How To Crimp An Internet Cable At Home, 4 And 8 Core Twisted Pair Crimping Circuits

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Twisted Pair: How to Route and Crimp an Internet Cable

Life without the Internet is unthinkable for many inhabitants of the earth. It is necessary for work, study, leisure, it is used in offices and at home. You can connect your computer to the Network with three types of cable: coaxial, twisted pair or fiber. The first is no longer used today, the latter costs a lot, and the second is actively used everywhere.

Content

• 1 How to conduct a twisted pair cable in a house or apartment

  1.1 What is twisted pair crimping and what is it for

• 2 How to compress a twisted pair cable (pinout of the Internet cable)

  • 2.1 Pinout color schemes
  • 2.2 Instructions for crimping with a crimper

  • 2.3 Instructions for crimping with a screwdriver

    2.3.1 Video: how to crimp a twisted pair with a screwdriver - visual instructions

  • 2.4 Crimping a four-wire twisted pair

    • 2.4.1 Photo gallery: color scheme for crimping a twisted pair of four wires
    • 2.4.2 Video: crimping twisted pair to 4 conductors

• 3 How to lengthen the internet cable

  • 3.1 Photo gallery: how to connect and lengthen the internet cable

  • 3.2 How to properly twist the cable

    3.2.1 Video: how to twist an internet cable

• 4 How to split an internet cable

  • 4.1 Photo gallery: ways to connect two or more devices to the network
  • 4.2 Feedback on splitting the cable and connecting multiple computers to the network

How to conduct a twisted pair cable in a house or apartment

Twisted pair is a cable that is used to lay a computer network. The provider brings it into the room when the client connects to the Internet. Wiring the cable inside is a more difficult task, because the wires should not interfere and spoil the interior.

Twisted pair cable consists of one or more pairs of insulated conductors twisted together and covered with a plastic sheath

To lay a cable in an apartment or house, additional investments are needed, so some people try to do it on their own. But you should remember the basic rules:

1. Do not leave wires unprotected, let them hang freely along walls or lie on the floor. Ideally, the cable should be laid under plaster, but if this is not possible, then it is hidden in special plastic boxes.
2. Do not bend the cables too much as this can degrade the signal quality.
3. It is forbidden to place electrical and mains wires nearby. The distance between them should not be less than 5 cm for horizontal and 30 cm for vertical installation.

What is twisted pair crimping and what is it for

The Internet cable is connected to the computer through a special connector. It is called RJ45. But to exchange data, the wire must not only be inserted into the corresponding hole, but correctly crimped.

The Internet cable is connected to a computer or laptop through a special connector called RJ45

A cable for connecting to the Internet, as a rule, consists of four pairs of copper wires enclosed in general insulation, different in color and twisted together. Crimping a twisted pair means placing the conductors in the correct sequence and pressing them into the connector using a special tool that provides reliable contact for transmitting electrical signals.

How to crimp a twisted pair cable (pinout of the Internet cable)

For crimping a twisted pair, the following are used:

• connectors - transparent plastic RJ45 adapters that allow you to insert a cable into a computer;

  

  To connect a twisted pair to a computer, a special plastic connector is installed on it

• crimping pliers, also called crimpers, are tools with stripping blades and sockets to ensure good contact with the conductor.

  

  To crimp the RJ45 connector, use a special tool called a crimper

Pinout color schemes

There are two main schemes by which a twisted pair can be compressed: straight and crossover.

They differ from each other in the way the cable cores are located (pinout color scheme). In the first case, at both ends of the wire, the cores are located in the same sequence:

• white and orange;
• Orange;
• white-green;
• blue;
• white and blue;
• green;
• white-brown;

• brown.

  

  Most often, a twisted pair is compressed in a straight pinout scheme

This method is most often used, for example, when you need to crimp a cable to connect devices of different purpose (computer, laptop, TV, etc.) with a router or modem.

