How to crimp your own custom Ethernet cables of any length (2023)

Have you ever needed a short Ethernet cable, but all of them in your closet are six feet long? You can simply coil up the excess, but for a neater look you can trim the thread yourself. With the right materials, you can even make your own custom length network cables.

By crimping your own ethernet cables, you can make them as long as you like. Pre-made Ethernet cables are only available in specific lengths, and you may need a size that isn't readily available. Again, you can always spend more time than necessary, but more often than not it's a waste.

RELATED: What type of Ethernet cable (Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a) should I use?

And alsoformIt's cheaper to make your own ethernet cables than to buy pre-made ones. For example, you can buy a 1,000 foot spool of Ethernet cableabout $60, plus or minus a few dollars, dependingwhat kind of cable do you have. Add a few more dollarsa bag of connectorsand you end up paying a lot less than buying pre-made cables.

For example, a 25 foot ethernet cable on Amazoncuesta 8 $, which is pretty cheap but would cost $320 for 1,000 feet of these cables. The costs increase even more10 foot ethernet cable, priced at $600 for 1,000 feet.

Sure, you might think you don't need a 1,000-foot ethernet cable, but it lasts a long time and you probably won't need to buy an ethernet cable again. Either way, you can get a smaller 250-foot spool of Ethernet cable.for only $20if that seems more feasible.

What will you need

I mentioned some of these things above, but here's a general list of tools and materials you'll need, none of which are particularly expensive.

• Bulk Ethernet Cable(Make sure it is bare copper and not copper clad aluminum)
• RJ-45 connectors
• relief boots(optional, but protects the connector)
• RJ-45 Crimp Tool
• wire cutter,pelacablesor scissors

I have all? Let's begin.

Step One: Measure the length you need

Take your ethernet cable and measure the required length. If you're measuring very long runs and need, say, 60 feet of cable, I like to measure my arm length first (about 5 feet), take a cable, and stretch it hand to hand across my chest. . From there I can count how many cable arms it takes to get 60 feet.

Don't worry about the exact length, but if you do, you'll want a little excess at the end to make up for any discrepancies and errors. You can always cut off the excess and make another Ethernet cable in the future.

When you have reached the desired length, simply cut the wire with pliers or scissors.

Once you've cut it off it's now time to put it in a relief shoe before you start playing with the wires and installing the connector as you won't be able to slide it back in once you've installed the connector.

Step Two: Remove the outer cover

Take your crimping tool and use it to strip about 2 to 3 inches of outer casing from each end of the wire. The crimping tool has a razor blade section and enough room to cut the cap but not the threads inside. Place the wire in this slot, gently squeeze the crimping tool and twist to completely cut the barrel.

After that, the cap can be removed to reveal the smaller wires inside.

You may also notice a collection of very fine, hair-like strands. This gives the cable a little more force when pulled, so the cables inside aren't stressed as much. But the main reason these threads are there is so you can pull them down to further cut the outer bark.

Why do this? Because if you use your crimping tool to cut the outer shell, there's always a chance that you'll easily cut the internal threads. By pulling on the fiber strands to snip more of the outer jacket, and then cutting the inner cables just below the potential nick, you eliminate the risk of cable malfunction.

not youneedto do this if you're careful enough with the crimping tool, but it's an extra precaution you can take if you'd like.

Step Three - Unwrap and disconnect all wires

After exposing the wires inside, you'll notice that four pairs of wires are twisted together, making a total of eight wires. These pairs come in different colors, one is solid color and the other is made of white yarn with a stripe. matching the uni color.

Twist all four pairs so you have eight separate strands. It's also a good idea to smooth out the strands as much as possible as they will still be a bit wavy after you curl them up.

Step 4 - Place the wires in the correct order and prepare them for crimping

Next we need to lay out the eight wires in a specific order, and this is where things might take a little practice.

Technically you can arrange the wires in any order as long as both ends are connected the same way. However, Ethernet cables have wiring sequence standards known as T-568A and T-568B. The only difference between the two is that the orange and green wire pairs are swapped. But why are there two different standards at all?

It's mainly like thatCabos Crossover-EthernetCrossover cables, if any, are used to directly connect two devices together without the need for a router. One end of the cable uses T-568A and the other T-568B. However, with any other regular Ethernet cable, both ends have the same wiring order.

Which one you use when making your own Ethernet cables doesn't matter. The T-568B is popular in the US because of its compatibility with older phones and the ability to connect a phone line to an Ethernet jack using the T-568B. Most pre-made ethernet cables you buy (including those listed above) use the T-568B.

However, the T-568A is becoming more and more popular and recommended. Plus, it's more common in the rest of the world (and the phone lines are on the brink of death anyway). With that in mind, we'll be using the T-568A for this guide.

Let's organize our eight cables and prepare them for crimping. Follow the table above and order cables according to Table T-568A. As you do this, run the strands down the side of your index finger and pinch them with your thumb to hold them in place.

Once you have the strands in order, tie them tighter and start working the strands back and forth to stiffen them. Hold the strands in place during this process.

Eventually you should be able to loosen your grip on the wires and they should stay in order without wanting to stray in different directions. This process should only take about 30 seconds.

Then take your scissors and trim the excess wiring leaving only about a half inch between the end and the start of the outer cover. The goal is for the wires to be short enough that you can press the outer jacket onto the connector by crimping the connector into the jacket to make a secure connection (more on that later). You'll get a better idea of ​​it after you've practiced a few times.

Step 5 - Slide and secure the connector

Take your ethernet plug and slide the wires in with the clip portion facing out and the green wires towards the floor (or ceiling depending on your orientation), making sure each wire goes into its own slot. Look carefully while doing this and make sure none of the wires have jumped out of order. In this case, remove the plug, reattach the cables and try again.

Push the cable all the way in until all eight wires touch the end of the connector. It may take some fiddling and force to push the connector all the way in.

Then take your crimping tool and push the connector into the crimping slot as far as it will go. It only goes one way, so if it doesn't go all the way, just flip the tool over and plug it back in. The entire connector must fit into the crimping tool.

Once the connector is fully inserted, squeeze the tool to crimp the connector. Press relatively hard, but not that hard. Again, you'll get a better idea the more you practice.

Once that's done, remove the cable from the tool and inspect the entire connection to make sure everything is ok. When done correctly, the sharp crimp on the back of the connector should pinch the outer jacket of the cable and not the smaller wires. If not, you haven't trimmed enough excess off the smaller strands.

Then slide the strain relief cap over the connector (if using) and bask in the glow of your very own Ethernet cable. Make sure you mount the other end!

Ethernet cables can be as long or short as you like, but remember that Ethernet has a physical limit of 300 feet. So make sure you keep them under that length, which shouldn't be a problem for the most part.

Photo credit:Electrodes