Ethernet Networking

Most networks today are based upon unshielded twisted pair cabling (UTP).  UTP is popular because of its low cost and ease of installation. However, there are some things to be aware of. If you are planning a new network installation, be sure that you build it with CAT 5E cabling. (CAT 5 was the rating for network installations up to 100Mb/s. Cat 5 has been Extended for use up to 1000Mb/sec or one Gigabit. The “E” in CAT 5E stands for Extended.) CAT 5E assures that your wiring will be capable of supporting Gigabit Ethernet if your application demands it in the future. If you use CAT 3 or conventional telephone cable, you are asking for problems. You might save some money by purchasing less expensive wire, terminating blocks or patch panels, but in doing this, you may be exposing yourself to problems down the road. When you look at the total cost of a network installation, wiring and components are frequently a small part of the total cost of the system.

Distance Limitation: Standard networking equipment allows nodes up to 100 meters (328 feet) from a 10BaseT or 100BaseTX hub.

Cable Construction: In order to connect a computer or other communicating node to a hub, a standard cable must be used.  In order to connect a hub to another hub, or a computer to another computer, a crossover cable must be used.  Please refer to the charts below for proper cable construction. 

STEP 1:Cut the outer jacket of the wire about 1.5" to 2" from the end. This will give you room to work with the wire pairs. Separate the pairs and align them in the order shown below. Begin flattening the wires into a "ribbon" so that it will easily slip into the connector and into the individual channeled areas.

STEP 2: Once you have all the wires aligned and ready to insert, you must trim them to approximately 1/2" in order to have as little "untwisted" wire in the connection as possible.

STEP 3: Insert the wires into the connector making sure that each wire goes into its appropriate "channel" and extends all the way to the end of the the connector underneath the gold crimping connectors.

STEP 4: Press the cable and the jacket into the connector firmly so that the jacket will be crimped by the plastic wedge near the rear of the connector, and insert it into your crimping tool and crimp the cable. RE-CRIMP the cable to make sure all connections are made.

STEP 5: Repeat steps 1 thru 4 for the other end of the cable for a standard ethernet cable.

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