Hi all,

Im wanting to get experience making network cables, and need to know where I can purchase some RJ45 connectors and UTP cable on the cheap?

Also, is This crimping tool any good for the job or is it worth paying about £20 for a decent one off maplin etc?

Thank you people:thumbup:

Mike

We have a simular crimper at work, it does the job 90% of the time. We just check it before installing the cable, to see if it works. We bought our cable and connectors from RS components, but maplins are cheap.

Cheap ones are OK but you'll often find that they don't have quite enough rigidity to punch all the strands equally. That cheap one appears to come with a punchdown tool for wall plates, which is essential and worth checking for. If you intend to be using it a lot in the future it's worth getting one you can rely on as going out to a job and having yours pack up on you will really put a crimp (no pun intended) in your day

Someone mentioned screwfix for RJ45s and Cat5e - could be worth a look

If you are just after some practice terminating the Cat5 i've got loads of cable and RJ45 ends in the garage. PM me if you are passing Peterlee and want to pick some up?

Also that crimper looks ok, you just need to stay away from the ones that are completely made of plastic. We use Mills ratchet crimpers that seem to last and give good reliable crimps.

All my network stuff comes from Screwfix, including my crimping tool.

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If you are just after some practice terminating the Cat5 i've got loads of cable and RJ45 ends in the garage. PM me if you are passing Peterlee and want to pick some up?

Yeah, thats what Im after doing as I think it would be benifical to me on an experience side and also I was needing some longer straight cable for my lab. Ill definatly PM if Im going to be headed up your way:thumbup:

Thanks;)

All my network stuff comes from Screwfix, including my crimping tool.

Left to right looking down on the top

Orange and white

Orange

Green and white

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Blue and white

Green

Brown and white

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Ta, I think Ill take a look on the site now and see what they have:thumbup:

Here's a cat5 cabling guide.

it's worth keeping if you dont do alot of crimping.

cat_5_patch_cable_guide.pdf

Well worth it, I've got a fair load of experience in my flat and at my parents place now with network cabling, it's pretty easy yet tedious sometimes to check the cable quality. Can do a nice tidy job

When you've made a cable up, test it on say a computer next to a router, don't go tapping it all into the wall only to discover you have dodgy wires. Which has never happened to me, ever.

I thought it was great, the other week I was teaching the IT guy how to make them, I got some odd looks from the girlies in the call centre as to why a warehouse monkey was teaching IT some IT stuff. But he can't know it all bless him, just would be nice if he knew something.

When you've made a cable up, test it on say a computer next to a router, don't go tapping it all into the wall only to discover you have dodgy wires. Which has never happened to me, ever.

I thought it was great, the other week I was teaching the IT guy how to make them, I got some odd looks from the girlies in the call centre as to why a warehouse monkey was teaching IT some IT stuff. But he can't know it all bless him, just would be nice if he knew something.

Same happened to me, I had to show some highly skilled many qualified cisco bloke how to make a crossover cable

Same happened to me, I had to show some highly skilled many qualified cisco bloke how to make a crossover cable

Hence why I want to do it before I become qualified to avoid the same embarrasment:rofl:

Ive ordered the tool off fleabay, and will PM DaveI about his kind offer:thumbup:

Thanks for all the help guys:thumbup:

I'll try and get some Cat6 out of the stores too, it's not that much different but I suppose it will give you some experience.

Cat6 is just better quality copper. Much like Cat5E is better than Cat5, same stuff really.

Soft cables often have stranded cores which are a b1tch, they are often too soft to push into the RJ45. Much easier to use the solid core cables but they're not so flexible are are better suited for going into walls/trunking.

You might want to invest in a two part cable tester. That'll pick up on cable faults. rather than having to plug a PC in at either end.

Multi-Function Network Cable Tester RJ45 RJ11 - eBay, Crimpers, Strippers Testers, Network Cables Connectors, Networking, Computing (end time 17-Sep-07 15:00:00 BST)

Crimper looks ok. Watch your fingers on the blade at the back though.

Get a set of very sharp wire cutters too. Makes it easier to get clean cuts on the 8 cores. Also a cyclops cable stripper is a good investment too. Makes life a lot easier. Product Details - Cyclops Cable Stripper seems very expensive for what it is though.

I'm glad I don't do that anymore. I've spend many an hour in a dark cupboard, roof space or basement patching cables. No one ever puts a patch panel in a convenient place.

Are you looking for RJ45 sockets too ?

Are you looking for RJ45 sockets too ?

Aye, the more kit I can get my hands on the better I suppose. You know of somewhere I can get some on the cheap like?

How many do you need? white plastic or matal finish? flush or surface mounted?

I'm sure we can do a deal.

How many do you need? white plastic or matal finish? flush or surface mounted?

I'm sure we can do a deal.

A couple shud do, not fussed what they look like as long as they do the job:thumbup:

Where are they going? What looks relaly nice is a single unit that can take power outlets, phone and RJ45 outlets Very handy for using behind a PC/router etc.

Where are they going? What looks relaly nice is a single unit that can take power outlets, phone and RJ45 outlets Very handy for using behind a PC/router etc.

One would probably be going behind my lappy, and the other one would be in the room next to mine as its the "server room" (AKA my sisters old room:rofl: )

Without wanting to ask an all too obvious question............. have you considered wireless?

Without wanting to ask an all too obvious question............. have you considered wireless?

lil, Im already wireless:P I just wanna get experience in making the cabling etc as this will be the job Im heading into;)

Frankly I find wireless a total b*tch most of the time, only with a pretty aggressive AP will it keep a stable signal, and it depends on weather etc whether it works on top of that.

Gbit wired any day, with a little 54g for the laptop as/when required, usually it's turned off though

Frankly I find wireless a total b*tch most of the time, only with a pretty aggressive AP will it keep a stable signal, and it depends on weather etc whether it works on top of that.

Gbit wired any day, with a little 54g for the laptop as/when required, usually it's turned off though

Exactly why I prefer being wired :P

Signal depends on distance and things that are in the way of the signal etc so its not reliable, but comes in handy for PSP/PDA/N95/Laptop browsing.

Also, I have a wired Cisco network lab with routers and switches so wires are an inevitable evil for me:rofl: