RJ45 Ethernet connection issues

[Teeling611]

I watched many YouTube videos on how to connect these and they made it look so easy. Well not so for me so a few questions. I purchased a Klein pass-thru crimper and it came with the pass-thru rj45 connectors. After many try’s I still haven’t found an easy way to make the connection. I managed to make one cable in an hour plus. My first problem poor wire cutters that didn’t make clean cuts which is obviously very important. Second was trying to get the wires into the small hole in the connectors. It’s so tight. Can some sort of lube be used to be this easier? I could go on and on about trying to get the wires straight and line up. I have cat6 23 gauge copper cable from Monoprice if that makes a difference. Any suggestions would be appreciate.

Also one of the small wires had cuts in the insulation that exposed the copper wire. This was at both ends of a 10 foot cable and only in the same colored wire. This is not from anything I did and the outer casing was not damaged. I will check the rest of the cable for this issue as I use it. Will this be a big problem?

 

[tigerwillow1]

For getting the wires straight, I run them individually against a small diameter round screwdriver shank. Put wire under your thumb or finger, squeeze it against the shank, and pull. Hard to put into words. This changes all of the little curls into one big curl that's easily dealt with. Since your using cat6 cable, make sure you have cat6 connectors. Cat5 cable is generally 24 awg and 23 awg is hard to get into a cat5 connector. A clean cut is necessary for the wires to go into the connector holes. As far as lining up the wires go, that can be maddening until you have some practice. If you're willing to throw away a few inches of wire, since you're using pass-through connectors, strip 3 or 4 inches of the jacket. Initially, line up only 3 or 4 wires at one end of the connector and get them inserted. Then you can insert the other wires one-by-one, and pull the throwaway wire through the connector before crimping. The insulation cut on a small wire is likely caused when you stripped the outer jacket. Are you using one of the twirl-around strippers? When stripping the outer jacket, my goal is to cut not quite all the way through the outer jacket, then snap it off at the cut. There have been a few times I nicked one of the small wires. In one case, it failed at the camera a couple of years later.

 

[looney2ns]

Be certain you have purchased the correct RJ45 for that size cable.

 

[Mike A.]

Takes some practice but it's something that you kind of have to get the feel for. Once you do, it's easy. Having a good clean cut to start does help a lot. If you're bending the ends of the wires when cutting and they're headed all over going in then, yeah, will be frustrating to get them to slip in right. Sort the individual wires out in the right order. Lay them over your finger and pull a little to straighten them. Bend them up and down together as a unit and then left and right a little as you pull will help to get them to lay down better together. You can use your nail to straighten any that aren't cooperating and do them all together again. Make a clean slightly tapered cut across all of the wires keeping them together as you'd insert them. Keep holding them together in the same way after making the cut and should slip in without much problem. Don't need any kind of lube.

If you mean that the copper is showing/insulation missing on one of the individual wires without you doing anything to it, that's not good. Sounds like a defective run of cable.

 

[Teeling611]

Be certain you have purchased the correct RJ45 for that size cable.

It just says rj45 ca6 pass-thru data plugs on the packaging. VDV826-703.

 

[Teeling611]

Takes some practice but it's something that you kind of have to get the feel for. Once you do, it's easy. Having a good clean cut to start does help a lot. If you're bending the ends of the wires when cutting and they're headed all over going in then, yeah, will be frustrating to get them to slip in right. Sort the individual wires out in the right order. Lay them over your finger and pull a little to straighten them. Bend them up and down together as a unit and then left and right a little as you pull will help to get them to lay down better together. You can use your nail to straighten any that aren't cooperating and do them all together again. Make a clean slightly tapered cut across all of the wires keeping them together as you'd insert them. Keep holding them together in the same way after making the cut and should slip in without much problem. Don't need any kind of lube.

If you mean that the copper is showing/insulation missing on one of the individual wires without you doing anything to it, that's not good. Sounds like a defective run of cable.

The defect is not from stripping so the issue might be with the run. How much of a problem is this if only one wire is affected? Hundreds of feet have already been run and many in very difficult areas.

 

[Mike A.]

The defect is not from stripping so the issue might be with the run. How much of a problem is this if only one wire is affected? Hundreds of feet have already been run and many in very difficult areas.

Guess it depends how and how much. If it's minimal then probably not a practical problem but still not something that I'd want to see in cable that I was running. Not sure that I'd pull it all out if already run without testing/trying it.

Can you post a picture of what you're seeing?

 

[Mike A.]

