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Cat6 problems

jamie.k.hofer

I was checking up on my network switch and i saw... Gigabit,Gigabit,100,Gigabit,Gigabit so i check the cable and it says Cat6 all the others are Cat5e and i am wondering why it is not gigabit. I wired it the same as a Cat5e if thats the problem, or matbe the jack in the wall on the other end was wired when cat5 was the standard. Anyone have any suggestion?

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depending on how old your house is its more then likely either cat 5 or Coax 

and having cat 6 is better then the Cat 5e but regardless its whats in the walls an also what coming into your house that determines your speed. 

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Cat6 is the successor to 5e, but it's still limited by what it's attached to behind the wall. 

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depending on how old your house is its more then likely either cat 5 or Coax 

and having cat 6 is better then the Cat 5e but regardless its whats in the walls an also what coming into your house

 

Cat6 is the successor to 5e, but it's still limited by what it's attached to behind the wall. 

Cat6 is whats behind the wall for that one cable, this is the switch where it comes from the router to the basement then up and into the walls.

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Cat6 is whats behind the wall for that one cable, this is the switch where it comes from the router to the basement then up and into the walls.

Whats coming into your house?

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Completely unrelated but nice profile pic. Bearded dragons are awesome.

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I was checking up on my network switch and i saw... Gigabit,Gigabit,100,Gigabit,Gigabit so i check the cable and it says Cat6 all the others are Cat5e and i am wondering why it is not gigabit. I wired it the same as a Cat5e if thats the problem, or matbe the jack in the wall on the other end was wired when cat5 was the standard. Anyone have any suggestion?

 

Gigabit Ethernet requres 8 wires. 100mbit requires 4. A loose wire on an installation cable could be the reason. Your network equipment automatically downgrades the connection to 100mbit if the number of wires does not suffice. Cat5e supports Gigabit, as well as Cat6 (Cat6 does support more than Gigabit in terms of throughput). The Cable being Cat6 cannnot be the reason if the cable is not damaged.

 

Which device is connected to the 100m connection? A network printer will sometimes just have 100mbit since it does not require much more and the manufacturer can save some money by using the lower spec network gear in the printer.

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Whats coming into your house?

I am talking about the LAN speed not the speed from the ISP. If only i had gigabit from the ISP

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Gigabit Ethernet requres 8 wires. 100mbit requires 4. A loose wire on an installation cable could be the reason. Your network equipment automatically downgrades the connection to 100mbit if the number of wires does not suffice. Cat5e supports Gigabit, as well as Cat6 (Cat6 does support more than Gigabit in terms of throughput). The Cable being Cat6 cannnot be the reason if the cable is not damaged.

 

Which device is connected to the 100m connection? A network printer will sometimes just have 100mbit since it does not require much more and the manufacturer can save some money by using the lower spec network gear in the printer.

It is connected to a gigabit switch then to an AP (gigabit) and a PC

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It is connected to a gigabit switch then to an AP (gigabit) and a PC

 

So you connect two switches with the 100mbit connection?

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So you connect two switches with the 100mbit connection?

I connect a central switch to a bunch of others via cat5e but in this case cat6 and instead of running at 1gbps it runs at 100mbps and i think this is due to the RJ45 connector being for cat5/cat5e which have different size cables.

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I was checking up on my network switch and i saw... Gigabit,Gigabit,100,Gigabit,Gigabit so i check the cable and it says Cat6 all the others are Cat5e and i am wondering why it is not gigabit. I wired it the same as a Cat5e if thats the problem, or matbe the jack in the wall on the other end was wired when cat5 was the standard. Anyone have any suggestion?

