A Category 5, or Cat5, cable is composed of a set of four twisted pairs of smaller cables that transmit and receive signals encased in a flexible plastic jacket. Cat5 cables provide Ethernet connections among computers, network routers and hubs at speeds up to 100 megabits per second and to distances of up to 100 meters. Commercial vendors sell Cat5 cables in reels so the cable can be cut to size as well as in pre-cut lengths that work for most computer networking needs. The twisted pair wires are color-coded so they can be properly terminated in RJ-45 terminals. If an existing Cat5 cable needs to be lengthened, it can be spliced with an additional length of cable.Things You'll NeedWire cutters or razor utility knifeWire stripper toolTape measureElectrical tapeLength of Cat5 cableMeasure the existing cable length and subtract it from the connection distance to determine how much much splice cable to cut.Measure and cut a length of Cat5 cable to a length slightly greater than your splicing measurement and then remove about a half-inch of the cable jacket on either end.

Cut the terminated cable (RJ45 jacks on either end) in half and remove about a half-inch of the cable jacket on either side of the cut.Separate the four twisted pairs (eight wires, four pairs in white/green, white/orange, white/blue, white/brown) at the cut ends of each cable.Use the wire stripper or a razor utility knife to remove a quarter-inch of the wire shielding for all of the cables. Take care to keep the wire pairings intact.Twist each wire at both ends of the splice cable to the corresponding wire in the two cut cables (blue to blue, green to green and so on) and wrap each exposed wire connection with a piece of electrical tape.Wrap electrical tape around the Cat5 cable at the splice points to finish the splice.Tips & WarningsSplicing may reduce the cable's overall integrity or performance. If you notice excessive transmission activity, consider replacing the Cat5 cable entirely.Never use a spliced cable in a location where it can get wet.The Quick and Dirty Route to Extra Long Ethernet Cables Before WiFi was everywhere, this is how my roommates and I wired our college apartment with CAT5 cable to 3 desktop computers and an XBox, all very far away from where the cable guy installed our router.

All done with a cheap spool of cable and without a crimping tool. Advertisement We ran into an interesting problem whilst in college: three desktop computers without wireless network cards were spread out to the far corners of our apartment, with the network router located at a central point that was further away than any of our ethernet cables could possibly reach. House And Lot For Sale In BukidnonExtra-long store bought ethernet cables are very expensive and besides, we had been given a giant spool of cat 5 cable for free. Massimo Garden FurnitureThe only problem was that we couldn’t attach the RJ45 connectors without a crimping tool, and saw the price tag for either renting or buying a crimper as unreasonable, given that it would only be for one-time use. Homes For Sale Michaels Woods Hampton Va

There had to be a better (read: free) way of doing this. Indeed there was a more cost efficient method of getting our desktops online – splice our lengthy, uncut cat 5 cable with our existing store bought ethernet cables. Once this solution hit us, the hardest part of the task was stringing the cable around the house and out of the way. Here’s our guide quick and dirty guide to assembling extra-long ethernet cable: How to assemble your extra-long ethernet cable Measure out the distance between your computer and router and then cut an equally long length of cat 5 cable. Make sure to go a little longer than the distance you need so that you have a bit of slack in the cable. Take your insufficiently long store bought ethernet cable and cut it in half. Use the shortest one you can find since all you want are the end pieces with the RJ45 connectors, not the length between them. Splice each of the halves that you just cut onto either end of the cat 5 cable that you measured out in step 1.

Jack into your router using your brand new, extra-long ethernet cable. How to actually splice your ethernet cables together Step 3, “Splice each of the halves that you just cut…” is a short sentence, but encompasses most of the work in this process. In order to splice these wires properly you will need a two things: A small, sharp knife such as an exacto knife or a pocket knife Electrical tape Caution! None of the wires you are splicing should be plugged into anything at this point. You do not want to electrocute yourself. Knives, especially small craft knives like the exacto knife, are extremely sharp. Use them with caution. You do not want to cut yourself. So, you’ll be starting out with one extra long length of cat 5 cable, and two short halves of an ethernet cable that you’ve previously cut in half. Use the exacto knife to cut away part of the thick sheath that encases each of your ethernet cables. By doing this, you will reveal the individual wires inside. Each of these wires is protected by its own separate sheath, and each one is a different color.

Again, use the exacto knife to reveal the copper wire inside each of the multi-colored sheaths. Take the end of cable with the RJ45 connector and attach it to the end of the extra-long cat 5 cable by twisting together each individual wire with it’s like-colored counterpart. Use the electrical tape to insulate each of the wires that you twisted together. Finally, gather everything together and insulate the entire exposed area with electrical tape. Now you have yourself an extra-long length of ethernet cable that you didn’t have to shell out $40 or more for, and you didn’t have to go buy a crimping tool assemble cat 5 cable and RJ45 connectors. There may be more thorough ways of splicing your wires (such as sodering), but this is the quick and dirty method that we used to get the job done, and it worked. Was This Post Helpful? Topics Hardware Internet Usage Mac OS X Mobile Office Productivity Photography Security Social Networking Wallpaper WindowsHow to repair severed ethernet cable?