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Network Cables


Rob
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hi all what is the difference ( phsyical) between a straight( patch) cable and a crossover cable.

i need to get a patch cable but if i can only get a crossover will it make a difference?

The diff is that a patch cable will mean you need a router or network hub inorder to connect your pc to your pc..or other device

The crossover cable will allow you to connect your network devices to each other without the need of the router or network hub.

Yes the cross cable should still be ok :)

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If you think about it like this....

Imagine your computer is a telephone......

A telephone comes with a speaker and a microphone (mic).

If you connected a telephone to a telephone with a straight though leads (i.e. a patch cable) you would be connecting the mic to the mic and the speaker to the speaker.

This wouldnt alow you to hear/speak to the other phone, so you either need a box of tricks inbetween (router/switch/hub = telephone exchange) or you need a lead that swaps the connections for one end of the cable (i.e. a cross over lead).

With the cross over lead you effectivly connect teh mic of one phone to the speaker of the other without the need for the telephone exchange in the middle....

All that is a very very simple explanation :)

Now to complicate it a bit...

Depending on the switch/router/hub you have, you can use a cross over lead to connect it to a PC. Linksys WRT54G for example will detect the lead type and re-configure it's input to change the lead to a straight through lead.

Hope that helps :)

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ah ok, i need the cable to go from my PC to my cable modem as i think the one i  have is duff - so i would need a crossover cable in that case?

No!

You just want a normal cable...

Heres a quick Q for the IT bods - whats the maximum operating length of a RJ-45 cable running fast ethernet?

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Fidgits,

Up to 100m (if you're lucky and your connections/cable has good integrity) although you may see a drop off in speed. That's the absolute max I would say without a repeater.

You may find that a long length of cable works perfectly apart from - you don't get the speeds you would expect !! If in doubt, use the best quality everything money can buy to minimise loss.

I have an A/V setup at home with the component leads costing £70 per metre :crybaby: !! I can't see the point in investing your good money on equipent only to skimp on buying cr*p leads from woolworths etc !! I see so many people doing this. They go out and pay thousands for their setup but refuse to spend an extra few hundred quid on quality leads - You WILL see and hear the difference !! Likewise you will get an improvement or minimise loss from good network cables !1

Cheers

The Ed

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Heres a quick Q for the IT bods - whats the maximum operating length of a RJ-45 cable running fast ethernet?

100 metres

http://www.networkeverywhere.com/support/hubsupport.asp

Distance Limitations. The distance from a node (PC, Print Server, etc) to a hub or switch using RJ-45 cabling running at 10Mbps or 100Mbps is maximum of 100 meters (328 feet). The maximum cable (RJ-45) distance between two 100Mbps or 10/100 hubs without a switch is 5 meters (16 feet). Only two 100Mbps or 10/100 hubs can be cascaded together, a switch is required for more than two hubs. The maximum cable (RJ-45) distance from any node, hub or switch to a switch is 100 meters (328 feet). The maximum cable (RJ-45) distance from any 10Mbps node, 10Mbps hub, or a 10/100 hub or switch to a 10Mbps hub is 100 meters (328 feet
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If your wanting siginificant distances for cables, you must consider the use of proper infrastructure cable and not the stuff used for standard patch cables.

If I were wiring now I would use CAT6 cable for increased distances on 100BaseT

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If your wanting siginificant distances for cables, you must consider the use of proper infrastructure cable and not the stuff used for standard patch cables.

If I were wiring now I would use CAT6 cable for increased distances on 100BaseT

You shouldn't really use CAT6 to extend 100BaseT distances. There is no standard and manufacturers won't support you over 100m.

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