Trouble terminating cat6 cable to cat6 faceplates

JustAnotherSaver

I've not done a LOT of network cabling in my time but i had done it before & i hadn't failed before.

Everything before was cat5e cable. I think it was stranded - don't remember it being solid core.


Right now i'm having a royal nightmare terminating solid cat6 cable to cat6 faceplates. I've done it & re-done it about 10 times now. I've even cut off a new piece 1mtr long off the reel in case the existing cable in place was broken.

I terminated it - my cable tester said #6 wasn't working
re-did & then it was like #2 #5 #7 (i don't know if it was those specific numbers but it was a few) wasn't working
Now when i do it, instead of #6 not working like at the start, it's #5 every single time.

Even on the 1mtr cable i cut off the reel.

I've tested cat5e & cat6 patch leads that i know work & the tester says these are fine.

My tools....

Stripper: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/maplin-crimp-tool-and-cable-stripper-set-n87cu
Punch down tool: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/impact-punch-down-tool-a44qw <--- i don't think it's a maplin one but it looks exactly like that sort. It's about 6 years old.
Faceplates: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/scan-single-gang-single-port-cat-6-faceplate-1-x-module-plus-blanks-included
Cat6 cable: can't find the link now but it was something cheap from eBay
Network cable tester: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/rj45-and-rj11-network-cable-tester-n21cl?gclid=CK6x-9Cl-MkCFZadGwod4yILfwagain not that specific one but basically the same. Looks the same but i bought it 6 years or so ago.

I've read online of people having more difficulty with cat6 but i would've thought once you punched down then there's no problem surely ... and then the reader is saying different cables aren't working (although now it's a constant #5).

Pincher

I think CAT-6 are twisted in signal pairs, neater than CAT-5.

Too much hassle for me, so I use brush plates, and have ready made CAT-6 cables sticking out. There are shielded CAT-6 couplers, or it can go into a switch if there are more than one device.

aerostar

Sounds like you have been too rough with the solid core cable and have cracked the cores somewhere that is why you are getting intermittent readings for the connections.

The other could be

"Cat6 cable: can't find the link now but it was something cheap from eBay"

There are also different RJ45 plugs for stranded and solid core
Have a read here http://www.cableorganizer.com/articles/difference-between-solid-stranded-rj45-plugs.html

JustAnotherSaver

I may have to go the brush plated route. Only problem now is if the end will go through between the floorboards & wall/plasterboard & out through the backbox hole.
Not as tidy as the faceplate option but it'd be a last resort - either that or attempt cat5e since i haven't failed with that (yet).

aerostar - I personally don't see that as a possibility & here is why....

Those laying the floor & doing all the work in the room ran the cable. Terminating on this didn't work as i said - so perhaps they kinked it despite me telling them run it as straight as possible. So in this instance what you said would be a possibility.

But they left loads of excess, so i snipped some off - same problem. Perhaps this was kinked too (although it looked good).

So i went to the reel - the stuff that hadn't been unravelled yet ..... i cut off a good metre & tried terminating that - exact same problem.

If the next one is that i'm pushing down too hard - then i considered this as i made this mistake one time crimping cat5e RJ45 plugs & bent the contacts. So i punched down hard, i punched down light - neither way worked.


As for the plugs, i don't/shouldn't actually need them since i'm terminating (or trying to) in to faceplates.



The end aim of this is to hopefully make it possible to have the smart TV on a wired connection, not wireless.

I have no idea if cat5 would be perfectly fine but i wanted to use cat6 since it's just better & best to have it in place while i had the chance.

JustAnotherSaver

It has been put to me that it may be my punch down tool.

Personally i can't see it - it's punching the things down. Yes it's around 6 years old but it's barely been used. I've only done a few runs. Punched down 6 or so terminals before the 10 here.

But out of curiosity what's the difference between these punch down tools:

£1.33: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sonline-Punch-Down-Telephone-Insertion-Kroning-Tool/dp/B00X9HAPLA
£15.99: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/impact-punch-down-tool-n41hf

Just a little bit of a difference :-/

kwikbreaks

By my reckoning £14.66 + travel costs for the ability to just go and pick it up.

Maplin have many adherents on these boards but to my mind most of their stuff is a hell of a lot more expensive than you can get it elsewhere. I only buy there in an emergency or if they are offering a massive discount on their normal pricing.

I'm pretty much certain that the cat5e cable I used to wire this house (the only ethernet cabling I've done) was solid core. I don't think punchdowns work satisfactorily with stranded as the knife V you punch down into would just cut through the outer wires. Pre made cables are often (usually? always?) stranded so buying them because they are cheaper than locating plain cable then trying to fit punchdown faceplates is a recipe for disaster (I don't think you are doing that though).

I think one difference between cat5e and cat6 is the thickness of the insulation. If the connector was designed for cat5e it may be that the blade isn't connecting properly with the cable. You could try stripping off the insulation to see if that fixes it but obviously beware of short circuits.

Pincher

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

I have no idea if cat5 would be perfectly fine but i wanted to use cat6 since it's just better & best to have it in place while i had the chance.

I was in exactly the same position about five years ago, so I put in CAT-6. Today, I would go for CAT-7. However, CAT-5E would be perfectly fine for my current use.

