How to Make your Own Ethernet Cables

Ethernet Cables- you’ve got to love them. Both CAT5e and CAT6 Ethernet cables give us speedy and reliable connection to the internet, send emails, make sales and purchases, and even watch pretty interesting videos from time to time (Check THIS one out)! But in the event that you need to make a custom cable length or need to repair or replace a plug termination, you’ll need to know how to make those internet-giving cables all on your own. Don’t worry too much, we can help you out.

Things You’ll Need:

  • CAT5e or CAT6 Cable
  • CAT5e or CAT6 Termination Plugs
  • Cable Jacket Stripper (Highly Recommended)
  • Electrician’s Scissors (Highly Recommended)
  • RJ45 Crimping Tool
  • Network Cable Tester (Highly Recommended)

Step 1:

To get started you’ll need to strip a cable jacket down about an inch from the end. (We recommend starting with a cable just a little longer than you think you’ll need if you’re making your first few cables, just in case you mess up and have to start again). Under the jacket you should see four twisted pairs: a green, orange, blue, and brown pair each with a solid and striped wire. It’s very important not to damage these wires, and using a Cable Jacket Tool like the one offered HERE is the best way to ensure a clean and proper jacket removal.

Ethernet Strip TelExpressLive

Step 2:

Now each twisted pair needs to be untangled. Try your best to keep the wires at least somewhat organized; it will make the steps coming up that much easier if you don’t need to search for the correct color. You’ll want to straighten each wire as much as possible and remove the kinks and bends in each. They don’t have to be perfect, but once again taking your time to be organized and methodical on this step will help you later on.

Ethernet Untangle TelExpressLive

Step 3:

This step often proves to be the most difficult. Before beginning you’ll need to decide which of two termination standards (T568A or T569B) set forth by the TIA, or Telecommunications Industry Association. These shouldn’t typically be interchanged so we recommend finding the one that your home or business uses and stick with it. Once you have decided which termination type you will be using, arrange the wires from left to right in the order outlined in the table below. In our example images, we decided to go with T568A.

Pin NumberT568A ColoringT568B Coloring
1Green StripedOrange Striped
2Green SolidOrange Solid
3Orange StripedGreen Striped
4Blue SolidBlue Solid
5Blue StripedBlue Striped
6Orange SolidGreen Solid
7Brown StripedBrown Striped
8Brown SolidBrown Solid

Arrange the cables closely together and trim them with a pair of scissors. Each wire end needs to be very smooth and not frayed or otherwise damaged, and many office scissors aren’t designed for wire cutting, so Electrician’s Scissors are a very useful tool to have. We just so happen to offer a pair at our site HERE for a great price.

Ethernet Trimmed TelExpressLive

Step 4:

Now, with the wires arranged flat in the proper order, place them into the 8P8C (also known as RJ45) plug. Push each cable to the back of the plug so that they make a connection with their respective pins and hold in place. It can be a little tricky to line up the pins and wires, but take your time—a bad connection could render the wire inoperable and make you start from scratch. (A wide selection of plugs for either CAT5e or CAT6 can be found HERE.)

Step 5:

After those two challenging steps, this step should prove to be a breeze. Simply take a crimping tool, like the Platinum Tools EZ-RJ45 Crimp Tool found HERE, and use it to cinch the plug down onto the wires.

Ethernet Crimp TelExpressLive

Step 6:

If necessary, repeat steps 1-5 on the opposite end of the cable. Be sure to use either T568A or T568B on both ends of the cable—mixing the two termination types with ensure the cable does not work properly. After you’ve attached a plug to both ends your cable is complete!

Step 7:

It is a good idea to test your cable though. Mistakes happen, and if you crisscrossed the wrong wires, had a weak connection between the wire and plug, or damaged one of internal wires while stripping, your cable with need to be remade. It would be a huge annoyance to run the cable through walls or up to equipment only to realize that it is faulty, so save yourself the hassle and use a cable tester such as the TCB300, found HERE, to check your cable before installing it.

Ethernet Test TelExpressLive

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For all your CAT5e needs check HERE

For CAT6 look HERE

Distributed by TelExpress, Inc.

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18th Mar 2015

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