Ethernet/Category 5 Network Cabling Guide Prepared by SJ Wilkinson (August 2002) Based on Steve Derose’S Guide to CAT5 Network Wiring (See Later Web Reference)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Ethernet/Category 5 Network Cabling Guide Prepared by SJ Wilkinson (August 2002) Based on Steve DeRose’s Guide to CAT5 Network Wiring (See later Web Reference) Networks A Local Area Network (LAN) can be as simple as two computers, each having a network interface card (NIC) or network adapter and running network software, connected together with a crossover cable. Here the crossover cable would have a plug at either end to connect into the NIC socket at the back of each computer. The next step up would be a network consisting of three or more computers and a hub. Each of the computers is plugged into the hub with a straight-thru cable (the crossover function is performed by the hub). For a small network the straight-thru cables would have plugs at either end – one to connect to the computer and one to the hub. For larger networks wall cabling, wall sockets and patch cables are used. A CAT5 "patch panel" is used at the hub end where all your wires come together and provides a group of sockets for further cables. Straight-thru patch cables connect computers to sockets (jacks). Straight-thru wall cables connect sockets to the patch panel. Straight-thru patch cables connect the patch panel to the hub. Patch panels often make network cabling neater but are not essential as (a) wiring a plug is no harder than wiring a panel; (b) you still need cables to go from the panel to the hub; and (c) it adds extra connections, so lowers reliability. 1 Planning your Network Pick a location for your hub, preferably centred to keep cable runs shorter. For larger network it may save you a lot of wiring if you use different hubs in different location: weigh your time and the cost of wire, versus the cost of an extra hub(s). Map out your wiring plan and decide how many wires go to each place. You may want to pull cable TV, phone, audio, intercom, etc. at the same time. You may want to install flexible conduit and/or leave a string in to pull more wires if you anticipate adding wires later. Plan wire placements to avoid anything that puts out much of a magnetic field. Stay at least 6" from electrical wires if running parallel to them. Make a materials list and then order materials. Plan to leave a couple extra feet at each end of each wire run. Buy at least 10% more of everything (especially wire) than you think you'll need. If you're new to this, practice cutting and stripping until you can cut the outer insulation without nicking the inner insulation. Practice fitting connectors and keystones on scrap cable. Learn how to use any network testers you have. Try your made-up patch cables in a working network to make sure they support 100Mbps speeds. What you need Make sure every part you use is at least CAT5 rated. Lots of CAT3 parts look about the same, but won't handle higher data rates. • CAT5 wire or better. Much cheaper by the 1000-foot reel. • CAT5 RJ45 sockets for the equipment end of your wires. These normally come in two or three parts – a backplate, a cover (or faceplate) and a keystone (or insert). • CAT5 modular plugs/connectors for the hub end of your wires and for the patch cables to connect computer to socket • An Ethernet hub to plug all those plugs into • A RJ-45 568A or 568B (preferably both) patch panel • A modular RJ-45 plug crimp tool. Phone ones won't do it. You don't need a lot of bells and whistles, just a tool that will securely crimp RJ-45 connectors. • A stripping tool. These make a much neater cut than the old pliers-type. • Diagonal wire cutters ("4 to 6"). It is easier to use diagonal cutters to cut the cable off at the reel and to fine-tune the cable ends during assembly. • If you are installing a patch-panel you will also need a 110 Punch-Down tool to push the wires into the back. • A RJ-45 CAT5 cable tester. Wire an Ethernet plug to some alligator clips and you can use the tester for lots of other things too (but don't try it on live power circuits!). • Cable ties or a cable staple gun (must be designed for CAT5). • Cable-labelling tape. • Typical stuff like screwdrivers, pliers, sledgehammers, etc. • Safety glasses, dust mask, gloves, and other safety equipment as appropriate. • An inductive signal tracer is also a really good investment if you are adding to a network: you clip the tester on one end of a wire, and the tracer lets you follow the wire even hidden behind walls, or obscured in bundles. Don't forget Ethernet cards for your devices (most new machines have them off-the-shelf, as Macs have for years), and short Ethernet cables to go from outlets to devices. 