RE: The Road to Raspberry Pi4B/ PoE Hat RoadTest Review (cable in between)

kmikemoo — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 03:19:41 GMT

[mention:77de285dc3304dd5b943ccb7ee803caa:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] Those simple network cable testers are great! Sure it won't tell you the attenuation of your cable, but I used mine just last night to check a network cable to one of my computers. The cable had one wire open. No amount of angry recrimping brought it back so I had to change the end. Then I had two open wires, but different from the first. Some passionate recrimping brought them to (at least) continuity.

On a sidebar, I can't remember the last time that I bought a cable with a T568A layout. They have all been T568B for years. And all of the network cable in my building and the main building next door is stranded.

RE: The Road to Raspberry Pi4B/ PoE Hat RoadTest Review (cable in between)

shabaz — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:41:55 GMT

Hi Sean,

Either solid or stranded cable can be used (and either color code layout can be implemented), there should be no difference, but if you're aiming to simulate a real environment then it should probably be mostly solid core (since that is is what would get used throughout a building). But I think it makes no difference for such a test, it may be worth just using the roll of cable you have, or purchasing the wire type (solid or stranded) that will be useful to you in future too.

One point is that normally solid-core is not intended to be terminated with RJ45 plugs, rather the sockets (there's a very low-cost tool, perhaps $5, called a 'punch-down' tool to do that, or alternatively some sockets can be assembled with no tool).

If you do wish to terminate solid core directly with RJ45 plugs, then there are specific plugs to purchase (the metal parts of it look bent very slightly different), because most RJ45 plugs out there will be for stranded wire. The same typical RJ45 tool is used for both types of plugs, there's no difference there. If you already have RJ45 plugs, then it's 90% likely they are for stranded wire (they could be compared with normal short patch cables, which will be stranded wire too).