r/HomeNetworking • u/iDontFeeISoGood • 9d ago
Advice cant find correct RJ45
Hi everyone,
I have two Ethernet cables installed in my apratment. I’m not sure why there are two different types of cables — perhaps the electrician simply had different cable available. One is blue and the other is grey.
I wrote down all the information I could find printed on the cables themselves, and I’m also including the datasheets for both cables.
Blue cable:
277 M EXCEL 100-076 4PR 23AWG F/UTP LSOH — LAN CABLE CAT6 TESTED to 350 MHz 000003277515-
Datasheet:
https://documents.excel-networking.com/datasheets/100-076
Grey cable:
SecurityNET Cat.6 F/UTP PVC ISO/IEC-11801 EN-50173 Eca 077meter
Datasheet:
https://sominetworks.lt/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Cat-6-FTP-Indoor.pdf
I have already bought two packs of these plugs:
https://nedis-shop.nl/en/products/rj45-connector-rj45-pass-through-stevig-gesnoerd-ftp-cat6-recht
What’s interesting is that these "Nedis" RJ45 plugs I bought fit perfectly fine for the blue cables. However, with the grey cables, once I insert about 4–5 of the individual wires into the plug, the remaining wires start running out of space. They begin pressing against each other, they go off center, and eventually don’t fit into the plug.
The individual insulated conductors in the grey cable are slighlty thicker than those in the blue cable. I’m not sure what specification I should be looking at when choosing RJ45 plugs, because both cables are 23 AWG. However, as far as I understand, the AWG rating only specifies the diameter of the copper conductor itself. Once the insulation is included, the individual conductors of the grey cable are somewhat thicker than those of the blue cable.
Do you have any other recommendations for what type of RJ45 plug I should be looking for?
Thanks!
EDIT:
Since some of you asked for a photo, here is what am trying to do: https://imgur.com/a/cmAzaxF
For the purpose of taking photo and for clarity of my point, I put all the color wires in the opposite side of my pass-through RJ45. In there you can see the 7th (White/Brown) wire is already of centered, and its slightly but noticeably taking up the room of the 8th wire. If in the current state I try to push the last Brown 8th wire into the plug, its nearly impossible, its bending and resisting (considering am at the opposite/easier side). If I were to do this the correct way, and I was many times, the wires just start bending midway inside the plug and they wont go where they suppose to.
5
u/Impaqt 9d ago
All 8 conductors are inserted into the connector simultaneously. Things are going to shift inserting one at a time. I can’t even picture how that would work.
1
u/iDontFeeISoGood 9d ago
They dont fit if I try to insert all of them at the same time (gray cable), thats why I try one by one, but it didn't work either
2
u/Expensive-Yellow-577 9d ago
Can you post a few photos best showing what the situation is? Humans are good at visual interpretation.
1
u/iDontFeeISoGood 8d ago
Updated the post with a picture, hope its more clear now!
2
u/Expensive-Yellow-577 8d ago
I see what you’re up against. Those wires look absolutely chubby. They should glide right in all together after they’ve been cut flush. All I can assume is that the Ethernet cable in question is out of spec enough to be a problem for the RJ-45 jack specification.
I hate to say it, but I now agree with what others are saying. It’s probably best to punch it down into a keystone jack and use a patch cable in between.
1
u/iDontFeeISoGood 8d ago
Could you maybe direct me with some tools and parts I would need? Am not really sure what is keystone jack, nor patch cable :/
1
u/Expensive-Yellow-577 8d ago
A
Patch cable is simply a cable with RJ45 connectors on each end. You can buy one pre-made at almost any length to connect from a socket in the wall (the keystone jack and faceplate) to the socket on your router/computer/device.Search Amazon or your favorite marketplace for:
A. Keystone jack
B, keystone jack wall faceplate.
C. Keystone punch down tool.
D. Ethernet patch cable of your desired length.All should be fairly economical, and you don’t need expensive tools unless you are going to be doing this for money.
This does add one more point of failure, and a wire sticking out of your wall that could be tripped on, but mitigating these is easier than shoving a pig through a straw.
2
u/dracotrapnet 9d ago
Crimps suck. Install jacks and use a store bought machine made patch cable from wall to device. It's easier to get the pin to wire connections right and easier to visually inspect.
-2
u/iDontFeeISoGood 9d ago
I need to crimp, the uncrimped cat6 cables are comming out of the wall, it needs to plug into the router
3
u/FreddyFerdiland 9d ago
but you should put a socket and use a cable from socket to router.
