🚀 go-pugleaf

Robin Faichney (robin@nospam.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: I've only networked PC's in the same room, using readymade patch cables,
: but now I have upstairs and downstairs flats to contend with.  I've heard
: that making connections is a big deal.  Can someone reassure me that if
: I buy some wall sockets and some cat 5 cable, with ordinary DIY skills,
: I should be able to put a reliable network together?  Is there a special
: tool required?

Provided you get the connections right :-) I cabled up this house and work,
so it must be easy - however I am colour-blind so I had my daughter make the
connections :-)

Seriously, the important thing is to use the right pairs in the right places
and to keep the twist going to about 0.5 inch of the IDC (insulation
displacement connectors) used in the wall plates. 

You will need an insertion tool, a proper one costs about 25 GBP, but a
cheapie provided/available with DIY telephone wiring kits will serve.

When installing the wiring, make the curves (not corners) in the cable as
large a radius as possible 2 - 3 inches is much better than 1/2 inch.

There is (was) a whole treatise on CAT 5 wiring on the webb pages of some
US .edu - I don't have the URL to hand but I found it from a web search. 

HTH


Geoff
-- 
    Geoff  Blake        geoff (at) palaemon . co . uk         linux 2.0.36
    Chelmsford           g8gnz @ g8gnz . ampr . org           sparc - i586
    Please, only use the  .ampr.org address if you know what you are doing
      Intel create faster processors - Microsoft create slower processes

Geoff Blake wrote in message ...
>Robin Faichney (robin@nospam.demon.co.uk) wrote:
>: I've only networked PC's in the same room, using readymade patch cables,
>: but now I have upstairs and downstairs flats to contend with.  I've heard
>: that making connections is a big deal.  Can someone reassure me that if
>: I buy some wall sockets and some cat 5 cable, with ordinary DIY skills,
>: I should be able to put a reliable network together?  Is there a special
>: tool required?
>
>Provided you get the connections right :-) I cabled up this house and work,
>so it must be easy - however I am colour-blind so I had my daughter make the
>connections :-)
>
>Seriously, the important thing is to use the right pairs in the right places
>and to keep the twist going to about 0.5 inch of the IDC (insulation
>displacement connectors) used in the wall plates.
>

Half an inch is alot; you should try to keep the pairs twisted
right up to the termination.

The odds are that you won't notice any difference, even with a
fair length untwisted, but it doesn't hurt to be as anal as
possible about it.

To illustrate the point I had a monitor power cord resting on
an RJ45 plug.  The cord was therefore very close to some untwisting
of the pairs.  Whenever I turned the monitor on, the hub would show
a collision occuring.  If I moved the power cord a few centimetres
away (but still in contact with the patch cable) there was no glitch
when the monitor was powered up.

The sockets were some of the first ones I'd ever done, so they were
probably not the best made connections.

>You will need an insertion tool, a proper one costs about 25 GBP, but a
>cheapie provided/available with DIY telephone wiring kits will serve.
>

I disagree about the cheap plastic tools.  Unless you're doing a
single socket (literally 8 connections only) I'd say forget using the
plastic tool that you get in kits -- I found them to be absolutely
crap.

I use a punchdown tool from Maplins (BP42V @ �15) and it does both
type Krone and 110 blocks reliably.

I've used a "proper" Krone bladed punchdown tool and I really didn't
get on with it, YMMV.

One tip I have is to strip the sheathing well back.  I made things
alot harder on my first attempts because I kept the cables too tight.

I strip the sheath, tie the cable down and then punch the wires
down.  The longer the unsheathed pairs are the easier it is to
punch them down with minimal untwisting.  Remember that it doesn't
matter in the least that one pair is a few inches longer than
another.

Do use the right type of cable as well.  Although you can get
punchdown blocks for stranded cable and RJ45 plugs for solid
core cable, they are not common (RJ45 plugs for solid core
cables seem to be more available than sockets for stranded
cable though).

I've got away with using solid core cables and normal RJ45
plugs for stranded cables in the past, but punching down
stranded cable into solid core IDCs is completely unreliable.

Another good idea is to test *all* of the pairs, not just those
used for ethernet.  You never know when you might need those
extra pairs for another ethernet node or a telephone line.