2 Cable Ethernet networks are generally used for connecting machines, printers, etc. in a single building. Older Ethernets ran on coax cables ("10base-2") a little like the cable used for TV aerials. Newer networks use phone-like "twisted pairs": "10base-t" can carry 10 Megabits (not Megabytes!) per second, and "100base-t" can carry 100 Mbps.. Ease of use and lower cost has given twisted-pair cables the advantage over the older thinwire, coaxial cables. Category 5 (CAT5) cabling is one type of twisted-pair cable and is used for most modern networking CAT5 wiring will happily work at either 10Mbps or 100Mbps, with just about any machine; so you can run a slow net now, and upgrade later without rewiring. One snag is that your network must be arranged in a "star". That is, every device must have a separate wire back to the hub. CAT 5 cable has four twisted pairs of wire for a total of eight individually insulated wires. Each pair is colour coded with one wire having a solid colour (blue, orange, green, or brown) twisted around a second wire with a white background and a stripe of the same colour. The solid colours may have a white stripe in some cables. Cable colours are commonly described using the background colour followed by the colour of the stripe; e.g., white-orange is a cable with a white background and an orange stripe. CAT5 wire is typically 24AWG solid copper with each pair twisted about 3 times per inch (actually, each pair is twisted at a different rate). You can get it with or without a foil shield, and in various outer insulation materials. Commercial cable is often made with stranded instead of solid wire to enable easier bending without breaking. This type of cable apparently has lower high-frequency performance, so keeping patch cables as short as possible seems like a very good idea. Wiring Schemes There are many, many different ways to connect the eight wires of a CAT5 cable to the eight wires of another CAT5 cable. Luckily for network engineers three standard wiring schemes exist for CAT5, called T568A, T568B, and USOC. USOC is traditionally found in telecommunications systems and has a sequence of: brown/white, green/white, orange/white, blue, blue/white, orange, green, brown. T568A and T568B are classed as standard for Ethernet networks and so the rest of this document will refer only to these two schemes. 3 As can be seen in the diagram the only difference between the two schemes is the interchanging of the 2nd and 3rd pairs (white/orange and white/green, respectively). There is no difference between the two wiring schemes in connectivity or performance when connecting two modular devices so long as they are both wired for the same scheme. The only time when one scheme has an advantage is when one end of a segment is to be connected to a punch block. In this case the 568A has the advantage of having a more natural progression of pairs. Even though the 568A scheme is preferred for new installations, both wiring methods exist within the 568A Standard. The reason for this is that a great deal of cabling plants has already been installed to the B standard (formerly known as WECO or AT&T 258A). Today the most popular wiring method remains 568B. However the existence of both methods does nothing but cause errors and confusion. Originally, patch panels and jacks were manufactured either A or B and were often not labelled as such. Most suppliers stocked only the B wired products. Luckily, today, almost all jacks and patch panels show diagrams for both A and B. Of course it makes no functional difference which standard you use for a straight-thru cable. A 568A patch cable will work in a network with 568B wiring and 568B patch cable will work in a 568A network. The electrons couldn't care less. However, such a mixture of schemes can cause confusion when adding crossover cabling and/or troubleshooting. So which method to choose? The answer, is that it does not matter at all, unless you are terminating one end onto a punch block, in which case, the A method has an advantage. The main thing is that you choose one method, and stick with it. If adding wiring to an existing installation check what scheme has been adopted and use that. Crossover Cables CAT5 signals are "balanced": the striped and solid wires in a pair carry the same information negated, so their magnetic fields tend to cancel. Unlike phone wires, CAT5 wires do not cross over; the same wires go to the same pin numbers at all connectors.