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Thread: Terminating CAT6

  1. #1
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    Terminating CAT6

    I am upgrading our network at church adding 3 Unify access points, a 16 outlet POE switch, Cloud key and firewall, all Ubiquity equipment. Got it all done and working except for 2 pesky 100' long Ethernet runs. Using CAT6 non-shielded riser grade 23 gauge cable https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and EZ-RJ45 CAT6 connectors. Using a 4 pair Ethernet cable continuity tester, the cable tests good, but won't connect to the equipment. I had a buddy come in that has installed miles of cable. Using his continuity tester he sees two wires that show open, even after re-terminating. Why different results with two testers? Cable was run above a drop in ceiling, no hangups while pulling, all went in nice and smooth. I pulled out one cable that wouldn't connect after testing good with my tester and re-terminating twice. Checked continuity with an ohmmeter, all 8 wires showing essentially zero resistance. All he could suggest was to install punch-down CAT6 connectors on the cable ends and use a jumper to the switch. So I have RJ45 keystone jacks and a punch down tool on order. Keeping my fingers crossed.
    NOW you tell me...

  2. #2
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    Terminating the CAT6 cable is not an approved method, and for good reason. We install a lot of network cable & in the past have done that at customer's request, but won't do it anymore because of the very high failure rate. And it usually isn't an easy to identify open circuit, it's usually an intermittent open, or high resistance connection.

    The way it's supposed to be done is to terminate the cable in a female RJ45 jack & then use a patch cord to connect from the jack to the equipment. It's extremely rare for us to get a fail using this method, probably 1 in thousands. Except, of course, when the tech is asleep & crosses a pair or something like that

    When doing cable installations, you should at least have a wire map tester. It tells you whether or not you have the right wires connected to the correct pins at either end. Even better is to have a bandwidth tester that actually measures the transmission capability of the link. You can have a link that passes the wire map but will not properly transmit data.

  3. #3
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    I agree with Frank on the method...it's always been the best practice to do long runs like that. The cable gets punched down on a patch panel or even a single "female" jack and then appropriate patch cords are used to connect to the equipment on either end. Putting connectors on is an "art" already and the stringent requirements for Cat6 make it even "more fun".
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #4
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    I haven't terminated any data cable with an RJ45 in years, for this very reason. Punchdowns are so much more reliable, and flexible. If it needs an RJ45 on the end, I buy them that way.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  5. #5
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    I need to run a new cable from the shop to the house and have been putting it off because I know nothing about how to terminate the ends into the jack after I pull it. I want to use my extender as a wireless access point for better wifi in the house. Suggestions for tools that make it easy (or easier) to terminate the ends into the jacks?
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  6. #6
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    A proper punch down tool makes it cake, you'll want one with a 110 blade (not a 66). If I were local, I'd just swing by and do it. A couple ends is literally a 5 minute job
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  7. #7
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    When I saw this thread, my first thought was
    "I am not going to terminate any kitties."

  8. #8
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    Frank. Thank you for posting this information. I've been wrestling with the same issue as Ole in setting up my home network. Jacks and punch down tool on order.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by mike stenson View Post
    A proper punch down tool makes it cake, you'll want one with a 110 blade (not a 66). If I were local, I'd just swing by and do it. A couple ends is literally a 5 minute job

    so this should only take me a couple of hours and some new, imaginative vocabulary. LOL. What I want to do is run the cable and put a rj45 male on each end to plug it into the modem and the access point. A punch down tool looks like it's for panels. No? And a crimper is 80 bucks - a lot for a one time use. Boy I hate electrical work of any kind.
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  10. #10
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    You do not want to put male ends on. Doing so is notoriously unreliable. You always want to put female jacks in, and use factory terminated patch cables.

    edit: There was a time all I did was datacenter installs for a living. Even then, it wasn't worth the time to do male RJ45 terminations as the failure rate was high enough.. and that was before CAT5e became the standard. As things get faster, the tolerances shrink.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  11. #11
    One way to get a cable with RJ45 male ends is to measure the distance you need and then order a cable that length made up with RJ45 ends. The factory people can put RJ45 ends on reliably. I think all Ethernet cable is rated for 100 meters so you can order your cable a bit long and just coil it at one end.

    Of course this only works for situations where you only need to run one cable, probably at home. It's not practical for wiring up an office building.

    Mike

    [I did this with some outdoor Ethernet cable that I ran between two buildings at my home.]
    Last edited by Mike Henderson; 09-18-2020 at 12:18 PM.
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  12. #12
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    Your mixed test results demonstrate variations in threshold for different test sets. We run miles of CAT-6 on campus and terminate with abandon. Failures are extremely rare but, we have the right tools and have been properly trained. Certainly CAT-6 is more fussy than CAT-0 (that's a joke). We are also certified to terminate various types of fiber and do so with success in house where we see "certified" vendors fail.

    The idea that male ends are unreliable on one part of the cable but, reliable on the drop cord portion of the path seems a little silly. Not to be harsh but, I assume what we are saying is that the male end terminations are not being done correctly and the successful drop cord is a factory cord that one doesn't need to terminate themselves(?).

    Some things are not as easy as you think and some things can't be fudged. We are doing an excellent job of pushing more payload and faster clock speeds over existing media. At the leading edge of these efforts there is always more precision required than after the electronics catch up and become more tolerant. Remember when 100Mb was fussy as all get out? Remember when 100Gb could only go a couple of meters?

    We certainly have folks onsite that despite repeated training and practice just have an unacceptable failure rate. Kind of like my hand cut dovetails. Those folks have awesome skills in other areas. Just keep them away from the tools. ;-)
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


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  13. #13
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    Mikes: so run the cable and do female ends. then a 3' factory cable from that female end to the modem and then the same at the access point. The reason I don't want to order a pre-terminated cable is I can drill smaller holes for just the cable thru the breeze way into the house. This sound about right? Might actually be something I can do.
    Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

  14. #14
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    It's the hand termination (of the RJ45s) that's unreliable. It's cheaper to buy factory molded terminated patch cords from greybar than it costs my time to do them. Even when, perhaps especially when, I was installing data cables all day long. Expecting someone with big box tools and no real training to get them terminated correctly just isn't fair.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Carey View Post
    Mikes: so run the cable and do female ends. then a 3' factory cable from that female end to the modem and then the same at the access point. The reason I don't want to order a pre-terminated cable is I can drill smaller holes for just the cable thru the breeze way into the house. This sound about right? Might actually be something I can do.
    This is exactly what I do.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

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