Solved Replacing end of network cable

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danny.guitar

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I have a really long ethernet cable for my cable internet, it's like 100ft long I think. It goes all the way downstairs into the router. The little plastic piece on the end broke off (the thing that lets it "snap" in) so it comes loose real easy.

I've never done any kind of DIY cabling, is there a pretty simple way to just replace the end of it without having to buy a whole new 100ft cable?
 
danny.guitar said:
I have a really long ethernet cable for my cable internet, it's like 100ft long I think. It goes all the way downstairs into the router. The little plastic piece on the end broke off (the thing that lets it "snap" in) so it comes loose real easy.

I've never done any kind of DIY cabling, is there a pretty simple way to just replace the end of it without having to buy a whole new 100ft cable?
Click to expand...

Yeah it's easy. My first job was putting the plugs on the ends of network cables. You'll need to get an RJ45 clamp. But apart from that, it's just a matter of stripping the outside, lining up the the colors in the order shown here, putting the plug over the top and clamping.
 
If you can handle getting small wires into plastic slots and are not colorblind, you shouldn't have a problem. Here's the most common diagram. If it's a crossover cable, it will be different. But I'm assuming it's not. As long as you have a crimper/stripper and are patient, you should do just fine.
 
Thanks for the links.
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:cool:
 
Radio Shack should have the cable stripper I need and the clamp, right? Well, I already have a stripper but I just need the clamp.
 
danny.guitar said:
Radio Shack should have the cable stripper I need and the clamp, right? Well, I already have a stripper but I just need the clamp.
Click to expand...

You need an "RJ45 crimping tool."

Here's a super-cheap one: http://www.outletpc.com/c0279.html

The crimping tool should come with a stripper. Not the kind that gives lap dances though, unfortunately. :p

Just be careful not to nick any of the individual wires when you strip off the shielding, and strip off enough of the shielding so you can arrange the wires properly then cut them all straight before inserting into the new RJ45 (CAT 5 - 7) connector. It's not hard, but I'd get a few extra connectors if you've never terminated a cable before, you may need to cut and start over once or twice. ;)
 
I'd advise getting some short useless cuts of RJ45 cable, a bag of plugs and practicing a couple maybe. It's not exacty a majorly difficult thing to do. But when I started that job I definitely fucked the first few up. I didn't care because it was company money and the cables weren't for me. But if its your own money it's a bit different.

As for the crimp tool..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-RJ45-Modular-Crimp-Tool/dp/B000636XSO

EDIT: I see mwthompson found one about half the price of that.
 
The ends, also commonly known as RJ45 ice cubes, come in a bag of 50 for about three bucks, but the crimper will probably cost you twenty or so, IIRC. (Edit: That $4.50 one looks just like mine. It should be fine.)

Remember that not all Ethernet cables at CAT5. Some are CAT5e or CAT6, and IIRC, the color order is different for those. Just use the same order as the factory end and you should be okay.

The basic procedure is as follows:

  • Strip back half an inch or so of outer jacket.
  • Line the wires up next to each other so they are as flat as possible and in the right order.
  • With the cutter part of the crimper, trim them all to the same length.
  • Without letting the order change, carefully shove the wires into the eight parallel grooves in the cube.
  • Press until all the wires are touching the end of the cube. Inspect it from the underside to confirm this.
  • Shove the connector into the crimping part of the tool and squeeze. Hard.

After that, when it doesn't work, squeeze harder. :D
 
Not so easy to replace, BUT...

Hey man,

Yeah, that little nub breaks off uber easy. I found out the hard way myself that I should ALWAYS scotch tape that thing down to the big part of the connector so it wont snag on stuff, if I am gonna be pulling the cable back through anything (even if its just a small tangle of other wires) for that very reason.

That doen't help you fix this one, though.

As far as getting a new end on it, the old school way would be to get a set of RJ-45 crimpers, and a few RJ-45 plastic end doodads (thats the technical term), and crimp a new one on there. I did it that way for years. Its a pain in the ass, though, and you probably wouldn't want to go that route unless you plan on doing a lot of these, as the crimpers are a bit expensive (the last one I bought was $45), and there is a definite "knack" to getting the end put on right that takes some practice.

There are other options, though. Home Depot sells little RJ45 sockets and wall mount boxes to mount them in. Assuming the wire is solid conductor, and not stranded, you should be able to get one of the jacks on the end of your wire, and then just use a standard 3 foot cat 5 cable to go from the jack to the pc or whatever. If the wire is stranded, you will need a run of cat 5 wire, 2 (premade) cat 5 wires, 2 jacks, and 2 wall mount boxes.

I have wired a lot of cat 5 stuff, and I almost never use the crimpers anymore. One reason being that if the end breaks off of one of the "jumper wires", all the user needs to do is replace that, and they are back in business.

Good luck.
 
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