I recently moved into a new place and initially terminated the cable ends in the garage with 568B, which seemed to work fine. After receiving a tester and some tools for Christmas, I discovered the connections were unstable. Upon checking, I found the jacks were terminated in 568A. I then re-terminated the garage end in 568A, and the test showed a stable connection. However, when I connected it to my modem and router, there was no internet connection. Reverting back to 568B at the garage end restored my internet connection, though the line tests remained unstable. Does anyone know why this might be happening? It seems contrary to everything I’ve read which suggests that both ends should be terminated the same way.
You should terminate both ends in B since that seems to work.
Bill said:
You should terminate both ends in B since that seems to work.
This is my first time doing this. Can I reuse the existing jacks or should I get new ones for re-terminating to B?
@AlgoMystic
The electricians who installed the jacks didn’t leave much cable to work with, as you can see in the picture above. This being my first time, I’m worried about not having enough cable to play with while terminating a keystone.
@Clark
You should be fine with the length you have. Just re-terminate it as close to the jacket as possible and maintain the twists in the wire as long as you can. If you’re unsure, you could practice on a spare patch cable first.
@AlgoMystic
Thanks for the advice!
@AlgoMystic
Are you suggesting he pulls back more jacket? Did you see the photo?
@AlgoMystic
When you punch down the cable, it should automatically trim any excess.
@Clark
You can reuse keystone jacks and patch panels. However, RJ45 connectors are not reusable.
@Clark
You can definitely re-use the wires in the keystone jack as long as they’re still long enough to reach the contacts. Check if there’s a splice or if the other end is properly connected to an RJ45 jack. Which pins were showing errors in the test?
@Christine
I terminated the garage end myself and connected it to my modem. Unfortunately, I can’t post a video here, but the test was showing errors on multiple pins.
Bill said:
You should terminate both ends in B since that seems to work.
My brother suggested the same, but I still don’t understand why it’s working now. It seems like I’ve inadvertently created a crossover cable.
@Clark
Modern Ethernet devices can automatically adjust to use crossover cables as normal cables.
Natalie said:
@Clark
Modern Ethernet devices can automatically adjust to use crossover cables as normal cables.
How can you tell if it’s not treating normal cables as crossover cables?
@Harry
The type of cable, normal or crossover, depends on how it’s terminated.
@Clark
Maybe they were just not punched down well initially.
Dennis said:
@Clark
Maybe they were just not punched down well initially.
Wouldn’t a poor initial termination show up in the line test? The A termination passed all pin tests.
Dennis said:
@Clark
Maybe they were just not punched down well initially.
Wouldn’t a poor initial termination show up in the line test? The A termination passed all pin tests.
If the cable is terminated type A at both ends, it should be fine. The specific termination type doesn’t matter as long as the wires match at both ends.
Dennis said:
@Clark
Maybe they were just not punched down well initially.
Wouldn’t a poor initial termination show up in the line test? The A termination passed all pin tests.
Yes, it should.
Dennis said:
@Clark
Maybe they were just not punched down well initially.
Wouldn’t a poor initial termination show up in the line test? The A termination passed all pin tests.
Some testers only check for continuity and might not simulate real-world conditions. More expensive testers can perform more comprehensive checks.