If cross pinout is required, the cable cores in the first connector have the same sequence as in the previous case, and on the second they are arranged according to the following color scheme:

• white-green;
• green;
• white and orange;
• blue;
• white and blue;
• Orange;
• white-brown;

• brown.

  

  Twisted pair crossover is practically not used today

Cross crimping is used when connecting devices of the same purpose, for example, two computers or routers. But today it is almost never used, since modern network cards and routers are able to automatically detect the cable crimping scheme and adapt to it.

Crimping Instructions

Crimping a twisted pair is a snap:

1. Prepare the cable, RJ45 connector and crimping tool.

2. Free the cable from the outer wrapping approximately 2–3 centimeters from the edge. To do this, you can use a crimper: it has special knives.

   

   You can remove the outer winding from the twisted pair using a crimper or an ordinary knife.

3. Unscrew and align the paired twisted pair wires. Arrange them in the correct order according to the selected crimp pattern. Attach the cable to the connector and cut off any excess. Leave the exposed wires so long that the sheathed cable goes into the bottom of the connector.

   

   To measure the length of free conductors, you need to attach a connector to the cable

4. Cut unnecessarily long wires with a crimper.

   

   The crimper has a special knife that can cut long wires

5. Insert all conductors of the cable into the connector until the very end.

   

   The twisted pair wires must go into the connector to the very end, under the contact pads

6. Crimp the twisted pair with a crimper. To do this, insert the connector into its socket until it clicks and squeeze the tool handles several times.

   

   It is very convenient to crimp the twisted pair with a crimper, since it has a special socket for the connector

I have crimped a twisted pair cable on my own at home and at work. It is very easy to do this with a special tool, the main thing is to correctly arrange the wires by color. But you need to carefully cut the outer sheath of the cable with a crimper. My experience shows that if you apply extra effort, not only the outer insulation is cut, but also the inner cores.

After crimping the twisted pair, the outer winding must partially enter the connector. If the cores of the cable are protruding from the connector, then the crimping must be done again.

The outer sheath of the cable must partially fit into the connector

Screwdriver crimping instructions

You can crimp the cable not only with a special tool, but also with an ordinary screwdriver. This method is more time consuming, and the probability of a poor quality result is higher. But it will be the only one possible for those who do not have a crimper at hand. To complete the work you will need:

• twisted pair;
• RJ45 connector;
• a knife for stripping the winding;
• wire cutters to trim wires;

• flat screwdriver.

  

  If you do not have a special tool, you can crimp the cable using a flat screwdriver.

Crimp the cable as follows:

1. Prepare the twisted pair cable in the same way as for crimping with pliers.
2. Insert the conductors into the connector.

3. Using a screwdriver, press each knife in the connector one by one so that it cuts through the cable winding and comes into contact with the copper conductor.

   

   Press a screwdriver alternately on each contact so that it cuts through the wire sheath inside the connector

4. Check the result.

Video: how to crimp a twisted pair with a screwdriver - visual instructions

Crimping a four-wire twisted pair

In addition to the eight-core twisted pair, there is also a four-core one. It is used less often, because it provides a data transfer rate of no more than 100 Mbps (on a standard cable, the speed can reach 1000 Mbps). But such a cable is cheaper, so it is actively used in small networks with small and medium volumes of information.

The crimping process for a four-wire twisted pair is the same as for an eight-wire pair: the same connectors and crimping pliers are used. But at the same time, only a part of the contacts is used in the connector, namely 1, 2, 3 and 6, and the rest remain empty.

The color designation of conductors in a four-core twisted pair can be different, but most often there are two options:

1. White-orange, orange, white-blue, blue.
2. White-orange, orange, white-green, green.

The first and second contacts always have a white-orange and an orange core, respectively. And in the third and sixth there will be either blue or green wires.