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Not as tidy as the faceplate option but it'd be a last resort - either that or attempt cat5e since i haven't failed with that (yet).

Use a deep back box, and you can coil the cable behind the brush plate when not in use.

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

Those laying the floor & doing all the work in the room ran the cable. Terminating on this didn't work as i said - so perhaps they kinked it despite me telling them run it as straight as possible. So in this instance what you said would be a possibility.

Repeated shouting and hair tearing still didn't stop them from performing all kinds of atrocities.


1. Running speaker cables (and others) right next to mains cables. Interference.
2. They drill through the joists at an angle, so the cable is fed through at an angle at EVERY JOIST. It is impossible to pull the cable through the holes without lifting the floor board.
3. The end of a conduit is a right angle that is almost impossible for an HDMI plug to turn round.

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

But they left loads of excess, so i snipped some off - same problem. Perhaps this was kinked too (although it looked good).

Kinking? Why not just plain old screw through the cable? ANYTHING can happen when you can't inspect the whole path.

JustAnotherSaver wrote: »

The end aim of this is to hopefully make it possible to have the smart TV on a wired connection, not wireless.

With 11g, I really needed a wired connection, but 11n is pretty good these days. Alas, a 13Mbps ADSL broadband becomes 3Mbps through two brick walls, and about 10 meters actual distance, and I get buffering, even with non-HD content. Through the CAT-6, plus a coupler, it's showing 11Mbps, so even HD streaming is no problem.


I do have an extra wide house, but a typical four bed semi should be OK if you put the Wi-Fi point in the middle of the house.


By the way, proper under floor heating typically requires Kingspan under the pipework, and the foil on the Kingspan tends to block the Wi-Fi signal. That is another reason for putting in cabled Ethernet.

ChiefGrasscutter

That 'Cheap' Cat5 or cat 6 is sometimes CCA.
This might indeed be solid but it is actually Copper Covered Aluminum.

Cat 5 is also twisted in signal pairs
You also get cat 5 in shielded which has an earth foil shield round the cables under the outer insulation - think its called cat5 FTP

Cat * patch cords are stranded cable
Cat * infrastructure cable comes on a mega reel is solid
As others have said different plug terminations for stranded and solid and different for cat 6 and cat 5 with cat 6 being a physically thicker cable.
Wall outlets sockets are assumed to be being done in solid core and are different for cat 5 and 6 as the wires for cat 5 are AWG24 thick copper while cat 6 uses thicker AWG23 copper.

Indeed I agree foil on insulation will cause all sorts of reflective errors in the wifi leading to speed reductions when on wi-fi rather than cable.

Then there are the two different standards to wire up both ends of any one cable to: T568A and T568B - but the OP with their background will be well aware of that!

JustAnotherSaver

Yeah i've been using T568B throughout.

I remember reading about that CCA - i'm pretty sure i avoided buying it but i can't find the link to where i bought the reel from.

Apparently the connector (faceplate) is designed for cat6. At least it was sold as that & labelled up as that so that SHOULDN'T (i stress that word & select shouldn't rather than wont) be the problem.

I've seen the cable run - i know it's not through the joists at least, however one end is drilled up through the floorboards & it's been expanding foamed in behind the skirting. I don't really want to take the skirting off & wreck the new plaster so i may have to resort to trailing new cable over the face of the skirting. Unsightly, but it'll be out of sight in the corner of the hall.

The router for us is in the hall right next to the living room so there'll only be 1 single wall/doorway for the signal to get through before it hits the TV. This aside, i still prefer wired for everything. Way more reliable.

There is also no under floor heating/insulation.

When i've terminated cat5e in to faceplates before i'm pretty sure i used stranded cabling. I guess it's best you don't but i'm 99% sure that's what i had at the time & it worked first time.





Right, i have just cut another length off the reel - so brand new untouched.
I snipped the ends & then pulled the cord down & used that wire in case i nicked where i cut the sheath.
Since #5 seems to be the problem i connected this & only this & then tested - no signal. This is the blue/white.
I then connected the opposite which i think is green/white - no signal.
I then connected every single wire - #3 & #5 weren't working.


I guess my next thing is to try new faceplates. After that it's new cable.

JustAnotherSaver

I found the exact (kind of) cabling i used. This says grey & mine was white but it was from this exact website & the description is the exact same.

http://www.cabling4less.co.uk/products/2079/category_6_shielded_grey_ftp_pvc_cable/




Regards buying in a new faceplate (or 2 just to be sure) where would you buy from?

Scan @ £1.58/unit http://www.scan.co.uk/products/scan-single-gang-single-port-cat-6-faceplate-1-x-module-plus-blanks-included which is where the existing ones are from
Cable Monkey @ £5.70/unit http://www.cablemonkey.co.uk/cat6-modules-outlets/71-cat6-utp-rj45-modules-with-faceplate.html#/noofoutlets-1outlet

The end result is £8.65 vs £14.94 for what is essentially the same thing. Question is whether one is better or not. Kinda like buying branded ibuprofen instead of supermarket ibuprofen, just because the big name comes in a shiny wrapper & costs more so you 'think' it's 'better'.

Pincher

Check out:


https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CACAT6slash100.html


"Solid copper conductor"


Note that it is UTP UNSHIELDED Twisted pair.