Step 1: Strip the outside
First, you need to strip the outside.
Strip the outside
Stripping the outside is easiest done by making a small cut with a knife without going through the plastic. Then, with a little effort, you can pull that piece off without damaging the wire. I often take a piece of about 5 centimeters so that I have some working space. You can of course also try it with stripping pliers.
Step 2: Unraveling the threads
The CAT network cables are also called “twisted pair”, and for a good reason – the wires are twisted together in pairs.
You do not have to strip it. RJ45 connectors have a small pin with teeth for each connection pin, which is later simply pushed through the cable.
Step 3: Wires in the correct order
Now for the “difficult” part: putting the wires in the right order. Before you cut anything, do this AFTER sorting the threads. Before you cut anything, first check how far the wires go into the plug (see images below).
The order is the same for both ends:
| Pin | Color |
|---|---|
| 1 | Orange – White |
| 2 | Orange |
| 3 | Green – White |
| 4 | Blue |
| 5 | Blue – White |
| 6 | Green |
| 7 | Brown – White |
| 8 | Brown |
The pin numbering works as follows:
RJ45 Pin Numbering
Follow the steps in the image below;
- Sort the wires so that they are in the correct order.
- Make sure that the cable and part of the outside go into the RJ45 connector (3 & 4) and then cut the wires to length.
- When the cable goes into the connector, the outside will go roughly to the beginning of the clip.
- Please note that the individual wires must go as deep as possible into the plug, clearly under the gold-colored pins.
For 3 and 4: The yellow lines indicate where the outside of the cable stops, and where the individual wires stop.
Normal network cable
Once the wires are in place, hold the cable and connector firmly and use the so-called “crimp tool” or crimping pliers. By pressing the pliers together, the gold-colored pins are pushed through the wires and a plastic part is pressed down against the outside of the cable to hold it in place. I usually squeeze the pliers a few times to make sure everything is tight.
Now repeat these steps for the other side of the cable.
Step 4: Test the cable
Most crimping pliers nowadays come with a simple network cable tester. If you have one, now is the time to use it to see if the cable is working properly.
If you DO NOT have a network cable tester, you may consider using a multi-meter. Pin 1 to Pin 1 etc.
If you don't have one either, you can consider simply plugging the cable into the computer and router - I've never seen any adverse effects, but you should do this at your own risk.
If you have a 1Gbps network and the computer and/or router indicate that it can only do 100Mbps, then one or more of the wires are not connected properly. Sometimes you can see this through the transparent plastic: You see a wire that just misses the gold pin. Cut the plug and start over.