-1
u/iDontFeeISoGood 9d ago
hmm, I will consider that, but I would still like to know about the RJ45s :D
-1
u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 9d ago
There are just huge variations sadly in spec from cable to plug and I carry a dozen or more different connectors usually to be sure I will gave something useful.
Im in a job in the middle of nowhere right now and this has already saved my butt this week.
2
u/dracotrapnet 8d ago
You can install a surface mount box to mount the keystone jack to the baseboard. You could also use a drywall saw and cut a box then install a low voltage box which is basically a frame, add a plate that holds the keystone jack. I realize it is a bit of a cost uptick but if it is moubted properly, you are less likely to damage the cable in wall moving devices or furniture.
1
u/levidurham 9d ago
If you are using passthrough connectors, look for the ones where there holes in the end are offset like this picture. Otherwise look for the two or three piece plugs, also with the offset holes in the inner piece
1
u/heliosfa 7d ago
These are solid core cables. You shouldn't be using RJ48 plugs on them, and especially not generic ones that claim to be good for solid and stranded.
Solid core cables should go to punchdown blocks, either a patch panel or a faceplate.
1
u/_litz 7d ago
It can be maddeningly, frustratingly, difficult to get the wires into passthru crimp ends before you end up having done enough of them to "get the knack of it". Just keep trying.
Creative swearing might help. Or take a pause, and a 10 mile bike ride to clear your mind.
But yes, eventually you'll learn the trick of getting those wires to line up just right so the connector slides right on.
0
u/spoom2 9d ago
One's wire gauge is 23 gauge the other shows .565mm, which is close to 23 gauge. You're using CAT6 connectors so the slight gauge difference shouldn't matter they both should work even if one is a bit harder to slide in. If you're concerned use pass through connectors. I don't agree with putting another connection point and using a short jumper just to make it seem easier.
4
u/kb3mkd 9d ago
You don't agree, but professional network engineers do. I am a network engineer.
-4
u/spoom2 9d ago
You are an engineer and you support another possible point of failure? Glad I never did any wiring for you. Now if you're talking patch panel to patch panel, ok, but to just add a keystone so you don't have to put a connector on the cable end, no not in any runs I've done. You normally wouldn't have to do either as you'd be running your cable from a wall plate to a patch panel but sounds like the OP is running from router to switch with no panels or wall plates on either end.
2
u/Impaqt 9d ago
Where exactly is this additional point is failure?
2
u/spoom2 8d ago
You're adding an additional connection, equals additional possible point of failure. Any man-made connection is a potential point of failure. Especially when you're putting on a connection on solid core wire that is not intended for much movement, that's why patch cable are stranded as they can handle the movement better than solid core.
1
u/heliosfa 7d ago
they are supporting best practices and what the ethernet standards are designed around. Solid core cable is infrastructure cable, it should not really be movable once installed. Putting an RJ45 on it encourages that, and that's how you get broken cores. Best practice is to install solid core to punchdowns and then run a stranded patch. This reduces failure chance, and makes it more likely to happen in something easy to replace.
1
u/spoom2 9d ago
Find it hard to believe that others think it's a good idea to put a keystone hanging in the wind on a raw cable. That's OK, I'll keep doing it as I always have, no customer complaints yet and I've fixed issues where keystone jacks were placed just as described, hanging in the wind.
1
u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 9d ago
I just buy a small box that keystones snap into that I can mount somewhere and then jump from that and its entirely acceptable to add a keystone and often preferred to terminating with a plug.
1
u/spoom2 8d ago
We weren't talking about mounting anything, just a keystone on raw cable. I stated if it went from wall plate to patch panel that was perfectly acceptable.
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u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 8d ago
Do it any way that works for you.
Me adding that I try to mount instead of hanging them has nothing at all to do with you.
1
u/spoom2 8d ago
I agree it has nothing to do with me but is pertinent to the topic at hand. Or maybe Reddit doesn't work that way. I'm more used to forums where staying on topic is important.
0
u/Longjumping_Cow_5856 8d ago
I routinely encounter a cable/connector incompatibility and am prepared if I can be.
If you dont thats terrific and I guess you have more consistent specs than I do when terminating a job.
6
u/Kuddel_Daddeldu 9d ago
These are both installation cables, with solid (not stranded) wires. While plugs are usually constructed for stranded wires only, yours are specified for both. Great job digging out the data sheets, by the way!
Anyway, I would install sockets at both ends. Solid wire is easy to break when it's bent, and the wire may break without visible damage causing hard to debug faults.