Cat 5, 6, 7 Cable Connector Kit

[Yellowtail]

I have lan wiring I would like to reconfigure which will require cutting cables and attaching new connectors. 

 

Are the connectors the same for Cat 5, 6 & 7? 

 

If so, are the all RJ45?

 

I've never done this before, and I would like to get a kit (prefer Lazada) that includes a crimp-tool and whatever else I need, but I do not know what to look for. 

 

Any recommendations would be appreciated, particularly from people that have actually used the products. 

[sometimewoodworker]

2 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Are the connectors the same for Cat 5, 6 & 7? 

Yes

[Mavideol]

all same same... paid 120 baht for a 3meter CAT6, wouldn't buy tools or waste time making them myself

Edited July 11, 2021 by Mavideol

[Yellowtail]

4 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

all same same... paid 120 baht for a 3meter CAT6, wouldn't buy tools or waste time making them myself

Thanks, but I have existing in-wall wiring I'm working with. Replacing would be a pretty big PITA

[tomazbodner]

If you have CAT 5E or 6 then you should be able to get 1 Gbps through it. If you need higher speed, you might need to look at CAT 7 or 8. But... if you didn't have cables in walls but had TV cables dragged through the house, you might consider MOCA 2.5 adapters. Not very cheap but much more reliable than Wifi and uses TV cable. I get reliable 1 Gbps through it (supposedly goes to 1.25 Gbps full duplex) which helped me avoid digging through walls... TV cables were already there.

 

[Yellowtail]

5 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

If you have CAT 5E or 6 then you should be able to get 1 Gbps through it. If you need higher speed, you might need to look at CAT 7 or 8. But... if you didn't have cables in walls but had TV cables dragged through the house, you might consider MOCA 2.5 adapters. Not very cheap but much more reliable than Wifi and uses TV cable. I get reliable 1 Gbps through it (supposedly goes to 1.25 Gbps full duplex) which helped me avoid digging through walls... TV cables were already there.

 

The cable is CAT 5E

 

They seem to work okay, I just want to get it cleaned up. Some cables are much too long, and all the ends have the locks busted off.

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

CAT 5 connectors are NOT the same as CAT 6, the latter having special inserts to hold the twists in position (tighter twist is required with CAT 6 compared to CAT5 or CAT 5E for less crosstalk)

 

Interlink kit is best available in Thailand, I use their toolsets.

 

You only need CAT 6 if you're doing 10 gig networks or higher power PoE (wire gauge is larger).

 

 

 

Edited July 11, 2021 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[Yellowtail]

11 minutes ago, Led Lolly Yellow Lolly said:

CAT 5 connectors are NOT the same as CAT 6, the latter having special inserts to hold the twists in position (tighter twist is required with CAT 6 compared to CAT5 or CAT 5E for less crosstalk)

 

Interlink kit is best available in Thailand, I use their toolsets.

 

You only need CAT 6 if you're doing 10 gig networks or higher power PoE (wire gauge is larger).

 

 

 

Are the CAT 6 the the two-piece "pass through" type?
 

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

Look closely at the attached image, you can see the bush that positions the twists. This is not present on CAT 5.

 

 

If you want to future proof, I'd be advising you to pull fibres instead of copper.

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

I've never done this before, and I would like to get a kit (prefer Lazada) that includes a crimp-tool and whatever else I need, but I do not know what to look for. 

That is not so easy.

 

A long time ago I bought a tool to crimp those RJ45 connectors to the cable.

It worked, mostly, at least when I used the tool several time on the same connector.

 

Then sometime later someone who did professional cabling gave me his tool from AMP. One crimp, done, next cable, one crimp done, next cable. It just worked, every time, always.

I just checked, that tool is still available and it cost 140 EUR!

On Lazada is one that looks very much like my tool here:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/amp-2-231652-1-super-5-amp-rj45-i2319676291-s7831985812.html

 

Now you can decide if you are willing to spend that kind of money for a few cables.

 

I would not recommend that you use a cheap tool. The connection won't be good. And with a gigabit speed a very good connection is important.

 

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

OMF is correct, it takes practice and experience to terminate cables properly. You can buy pre-terminated fibre, why not pull that if you're going to the effort?

[recom273]

If you have Cat5 cables you can buy Cat5 RJ45 on lazada.

 

I used to be a structured cable engineer in Europe, it takes me very little time to make an end on Cat5, its not hard but its like everything, its practice and muscle memory. I have expensive ratchet tools back home but here I just bought a set with a green handled crimpers, a yellow stripper and a tester, they are OK, they do the job but examine the copper pins carefully to make sure they go down properly.

 

The yellow stripper is OK, but give it some pressure to just score the outer sheath, if you give it full pressure it can cut the pairs underneath.

 

Watch a few YouTube videos, the hardest thing with RJ45 is to get the crossover, so do a few practice ends, leave yourself some slack for mistakes and always check with the cable tester. 