Photo gallery: color scheme for crimping a twisted pair of four wires

A four-wire twisted pair cable is easier to crimp than an eight-wire

When crimping a four-core twisted pair, orange conductors most often occupy the first and second contacts

When crimping a four-wire twisted pair, green wires can be used in the third and sixth pins

A crimping circuit for a four-wire twisted pair with blue and brown conductors is very rare.

Video: crimping a twisted pair into 4 cores

How to lengthen an internet cable

When connecting the Internet to an apartment or house, the provider leaves a small supply of cable. But if the computer needs to be moved to another room, then problems can arise. There are several ways to lengthen a wire :

1. Replace cable. To do this, you usually need to contact your provider, who will change it. But first you need to buy a twisted pair of the required length, and then pay for the services of a technician.
2. Install a network switch. Solving the problem in this way is not the cheapest option, but in addition to lengthening the cable, it makes it possible to connect other devices in the house to the network.
3. Use a Wi-Fi router. Wireless data transmission will eliminate the need for a cable at all. It will be possible to connect to the Internet anywhere in the apartment.
4. Buy a special adapter extension cord. It is easy to use, small in size and inexpensive. This is the most popular way to lengthen your internet wire.
5. Twist the wires by hand. This method will allow you to extend the cable to the required length without additional costs, but the signal quality is often reduced.

Photo gallery: how to connect and lengthen an internet cable

The quality of the transmitted signal decreases when the cable is twisted

Using an adapter is the easiest and cheapest way to extend your internet cable.

You can use a switch to lengthen your internet cable, but this will be the most expensive solution.

How to properly twist the cable

Since twisting wires does not require any additional costs and special tools, many use this method to extend the cable at home. This can be done in different ways.

1. If you do not want to re-crimp the cable, then the twisted pair already inserted into the house or apartment must be cut in any convenient place and a piece of wire of the required length inserted there. But it is important to remember about a significant disadvantage: there will be two twisting points on the way of connecting to the Internet, and this cannot but affect the data transfer speed. Moreover, the longer the wire, the worse.
2. When you are ready to re-crimp the cable, cut off the crimped end, extend the wire, and secure the new RJ45 connector. This will only have one twist on your cable.

It is necessary to connect to each other the conductors of the same color, and the joints must be well insulated

Video: how to twist an internet cable

How to split an internet cable

Often netizens wonder how to split an internet cable. Such measures may be required in several situations:

• when moving the laptop around the apartment / house, that is, the need to connect it to the Internet in different rooms;
• if you have several computers / laptops and need to connect them to the Internet.

The problem is solved in different ways.

1. In both cases, the easiest way out is to buy a Wi-Fi router. But not everyone wants to connect to the network this way.
2. If you need a cable connection, then the most reliable option is a switch. Its advantage is that all devices connected through it access the Internet at the same time. Moreover, there can be as many such devices as there are ports in the network equipment.
3. A splitter adapter is another convenient and inexpensive option. But only two computers can be connected to the World Wide Web through it, no more.
4. Some netizens suggest manually branching the internet cable. To do this, you need to tie two of the same color to each core, insulate everything well and separate the wires in the room. But this method does not guarantee the quality of the connection, so experts do not recommend using it. In addition, it is possible to connect to the network with such a cable only one by one; two computers at the same time will not work in such a situation.

Photo gallery: ways to connect two or more devices to a network

The RJ45 splitter adapter is the easiest and most convenient way to connect two PCs to the Internet at the same time.

Branching a twisted pair by twisting the cores does not guarantee good signal transmission and high-quality Internet

Wi-Fi connection enables wireless internet connection

The network switch allows you to connect as many devices to the network as there are ports

Reviews on cable splitting and network connection of multiple computers

Crimping a twisted pair cable, lengthening an Internet cable or bifurcating it to connect two computers is within the power of not only a specialist. To do this, you need to know the rules for connecting wires and the color scheme of pinouts, have the necessary tools and materials, and also not be afraid to act.