How to test cat 5 network cables/jacks

[Rivers_1]

So I purchased a house that was previously used as a business, it has 20 wall jacks wired with telephone and cat5 cable. I am trying to hook up one of them. So the utility room that all the wires are ran to has a large bundle of wires but some clown cut all the ends of the cat 5 connectors off.

None or labeled of course.

Can I test these wires with a 9 volt battery?

I can grab a multimeter as well.

I have a few old routers, so I can hook one up to the wall jack in the bedroom but I am wondering what color wires I should light up?

Again I don't want to put 20 connectors back on the and crimp them(I have one, and Ive done it, and I don't want to do it to possibly 20 times.

 

[jsmithepa]

Of course punch down is a lot easier than crimping. Sure thing, just use your 9v and connect any 2 pins, note the wires color, and take your multimeter on the other end.

 

[kanewolf]

What I would do is to use a simple cat5 tester like this (you will eventually need it anyway) and have someone watch it while you, one at a time, short the the orange pair of wires.

If you were going to use a battery, I would make a test harness with an RJ45 that the battery connected to so that you could repeatedly connect only to the orange pair (or brown pair).