It just says rj45 ca6 pass-thru data plugs on the packaging. VDV826-703.

Those should be good.

 

[wittaj]

Yeah if it is a nick within the entire run like every X feet for a run, condensation has a way of making its way into these sleeves and it won't be a problem now, but in a few years you may have a camera go offline.

 

[Teeling611]

Yeah if it is a nick within the entire run like every X feet for a run, condensation has a way of making its way into these sleeves and it won't be a problem now, but in a few years you may have a camera go offline.

Thanks, but the cut in the wire is in a singular wire strand, the outside casing that holds all the pairs is still completely intact.

 

[wittaj]

Thanks, but the cut in the wire is in a singular wire strand, the outside casing that holds all the pairs is still completely intact.

I understand that, but the ends of the casing/sheathing are open on either end and that is how/where the water vapor will enter. It is not a completely closed unit.

Heck unless that entire cable was built in a 0 moisture building (not likely), it probably already has some low moisture content in the sheathing already and it just needs several cycles of winter and summer before it becomes an issue.

 

[CanCuba]

I watched a couple Youtube videos (and there's TONNES on this topic). Once I got the first cable, they all came easy after that.

Like anything, everyone needs to find a technique they're comfortable with.

 

[tigerwillow1]

I'm curious of the source of the cable. If you're seeing defects just where you're stripping it, how many more are in the other 99+% of the cable. I wouldn't trust it. I've never heard of this before. The closest I came was a monoprice recall over the fire resistance of the outer insulation, and it was more difficult to replace the installed cable than it was installing it in the first place.

 

[Teeling611]

Guess it depends how and how much. If it's minimal then probably not a practical problem but still not something that I'd want to see in cable that I was running. Not sure that I'd pull it all out if already run without testing/trying it.

Can you post a picture of what you're seeing?

This is the best close up my camera can do. Small cut in insulation. I just cut off a approx 6” piece from the roll. I won’t be able to check the other runs until I have added the ends.

 

[Teeling611]

I'm curious of the source of the cable. If you're seeing defects just where you're stripping it, how many more are in the other 99+% of the cable. I wouldn't trust it. I've never heard of this before. The closest I came was a monoprice recall over the fire resistance of the outer insulation, and it was more difficult to replace the installed cable than it was installing it in the first place.

Directly from Monoprice.

 

[Alaska Country]

In place of cutting the outside covering with the built in cutters that are a part of the RJ-45 crimping tool I found it best to use another method to solve the nicking wire issue.

Use a knife and make a slice along the length of the cable from the cut end for about 1 inch (length wise). This will provide sufficient space to separate out the wires and find the thread. Twist the thread around a pair of long noise pliers (mini type) and pull to cut another inch or two of the jacket.

Then fold back the jacket from the wires and trim using a mini pair (4 inch type) of diagonal wire cutters. Trim as necessary to make a even jacket cut.

As stated above, untwist the wires and straighten with small round rod (screwdriver shaft). Note that it is easier to untwist and straighten longer wires than short ones and to orientate in the correct order. Thus a good aim point is to expose 3 to 4 inches of wire from the jacket.

 

[HMC8403]

I roll each wire between two fingers to remove the twist. Then I put them in order while pinching with one hand, I use a side-to-side motion to get the wires to mold together. I didn’t have anyone to hold my phone so propped it on some containers, hope the video helps
View attachment Hogtie, cat six.mov

 

[HMC8403]

One other recommendation, actually two. Most cables, have a string inside, remove just a little of the outside sheath and then pull the string the rest of the way; this assures that the cutter doesn’t come close to the wires. 2nd, I prefer to use a stand alone cutter/stripper, look for one that has an adjusting screw and set it so that it barely touches a wire.

 

[Dave88LX]

I roll each wire between two fingers to remove the twist. Then I put them in order while pinching with one hand, I use a side-to-side motion to get the wires to mold together. I didn’t have anyone to hold my phone so propped it on some containers, hope the video helps.

Been making ethernet cables a long time, this is how I do it as well. Rubbing them out flat between the fingers and giving them a little twist/wiggle to settle them in.

When I cut the sheath, I'll typically rotate it so I have the oranges to the left, and browns to the right. Makes it easier to get your colors in order without trying to fight the cable.

Make sure the connectors you bought are the recommended connectors for that particular cable.

Def don't need any lube, spit, or any other alternatives haha.

 

[Flintstone61]

They probably included 24awg pass thrus…. 23 awg will be a bitch