 

It could be a multitude of things, Could be the cable in the walls or the device on the other end not supporting Gigabit, The color code for CAT5E and CAT6 are the same so that should not effect it, Basically the difference is in the quality of the cable for example CAT6 has tighter twists on the pairs and usually has a plastic core to reduce the amount of EMI 

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It could be a multitude of things, Could be the cable in the walls or the device on the other end not supporting Gigabit, The color code for CAT5E and CAT6 are the same so that should not effect it, Basically the difference is in the quality of the cable for example CAT6 has tighter twists on the pairs and usually has a plastic core to reduce the amount of EMI 

I know its not the devices because regardless of the devices the switch displays the connection link speed between it and the other switch, I think its because the RJ45 connectors I used are not for Cat6 and Cat6 uses slightly larger wires on the inside as well as the sleeving as compared to Cat5 and Cat5e

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I know its not the devices because regardless of the devices the switch displays the connection link speed between it and the other switch, I think its because the RJ45 connectors I used are not for Cat6 and Cat6 uses slightly larger wires on the inside as well as the sleeving as compared to Cat5 and Cat5e

That is true, The wires are thicker, It could be possible that the pins that push through to make contact aren't quite through, If this is the case and you have the tools then you can try crimping the RJ45 down again and see if you can get contact that way. I buy my RJ45's in bulk and I cable both CAT5E and CAT6 and I have never had the problem your suggesting, But I can see how it would come about. I also don't believe there are 'special' CAT6 RJ45's 

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Sounds like a bad connection somewhere.

 

For $4, everyone should own one of these: http://www.amazon.com/HDE-HDE-H11-Network-Cable-Tester/dp/B000P1OA1O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421797896&sr=8-1&keywords=rj45+tester&pebp=1421797896133&peasin=B000P1OA1O

 

Plug one into each side of your run, and if all 8 lights don't blink the issue is in the cabling and not the equipment. ONE time I've had all 8 show as good, but still only had a 100mb connection, re-punching the keystone fixed the issue. Somehow it was a good enough connection to carry voltage for the LED to light, but not enough to send data. Basically, its not perfect and might faily you once or twice, but definitely a time saver overall.

 

The wiring is the same for Cat 6 and Cat5e, T568B on both ends is the most common, but it doesn't really matter if you build it as a crossover since everything is auto-negotiation anymore.

 

If your wire is solid, it was never meant to have a RJ45 put on it, solid is for keystones and punch blocks. I've seen issues where the pins will push off to the side rather than pierce the solid wire and have a failed connection.

 

I'd start with re-crimping everything if you don't have a tester. Not even new RJ45s, simply put the existing ones in your crimper and hit it a few times and it may solve the issue with little work. If that doesn't work start replacing RJ45s, but a tester would really save you time as you could narrow it down to two connectors rather than re-doing them all.

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Sounds like a bad connection somewhere.

 

For $4, everyone should own one of these: http://www.amazon.com/HDE-HDE-H11-Network-Cable-Tester/dp/B000P1OA1O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421797896&sr=8-1&keywords=rj45+tester&pebp=1421797896133&peasin=B000P1OA1O

 

Plug one into each side of your run, and if all 8 lights don't blink the issue is in the cabling and not the equipment. ONE time I've had all 8 show as good, but still only had a 100mb connection, re-punching the keystone fixed the issue. Somehow it was a good enough connection to carry voltage for the LED to light, but not enough to send data. Basically, its not perfect and might faily you once or twice, but definitely a time saver overall.

 

The wiring is the same for Cat 6 and Cat5e, T568B on both ends is the most common, but it doesn't really matter if you build it as a crossover since everything is auto-negotiation anymore.

 

If your wire is solid, it was never meant to have a RJ45 put on it, solid is for keystones and punch blocks. I've seen issues where the pins will push off to the side rather than pierce the solid wire and have a failed connection.

 

I'd start with re-crimping everything if you don't have a tester. Not even new RJ45s, simply put the existing ones in your crimper and hit it a few times and it may solve the issue with little work. If that doesn't work start replacing RJ45s, but a tester would really save you time as you could narrow it down to two connectors rather than re-doing them all.

 

Yeah what he said :)

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Sounds like a bad connection somewhere.

