Make network cable

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 you can pull that piece off with a little effort without damaging the thread. I often take a piece of about 5 centimeters so that I have some working space. Of course you can also try it with stripping pliers.

Step 2: Unraveling the threads

The CAT network cables are also called “twisted pair”, and for good reason – the wires are twisted together in pairs.

By the way, you don't have to strip it. RJ45 connectors have a small pin with teeth for each connection pin, which is simply pushed through the cable later.

Step 3: Wires in the right 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, check how far the wires go into the plug (see pictures below).

For both ends, the sequence is the same:

The pin numbering works as follows:

RJ45 Pin Numbering

Follow the steps in the image below;

1. Sort the threads so that they are in the correct order.
2. Make sure that the cable and part of the outside go into the RJ45 connector (3 & 4) and then cut the wires to length.
3. When the cable goes into the connector, the outside will go roughly to the beginning of the clip.
4. Please note that the individual wires must go as deep as possible in the plug, clearly below the gold-colored pins.

For 3 and 4: The yellow lines indicate where the outside of the cable ends, and where the individual wires stop.

Normal network cable

Once the wires are in place, hold the cable and connector firmly and use a crimp tool. Squeezing the pliers pushes the gold pins through the wires and a plastic piece is pushed 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: Testing the cable

Most crimping tools these days 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, consider using a multi-meter. Pin 1 to Pin 1 etc.

If you don't have either then you may want to consider just plugging the cable into the computer and router - I've never seen any adverse effects myself, but this should be done 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 is not properly connected. Sometimes you can see that through the transparent plastic: You see a wire that just misses the gold pin. Cut off the plug and start again.