Given time to consider the nature of the project, as well as review the links posted, I purchased a 50’ cable from an electric sales store on eBay for $10.94 including shipping. The connectors and crimper and time required put the cost much higher.
I realize, phungi, you chose ready-made, and if replacing the cable’s gonna be a pain-- running through walls, f’rinstance-- I always recommend that if the customer wants to afford it. For one thing, it’s presumably been tested after assembly.
Just a couple of notes that do not seem to have been addressed-- (apologies if I missed anything)
“A” on one end and “B” on the other gives you a crossover cable
Max length is 100 meters
Good point, and it’s worth noting that there are different crimp-on plugs for stranded and solid wire. The normal stranded-wire plugs will work on solid wire for a while, but the sharp barb that normally pierces the insulation and nestles in among the wire strands will tend to cut right through a solid wire, resulting in a connection that goes bad if you so much as breathe in the same room as the cable.
As Sam said, the proper way to handle solid wire is to terminate it at jacks mounted to wall plates. It’s also a much more professional-looking installation. Yes, the jacks and plates will cost a bit more than using pre-made cables, but it’ll be a much more reliable connection. You will need a “110” punchdown tool. If you’re not looking to go into this as a career, just get the orange plastic one for about four bucks instead of the expensive ($50 - 120) impact tool with interchangeable bits and cushioned handle. There is NO acceptable substitute for a 110 punchdown tool. It may look like you can just lay the wires into the slots and press them in with your fingers or a screwdriver, but you can’t.
No, that’s not it. They’re more like these: 404 Page Not Found
There are similar plugs made by other manufacturers as well. Leviton makes these: http://cableorganizer.com/leviton/quickport-jack-connector.html
I like these ‘systems’ approaches to cabling. Panduit makes these modular connectors, and they also make wall plates and patch panel plates that these modules snap into. You don’t need a punch-down tool, crimper, or even a wire stripper. And the connectors force you to adhere to the Cat-5 standard for amount of untwisted wire used, etc. Basically, they’re foolproof.
And if you’re running the cable through the wall, it really is worth the effort to put a wall plate on the wall and terminate it there, then use patch cables to the computer. That way, once the cable is pulled, connected, and tested, you know it’s good. Later if you have connection trouble, you don’t have to troubleshoot the cable in the wall.
I’ve seen a lot of horrible installations, especially in small offices. The most common mistake is that the installer pulled a bunch of cable into the server room and just terminated each one in an RJ-45 connector and plugged it into the server machine. So these cables get moved around, stepped on, tripped over, and eventually start flaking out. And troubleshooting that mess is a nightmare.
Which is it? What he posted and what you posted were different.
There is a 568a and 568b standard, and the order of the colors varies.
You can use either one, provided you always use the same one. That’s why I like this scheme; I find it easy to remember the colors in order.