 

For $4, everyone should own one of these: http://www.amazon.com/HDE-HDE-H11-Network-Cable-Tester/dp/B000P1OA1O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421797896&sr=8-1&keywords=rj45+tester&pebp=1421797896133&peasin=B000P1OA1O

 

Plug one into each side of your run, and if all 8 lights don't blink the issue is in the cabling and not the equipment. ONE time I've had all 8 show as good, but still only had a 100mb connection, re-punching the keystone fixed the issue. Somehow it was a good enough connection to carry voltage for the LED to light, but not enough to send data. Basically, its not perfect and might faily you once or twice, but definitely a time saver overall.

 

The wiring is the same for Cat 6 and Cat5e, T568B on both ends is the most common, but it doesn't really matter if you build it as a crossover since everything is auto-negotiation anymore.

 

If your wire is solid, it was never meant to have a RJ45 put on it, solid is for keystones and punch blocks. I've seen issues where the pins will push off to the side rather than pierce the solid wire and have a failed connection.

 

I'd start with re-crimping everything if you don't have a tester. Not even new RJ45s, simply put the existing ones in your crimper and hit it a few times and it may solve the issue with little work. If that doesn't work start replacing RJ45s, but a tester would really save you time as you could narrow it down to two connectors rather than re-doing them all.

The cable is most likely for punch because of its slights more poor than normal color labeling and its insane thickness and solid copper cores. Should i get a punch block coupler?

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The cable is most likely for punch because of its slights more poor than normal color labeling and its insane thickness and solid copper cores. Should i get a punch block coupler?

 

I did some looking, and apparently they do sell RJ45 connectors for solid wire... so I guess you could do that. Personally if you already have connectors and crimpers I'd just try redoing the bad end and see if you can make it work. If you were wiring an entire house you would want to do it properly... but for just one connector I'd ghetto it just to make it work.

 

Keystones are readily available at most hardware stores now, and are dirt cheap online. Monoprice sells them for ~$1.50 ea, but unless you are going to buy some other stuff to make shipping worth it just pick up a 10 pack from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1421800887&sr=8-4&keywords=cat5e+keystone&pebp=1421800882901&peasin=B00IO3HEN6

 

You are supposed to use a 110 punch, but in a pinch I've simply pressed the plastic caps down and 9 times out of 10 it will work the first time. If it doesn't you might have to use a small screwdriver to push the wire down. I still highly recommend picking up that cheap tester, it will come in handy down the road.

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I did some looking, and apparently they do sell RJ45 connectors for solid wire... so I guess you could do that. Personally if you already have connectors and crimpers I'd just try redoing the bad end and see if you can make it work. If you were wiring an entire house you would want to do it properly... but for just one connector I'd ghetto it just to make it work.

 

Keystones are readily available at most hardware stores now, and are dirt cheap online. Monoprice sells them for ~$1.50 ea, but unless you are going to buy some other stuff to make shipping worth it just pick up a 10 pack from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-10-Pack-Punch-Down-Keystone/dp/B00IO3HEN6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1421800887&sr=8-4&keywords=cat5e+keystone&pebp=1421800882901&peasin=B00IO3HEN6

 

You are supposed to use a 110 punch, but in a pinch I've simply pressed the plastic caps down and 9 times out of 10 it will work the first time. If it doesn't you might have to use a small screwdriver to push the wire down. I still highly recommend picking up that cheap tester, it will come in handy down the road.

I just noticed that on the other end some of the cables had their insulation removed where i stripped the wire... maybe thats part of the problem

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Yes that would be causing the issues. If you can try starting again cut off the old end past the damaged insulation and then crimp in a new end, being careful not to damage the insulation :P

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Yes that would be causing the issues. If you can try starting again cut off the old end past the damaged insulation and then crimp in a new end, being careful not to damage the insulation :P

I just ordered some keystone jacks and I am going to put those on it at both ends to see if there is any broken insulation anywhere else

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I just ordered some keystone jacks and I am going to put those on it at both ends to see if there is any broken insulation anywhere else

 

Okay cool, Well good luck, It would be cool if you could post your findings in this thread :)

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