 

ETS: Yup, I have exactly the same as OMF posts, they are precision tools and if you are doing hundreds of ends and making good money then they are essential - but the green ones do the same job, BUT you need to make sure they push the copper pins through the jacket of the fine wire.

Edited July 11, 2021 by recom273

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

Orange white orange, green white blue, blue white green, brown white brown

[Yellowtail]

Thanks for all the advice.

 

I will likely buy one of the $20 kits on Lazada and see how it goes. I've always kinda wanted to dick with them anyway so if it doesn't work out I won't be out much. 

 

Do the receptacles use the same crimper?

 

 

 

 

 

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

Receptacles come in different flavours. Some need a punch down tool, some are of a tool-less design. As previously mentioned, you should always test with a cable tester, mistakes are common.

[BritManToo]

On 7/11/2021 at 5:49 PM, Yellowtail said:

I've never done this before, and I would like to get a kit (prefer Lazada) that includes a crimp-tool and whatever else I need, but I do not know what to look for. 

1) crimp tool

2) lan heads

3) cable tester

 

That's about it.

112bht for the tools and tester.

Set 2in1 คีมเข้าหัวสายแลน Network RJ45 CAT5 RJ11 RJ12 LAN Cable Wire Crimper Crimp Plier Strip Tool Green + ตัวเช็คสายแลน RJ45 RJ11 RJ12 CAT5 UTP Network LAN Cable Tester Remote Test Tools | Lazada.co.th

 

100 lan heads for 99bht.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/rj45-cat5e-plug-rj45-box100-i268882224-s421091632.html

 

Less than $10 for the lot inc post.I use these tools all the time, very easy to use, though I do make stupid mistakes and waste a few connectors, which the tester catches every time.

 

555 @OneMoreFarang for wanting to spend $140 on the crimp tool!

Edited July 12, 2021 by BritManToo

[Yellowtail]

39 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

1) crimp tool

2) lan heads

3) cable tester

 

That's about it.

112bht for the tools and tester.

Set 2in1 คีมเข้าหัวสายแลน Network RJ45 CAT5 RJ11 RJ12 LAN Cable Wire Crimper Crimp Plier Strip Tool Green + ตัวเช็คสายแลน RJ45 RJ11 RJ12 CAT5 UTP Network LAN Cable Tester Remote Test Tools | Lazada.co.th

 

100 lan heads for 99bht.

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/rj45-cat5e-plug-rj45-box100-i268882224-s421091632.html

 

Less than $10 for the lot inc post.I use these tools all the time, very easy to use, though I do make stupid mistakes and waste a few connectors, which the tester catches every time.

 

555 @OneMoreFarang for wanting to spend $140 on the crimp tool!

I actually order both of those today. When I ordered the crimper kit, the connectors popped up as a special. I got B7 off the crimp kit and free shipping on the connectors....

[OneMoreFarang]

10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

555 @OneMoreFarang for wanting to spend $140 on the crimp tool!

Over the years I used first my old cheap tool and then that professional tool hundreds of times.

I understand that it doesn't make economical sense to spend that money on a tool which you use only for a day.

But I can tell you it makes a HUGE differences for the connection quality.

And there is not much worse than LAN connections which sometimes works and sometimes not and sometimes only with reduced speed and nobody knows why.

 

If anybody here wants to use cheap tools, please, go ahead. And if initially or sometime later your connection sometimes fails and you don't know what the problem might be then remember my comments about cheap and about good tools. There is a reason why professionals use those expensive tools.

[BritManToo]

12 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

But I can tell you it makes a HUGE differences for the connection quality.

And there is not much worse than LAN connections which sometimes works and sometimes not and sometimes only with reduced speed and nobody knows why.

Mine all work 100% of the time, every day .... until the local rodent population bite through them.

Edited July 12, 2021 by BritManToo

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Mine all work 100% of the time, every day .... until the local rodent population bite through them.

My rodents are not allowed near cables.

[Yellowtail]

Not sure about tools, but your rodents look a lot nicer than mine....

[driver52]

methinks you'll be fine with the cheap crimper, I've been doing it for years with no probs, you'll also be fine with cat5 unless you're some sort of 'super guru' who transfers gigs of data between your NAS and some other funky 'computer' 

I'd get a 'stripper tool' too for removing the sheath from the cables.....something like this

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/ffx-cat-5-rg-596-rg-711-stripper-i2420044130-s8332796322.html

[GrandPapillon]

On 7/11/2021 at 7:52 AM, tomazbodner said:

if you didn't have cables in walls but had TV cables dragged through the house, you might consider MOCA 2.5 adapters. Not very cheap but much more reliable than Wifi and uses TV cable. I get reliable 1 Gbps through it (supposedly goes to 1.25 Gbps full duplex) which helped me avoid digging through walls... TV cables were already there.

 

interesting, will need to try this, thanks

[Yellowtail]

Well, got my crimper kit today and was pleasantly surprised about how robust it the crimpers are. Need to at a 9v battery to try out the tester...