice only (blue pairs). Very common. Extremely common for home. You're gonna have to rip everything out and see if you have all four pairs from your "patch panel" and the jacks.

Extremely common.
 
I ran around with my Roku this morning and found that 1 of 5 data jacks is wired to the patch panel (the Roku network light went on, and a switch light went on), so that confirms that at least my situation isn't a complete disaster.

It really looks like the installer took data and phone and ran them randomly to jacks in the house.

I'm not sure there's an elegant way to do this, but since all of this wire is Cat5e, it seems like I need to find the jacks I want to get working and start pulling out phone hub connections (from the phone patch panel) and migrate them to the data patch panel and just do a trial-and-error until my Roku's network light goes on (while plugged into the jack I want to go active).

Bummer... but at least I feel like I know what I'm doing now.
 
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