How to Connect Multiple CAT6 Ethernet Cables

[Why Not Indeed]

IMO sockets with punch-down connections are easier to use, because it's a lot easier to punch a cable in than crimp an RJ45 plug.

 

[SUNRAY]

IMO sockets with punch-down connections are easier to use, because it's a lot easier to punch a cable in than crimp an RJ45 plug.

To a novice I'd think that is true and there is the benefit of being able to correct errors.

Personally I find it quicker and easier to fit a plug (providing the wires are laid correctly in the cable) but I've been fitting them for decades.

 

[SimonH2]

Firstly, I'd second having a good think now about where you MIGHT want an outlet in the future. It's rather annoying to find you have them everywhere but where you currently need one. OK, don't go overboard as I used to recommend when fitting out offices - several times I've looked at a plan, marked with "X"s where I think they should put points, be over-ridden by the manager with something like "we will never need one there", and before they've finished moving in the desks they have a requirement where the manager refused to put an outlet. But definitely think about where you might need them and put in the cabling while you are doing any disruptive work.

Next. Yes, if only doing a few, quad plates are a good choice - it gets a bit messy by the time you have six of them on the wall though (client insisted it be done that way rather than a patch panel and small cabinet for that and the the switch etc.).

Be careful with termination. Cat 5e is quite forgiving, it takes skill to maintain a true Cat6 performance connection. Especially don't do what I;ve seen a few electricians do and untwist "several inches" of the cores .

Lastly, I think the battle on "RJ45" was lost years ago. Language is a living thing, even in places like France that have an official language rather than like in the UK where the dictionaries merely document what people are using. I suspect there are few (if any) installations still using an original RJ45 connection, so we might as well accept that it now means something different to what it did in the US half a century ago.

 

[mattylad]

IMO sockets with punch-down connections are easier to use, because it's a lot easier to punch a cable in than crimp an RJ45 plug.

I agree with this entirely, which is why I suggest adding face plates in the rooms.

Additionally, a premade cable can be added of the required length, then if the room gets re arranged at a later date - all that needs changing is the cable between the faceplate and the device.

And yes I will continue to call it an RJ45 plug, because that is what they are called and always will be - rollocks to your 8wotsit definition
Next we'll be discussing light bulbs and lamps

 

[SUNRAY]

I agree with this entirely, which is why I suggest adding face plates in the rooms.

Additionally, a premade cable can be added of the required length, then if the room gets re arranged at a later date - all that needs changing is the cable between the faceplate and the device.

And yes I will continue to call it an RJ45 plug, because that is what they are called and always will be - rollocks to your 8wotsit definition
Next we'll be discussing light bulbs and lamps

This is another situation where the correct definition of a term has been abused/corrupted.

Pictured below in a Registered Jack (RJ) 61. It is a lead constructed using two connectors and flat (not twisted pair) cable.
The connectors shown always have been and always will be; A1 modular plugs (later known as 8P8C modular plugs due to the frequent act of omitting contacts when not required).

I'm sure everyone on here would complain if they ordered a 13A extension lead and received one of these:

It is essentially the same as incorrectly using the term RJ45.

Fortunately I don't have the same issues as some others regarding the progressing corrupted use of our language as long as it doesn't result in confusion. For years 'Hoover' and more recently 'Henry' have been used without complication as an alternative to 'Vacuum cleaner', the same cannot be said for the terms 'Singer' or 'Gay'.

The use of RJ45 to describe the connector did create a lot of confusion 40to50 years ago, that far back I was in telecomms and as far as we were concerned the term exclusively referred to an assembly of the same style pictured above, plug would have been called 'Modular plug, 6 pin modular plug or 4 pin modular plug', however outside of the telecomms industry was a different matter and where the confusion came in.
Very recently a colleague asked if I had a spare RJ14, Instantly I knew exactly what he required and built one using 6P6C connectors (as I've never bothered buying 6P4C versions) and 4 core flat cable, equally if HE had asked for an RJ12 I'd have made the same thing but with 6 core flat cable, others asking for an RJ12 I'd have to ask whether they wanted a plug or a cable.


For what it's worth Last night I terminated 12 cat 5A's between 2 patchbays (actually a job I'd been promising to do for several weeks and promped to do so by this thread), one being punchdown t'other being 8P8C sockets. After I'd done the job I regretted not putting a stopwatch on it as I reckon I did 3 to 4 plugs in the time it took to zip tie the cable in place, fan out and punchdown 8 indivudual wires.

I would typically buy 8P modular plugs in bags of 500 (6P in 50's & 4P in 10's) I can't even begin to count how many that amounts to over the years. I'm sure a novice would find fitting plugs very fiddly (as I assume I did) compared to a punchdown socket (wich I now find more fiddly).
A clear demonstration of this was several years ago I was involved with fitting out a new village hall building, including DMX cables using Cat 5 cable. The person wiring in the 'dimmer cupboard' took maybe ½ hour and wasted 3 plugs without any success, as opposed to me doing all 5 plugs in way under 5 minutes, it was so quick he assumed I hadn't done them when I was climbing a ladder to plug the tester into the other end.

It really doesn't help when ignorant crap such as this site https://www.shiningltd.com/rj45-and-cat6-cables/ proliferated on the internet.

There is a brief rundown on some formats here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Registered_jack although I think there may be some confusion regarding the history, I believe it was formulated by Bell in USA much earlier than the 70's that it seems to indicate.

 

[mattylad]

Sunray mate, your wrong, that's a 13a plug not an extension lead.
Your taking it to the extreme trying to call that an extension lead, there is no lead at all in your example.

Language changes, what things are called changes, the RJ45 plug has always been known as the RJ45 plug amongst the people, what salesmen or some standard decided to call it is irrelevant, the people know it as an RJ45, always did always will

Now stop being anal about it