Bad Crimping or bad wire?

[HoodieBae]

I have a pretty old cat5e cable, I crimped the ends myself but my cable tester says that line 5 and 7 is not connected. Is there a way to check if its because of my bad crimping skills or the wires itself are already broken in the cable? Thanks!

 

[MasterofLego]

just replace it. it's not worth trying to fix it.

 

[mrmez]

You can plug it in and test it.
Not sure about windows, but OSX has a network utility that will tell you the link speed, and rx/tx errors, collisions etc.
That's more to test your network tester, because unless that's faulty, the cable won't work or will have massive errors.

As said, just buy a new one, theyre so cheap, and such a PIA to DIY.

 

[need4speeds]

Maybe the cable is already strung and not that easy to swap?

I have in the past used pliers, put something like a tiny screw driver or nail over the metal connectors, then crimp the connector in a bit more. A needle nose can work too. Often the little metal tab didn't bite into the wire enough. Try not to break the plastic tab.

It's pretty rare that a cable has broken wires, unless something happened to it.

 

[HoodieBae]

You can plug it in and test it.
Not sure about windows, but OSX has a network utility that will tell you the link speed, and rx/tx errors, collisions etc.
That's more to test your network tester, because unless that's faulty, the cable won't work or will have massive errors.

As said, just buy a new one, theyre so cheap, and such a PIA to DIY.

network utility says 100mb/s download speed only, where to my knowledge, Cat5E cables should run at gigabit speeds.

 

[HoodieBae]

Maybe the cable is already strung and not that easy to swap?

I have in the past used pliers, put something like a tiny screw driver or nail over the metal connectors, then crimp the connector in a bit more. A needle nose can work too. Often the little metal tab didn't bite into the wire enough. Try not to break the plastic tab.

It's pretty rare that a cable has broken wires, unless something happened to it.

Yes you are right, the cable is in the walls, I dont want to try to fish a new cable through because I dont know how the stuff works inside the wall, Im afraid that I will lose the wire in the middle and not be able to plug in my computer anymore. Do you think re-crimping the rj45 and wall jack would help? Do you know a way to just test 1 side of the cable that is crimped without the use of the other end?

 

[jsmithepa]

Do you know a way to just test 1 side of the cable that is crimped without the use of the other end?

You are asking for voodoo.

This is extremely simple if you own a volt/ohmmeter and know how to use it. Any cheap ohmmeter will do. Pick any one pair of wire you want to test, short them on one end, then plug the ohmmeter on the other end and you should get a reading of near zero ohms (a short). The signal travel down one wire, hits the short, and returns through the second wire to give you a reading. Yes you MUST have access to both end otherwise we're stuck.

In the event that pins 5 7 or both are broken and you have no way of re-wiring, then 100 mbit is better than nothing right. How fast is your ISP again?

 

[bill001g]

If it is in the wall a RJ45 jack (keystone) tends to be simpler to get connected correctly. You can easily pull the wires out individually and punch them down again if you have trouble. They tend to be simpler to do right the first time for beginners. You could then use commercial patch cables from the wall to the equipment.

 

[HoodieBae]

Do you know a way to just test 1 side of the cable that is crimped without the use of the other end?

You are asking for voodoo.

This is extremely simple if you own a volt/ohmmeter and know how to use it. Any cheap ohmmeter will do. Pick any one pair of wire you want to test, short them on one end, then plug the ohmmeter on the other end and you should get a reading of near zero ohms (a short). The signal travel down one wire, hits the short, and returns through the second wire to give you a reading. Yes you MUST have access to both end otherwise we're stuck.

In the event that pins 5 7 or both are broken and you have no way of re-wiring, then 100 mbit is better than nothing right. How fast is your ISP again?

sorry for late reply, my ISP is 500mb/s down and up. I dont have and dont know how to use a volt/ohmmeter so I dont think I will be able to short the circuits and test the wires out. I guess 100mbit is better than nothing, but I really want to fix it so I can use the internet speed my provider is giving to me.

 

[HoodieBae]

If it is in the wall a RJ45 jack (keystone) tends to be simpler to get connected correctly. You can easily pull the wires out individually and punch them down again if you have trouble. They tend to be simpler to do right the first time for beginners. You could then use commercial patch cables from the wall to the equipment.

I tried repunching the keystone already but there was no luck, lines 5 and 7 still fail.

 

[jsmithepa]

Well looks almost like the end of the tunnel, whether you like what you see or not. 🙁

One last thing: Was this CAT cable terminated on a RJ11 (phone jack)? if so, the cable may had been intended for phone use, and if so, there is a possibility it maybe wired this way (2 phone lines):

8---------Jack1
7---------Jack1
6---------Jack1
5---------Jack1
4-------------------Jack2
3-------------------Jack2
2-------------------Jack2
1-------------------Jack2

Don't ask me why you are getting 6 good wires instead of 4 (actually POT Plain Old Telephone, only needs 2 wires), but if you are lucky, find jack1, you should see 2 CAT cables which are spliced and wires 5 & 7 is being cut and used for jack1, then all you have to do is to reconnect them! I SAID IF YOU ARE LUCKY.

All these too much? A re-cable is in your future.