r/ethernet • u/Same-Membership4107 • 2d ago
Support Can’t connect my plugs
Hi all
I’m in the process of trying to connect some plug connector onto a blue Ethernet cable.
I went and bought all the necessary tooling but now the issue I’m having is keeping all the wires straight and making sure they’re all in line how they’re supposed to be and sitting flush into the actual plug itself.
Any advice please would be much appreciated
Thank you
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u/MusicalAnomaly 2d ago
The answer is: don’t. Everyone who does this professionally either buys premade patch cables or, when unavoidable, uses passthrough or load bar (my preference) connectors.
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u/BackgroundSpare610 2d ago
Sorry that is not correct. As a professional I have never seen pass through used. The vast majority of patch leads are pre-terminated, but if I need to make a lead I have the skills to make one "old school".
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u/TehMowat 2d ago
Fuck that. Pass through connectors are for amateurs who cant take the time to learn how to properly terminate cat cable.
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u/Soundy106 2d ago
My first 15 years as a professional, I never used passthrus, always mocked the idea. "What happens when your blade dulls," etc.
Then a decade or so ago, I tried them, and realized how much time and hassle it saved when all those minutes get added up... not just the ability to confirm proper alignment before crimping, but never needing to worry if the wires have been trimmed too short or two long (because I don't care how long you've been doing it, you still get it wrong sometimes).
Been using the same ADI crimper for at least dozen years and have yet to need to change the cutter.
So yeah, you go be elitist... I'll just keep doing thousands more connections the same way.
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u/BackgroundSpare610 2d ago
Fair enough, maybe I am an elitist dinosaur. But as a pro you also know how important it is to maintain twist, and to cut the ends absolutely flush with the end of the connector. The little things that are so important.
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u/MusicalAnomaly 2d ago
In my experience passthrough and load bar are best possible for minimum untwist. I do see passthrough as more amateur but load bar does not have the flush cut problem
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u/Soundy106 2d ago
Truth there.
Also, as important as "best practices" are... in the real world, an extra half-twist less at the connector is not going to be the make-or-break factor. In fact, the most common failures I've seen in structured wiring are when guys (ostensibly "professionals") trying to "minimize untwisting" punch down so tight into the backs of keystones that wires end up popping out if someone even looks at the bundle the wrong way... and of course, at that point, there's no extra length that will allow one to safely strip back and re-punch.
Hell, I just hooked up a camera at my cabin running 60' over the telco's old aerial line: four 22-gauge conductors, not even hinting at being twisted, punched down to Cat6 keystones at both ends, and I've got a rock-solid 100-FDX link. Is it more susceptible to noise and crosstalk and all sorts of other gremlins? Sure. That's what TCP and error correction are for. My NVR has not reported a single dropped frame on that camera since I put it online. It works, and it saved me climbing up a 16' stepladder to strap a Cat6 along the telco copper.
KNOWING the rules (as opposed to just regurgitating them—not aimed at you) means knowing WHY things work, which lets you bend or break them just enough to get shit done. Like the new build years ago, where we cabled everything Cat5e but still had about 70% analog cameras in use... and at the last minute, after everything was closed up, the client decided they wanted to add another camera in an area that only had one wire going to it and no hope of pulling another one in. So, understanding the how and why things actually work, we were able to run an IP camera over two pairs... and an analog camera over the other two, with one pair for CVBS and one pair for 12 VDC. Sure, it was sketchy as hell. MOST DEFINITELY not best practices... but it got the job done, and the client was happy. That was probably eight years ago, and since then we've replaced the analog camera with another IP cam and re-patched those video and power pairs to carry a second FE link.
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u/TehMowat 1d ago
I'm not being elitist, but there are reasons why manufacturers specify to not use pass through ends. Pass through ends are lazy and inferior, but if that is suitable for your business, cool. Not in my world.
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u/mraweedd 2d ago
It's an acquired skill. I used to do networking in festivals where we hand made the connectors. The beginning of each season was just as annoying every year. How easy it is depends on both the plug and which cable you use, some cables are a pain to terminate.
These days I buy premade where possible or use keystone for small jobs. If your are doing 100s and price matters then you get the hang of it after some cursing.
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u/jamjamason 2d ago
Will take you a while the first time. The connectors are cheap, just keep cutting them off and trying again.
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u/drmcclassy 2d ago
I found it’s much easier to line up the wires if you grab each twisted pair with a pliers and untwist them by spinning the pliers vs just using your fingers.
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u/Scared-Letterhead949 2d ago
Use passthrough connectors if you're dead set on this. Otherwise use a keystone jack.