Punching down and testing cat5 cables is something that a lot of people struggle with understanding. Today I'm going to talk about what the various category cables are, how to decide if you need A or B configuration, and how to check your terminations with a tester when you're done. 🤘⚡️EU Learning System⚡️🤘 For Individuals --- https://electricianu.com/learning-system-for-individuals/ For Businesses --- https://electricianu.com/learning-system-for-businesses/ -Video courses on every side of the electrical trade (theory, code, safety, wiring, install, troubleshooting, leadership, and more) -Practice exams for 2017, 2020, 2023 code -YouTube videos categorized and searchable -Audio lessons -Forum -Business version has admin portal and ability to assign learning to technicians and monitor progress -Any business size from 2 techs to 2,000! 🎓💡CONTINUING EDUCATION💡🎓 Sign up here --- https://electricianu.com/continuing-education/ -State Approved -Video Based ✍📝PRACTICE EXAMS📝✍ Get them here --- https://www.electricianu.com/electrician-u-membership/ -2017, 2020, and 2023 NEC versions -Online Residential Wireman Exam -Online Journeyman Exam -Online Master Exam -300 Question Online Code Cannon (not license specific, all code) -Take as many times as you want -All of the above come with printable PDFs 🎤🎧PODCAST🎧🎤 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ldCwdxhWnT0R3nne96XjC?si=a42a98b83c3549fc&nd=1 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/electrician-u/id1583270265 📱👍SOCIALS👍📱 TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@electricianu Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/electrician_u/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheElectricianU/ Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/ElectricianU/ Rumble - https://rumble.com/c/ElectricianU Discord - https://www.discord.gg/electricianu 🎧🎹Music, Editing, and Videography by Drake Descant and Rob LeBlanc🎹🎧 SPONSOR ROGERS - https://www.rogersservices.com #electrician #electrical #electricity Category 5 cable is probably the most commonly know network cable. There are others like Category 3, Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6, Cat 6a, Cat 7, and even the new Cat 8. Category cables are simply twisted pair cable assemblies that have 4 pairs of conductors - 8 total wires inside. Each pair is color-coded to allow the installer to see which pairs they're dealing with when making terminations. Each pair has a specific purpose in how they send and receive signals, and when punching down keystone jacks and crimping RJ45 connectors you need to know the order they're supposed to go to ensure the cables work correctly. 568A or 568B? A straight-through cable will have one configuration on both ends of the cable. This means that on one side you'll have A, and the other you'll have A. This allows information to be passed "straight through" the cable for devices that are DIFFERENT than one-another. If you wire for configuration B, the same is true. The reason there are 2 configurations is that there is a type of network cable called a "crossover cable" that needs to be able to be visibly recognized when looking at it. This type of cable has ONE side using an A configuration, while the other has a B configuration. This allows two SIMILAR devices to speak to each other, and listen to each other at the same time. If you try to use a crossover cable for 2 different devices it will not work, and if you try to use a straight-through cable for 2 similar devices it will not work. However, whether or not you use A or B configuration, your cables will still work if you make sure both ends are the same. Crossover cables are very rare and are used specifically by people who know why they're using them. For the average person, wiring a cable with both ends as A, while hooking up to a network that is wired in B is ok. All of the pins will still line up allowing different devices to communicate. It's only a problem when the pins differ on both ends or are punched down/terminated incorrectly. TERMINATING RJ45 CONNECTORS An RJ45 connector is the "male" end of a cable that plugs into the "female" keystone jack. It has 8 metal pins that pierce the sheathing of the 8 individual wires in the CAT cable assembly. These pins have a specific order that must be followed to ensure they transmit and receive data, otherwise, they won't work or they'll short-out your equipment. Strip out about 3 inches of jacketing at the end of the cable. Cut off any plastic insulation, or fibers that come on the inside of the cable. Next untwist all of the pairs and straighten them out using something solid. I drag the edge of my strippers down each conductor to remove the curls in each one. Then line each conductor up in either the A or B configuration from LEFT TO RIGHT as they emerge from the jacketing. Next, take your RJ45 connector and measure out how much of the conductors you need, and cut off the excess. You should only need roughly 1/2-inch to 3/8-inch of conductors sticking out of the jacketing.