Jon Plews

John has given (IMO) some good advice here - take it..... but I must make a
couple of comments.

Jon Plews (jonplews@dial.pipex.com) wrote:

: Geoff Blake wrote in message ...
: >Robin Faichney (robin@nospam.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: >: I've only networked PC's in the same room, using readymade patch cables,
: >: but now I have upstairs and downstairs flats to contend with.  I've heard
: >: that making connections is a big deal.  Can someone reassure me that if
: >: I buy some wall sockets and some cat 5 cable, with ordinary DIY skills,
: >: I should be able to put a reliable network together?  Is there a special
: >: tool required?
: >
: >Provided you get the connections right :-) I cabled up this house and work,
: >so it must be easy - however I am colour-blind so I had my daughter make the
: >connections :-)
: >
: >Seriously, the important thing is to use the right pairs in the right places
: >and to keep the twist going to about 0.5 inch of the IDC (insulation
: >displacement connectors) used in the wall plates.
: >

: Half an inch is alot; you should try to keep the pairs twisted
: right up to the termination.

I was referring to the about 0.75" spacing between the rows of IDC's -
however, these are probably the "telcom pairs".

: The odds are that you won't notice any difference, even with a
: fair length untwisted, but it doesn't hurt to be as anal as
: possible about it.

From what I've found, the (lack of) twist is significant @ 100MHz. For the
price difference, I'd stick to 10MHz hardware but cable to 100MHz, i.e. as
John said continue the twist as close to the IDC as possible.

: To illustrate the point I had a monitor power cord resting on
: an RJ45 plug.  The cord was therefore very close to some untwisting
: of the pairs.  Whenever I turned the monitor on, the hub would show
: a collision occuring.  If I moved the power cord a few centimetres
: away (but still in contact with the patch cable) there was no glitch
: when the monitor was powered up.

Could this not be due to the induced voltage caused by the de-gaussing field
saturating the hub or nic receivers (probably common mode voltage)?

: The sockets were some of the first ones I'd ever done, so they were
: probably not the best made connections.

: >You will need an insertion tool, a proper one costs about 25 GBP, but a
: >cheapie provided/available with DIY telephone wiring kits will serve.
: >

: I disagree about the cheap plastic tools.  Unless you're doing a
: single socket (literally 8 connections only) I'd say forget using the
: plastic tool that you get in kits -- I found them to be absolutely
: crap.

YMMV, but I have found them satisfactory in an emergency.

: I use a punchdown tool from Maplins (BP42V @ �15) and it does both
: type Krone and 110 blocks reliably.

: I've used a "proper" Krone bladed punchdown tool and I really didn't
: get on with it, YMMV.

:-)  I use a couple of RS tools which I believe are badge-engineered Krone
tools - same as the network wiring guys use! 

: One tip I have is to strip the sheathing well back.  I made things
: alot harder on my first attempts because I kept the cables too tight.

: I strip the sheath, tie the cable down and then punch the wires
: down.  The longer the unsheathed pairs are the easier it is to
: punch them down with minimal untwisting.  Remember that it doesn't
: matter in the least that one pair is a few inches longer than
: another.

Spot on!

: Do use the right type of cable as well.  Although you can get
: punchdown blocks for stranded cable and RJ45 plugs for solid
: core cable, they are not common (RJ45 plugs for solid core
: cables seem to be more available than sockets for stranded
: cable though).

: I've got away with using solid core cables and normal RJ45
: plugs for stranded cables in the past, but punching down
: stranded cable into solid core IDCs is completely unreliable.

For the effort in (summoning the resources, namely one 18 year old daughter,
for) putting on RG45 plugs, I buy the drop cables, they are hardly cost more
than a pair of plugs.... 

: Another good idea is to test *all* of the pairs, not just those
: used for ethernet.  You never know when you might need those
: extra pairs for another ethernet node or a telephone line.

Now there's a thought :-)


Geoff
-- 
    Geoff  Blake        geoff (at) palaemon . co . uk         linux 2.0.36
    Chelmsford           g8gnz @ g8gnz . ampr . org           sparc - i586
    Please, only use the  .ampr.org address if you know what you are doing
      Intel create faster processors - Microsoft create slower processes