Cat6 Solid Male Connectors: "Tooless"?

[PeteCress 0]

I mistakenly bought a 1,000' spool of Cat6 solid - was supposed to be Cat5a.

 

But now I've got the stuff....

 

Been trying to terminate with male connectors with removable plastic inserts/load bars (as in http://tinyurl.com/ply9jqd) and it's been pretty grim - so bad that I've wimped out and teminated with female connectors, doing the final join with a short male-male Cat5e.

 

Seems like there are two alternatives:

 

• Connectors with built-in, non-removable guides
  .
  
• Something called "Tooless" connectors as per http://www.firefold.com/rj45-connector-cat6-toolless

 

Does anybody find one significantly easier than the other?

 

Cost isn't a big deal because I don't need a lot of connectors - just enough to go through this spool.

[catseyenu 0]

What problems are you having with the connectors with load bars?

Maybe this will help:

 

[ssmith10pn 0]

Technically solid cable is considered a permanent link and should be punched down to a 110 keystone or other jack on both ends.

 

Some cameras don't give you enough room to punch it down and use a short patch cord but I do it when ever I can.

 

If I have to put a RJ45 on cat6 I just use the cat5 RJ45s.

Haven't had a problem.

[buellwinkle 0]

Yes, Cat5, Cat6, just use cheap crimp type RJ45 with a cheapo $10 crimper, works every time except when I make a mistake in the wire layout.

[ssnapier 0]

Those two piece connectors are only really required if you are going to be using gigabit or higher speeds. they help to keep spacing consistent and reduce crosstalk between the pairs (a big deal when at the upper limits of the wire's spec) and in some cases if you have to certify the run it may fail without those in place.

 

CAT-5 is a gauge thinner and the connectors for Cat-5 have a physically smaller slot for each pin, so putting CAT-6 in one of those connectors is sometimes very, very difficult (and never recommended).

 

My office uses the Platinum Tools EZ connector line, they work very well. Since the guides are built in they are much faster to terminate and you have the added advantage of double checking your color code before crimping it since the wires stick out. They do require a specific crimper, but it is very high quality and can be used with any other type of connector. Here is a link to the connectors in question:

 

http://www.platinumtools.com/products/100010.php

[ssmith10pn 0]

CAT-5 is a gauge thinner and the connectors for Cat-5 have a physically smaller slot for each pin, so putting CAT-6 in one of those connectors is sometimes very, very difficult (and never recommended).

 

There is plenty of 24ga Cat6 out there.

I think the 23ga will still fit. I'll check it this morning as I have a box of Berk-Tec Landmark-6 sitting here.

[ssnapier 0]

I never order 24AWG CAT-6, it just doesn't make any sense to me.

[dvarapala 0]

Yes, Cat5, Cat6, just use cheap crimp type RJ45 with a cheapo $10 crimper, works every time except when I make a mistake in the wire layout.

 

I only wish it were that easy. Different types of cable have different diameters and require different RJ-45 connectors to crimp successfully. As an example, the crimp-on connectors that work fine for regular indoor cat5e simply will not work with the outdoor direct-burial cat5e that I bought. The shielding and extra insulation make the diameter of the cable just too thick to fit physically into the connector. I ended up doing what the OP did and punching the cable down to a keystone and using a short patch cable to go from the keystone jack to the camera.

 

l-com.com makes some nice little single-keystone bezels with screw mounting holes that you can snap the keystone into if, like me, you don't want to just leave the keystone dangling loose inside the junction box.

 

[ssmith10pn 0]

I ended up doing what the OP did and punching the cable down to a keystone and using a short patch cable to go from the keystone jack to the camera.

 

You did the right thing anyway. There is no way that direct burial is flexible enough to plug directly into a camera.

[PeteCress 0]

What problems are you having with the connectors with load bars?

Maybe this will help:

 

The vid straightened me out.

 

I never thought of clipping the wires on an angle to facilitate threading into the load bar.

 

Takes a little longer than Cat5 but, OTOH, it would seem less error-prone since once the wires are properly ordered in the load bar, there won't be any crossovers at inserting time.

 

Thanks!

[ssmith10pn 0]

Ok so I tested the cat5 RJ45 connectors with the Berk-Tec Landmark 6 Plenum.

23ga conductors

 

I installed a EZ-RJ45 Cat 5/5e connector on one end

Part number 202003j http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Data-Connectors-Adapters/RJ45-CAT5-and-CAT6-Connectors/Platinum-Tools/202003J.xhtml

 

With this crimp tool

http://www.platinumtools.com/products/100004.php?cat=4

 

And on the other end I used standard connector

http://www.allentelproducts.com/catalog/model_AT8X8SC-2224.htm?popup=1

 

Both worked and tested fine.

It took some extra effort to squeeze the crimp tool.

If I would have had the HD crimp tool it would have been no problem

 

http://www.platinumtools.com/products/100054.php?cat=4

[cavcom 0]

Google ezrj45 , there are more money but save a lot of time.

[ssmith10pn 0]

Google ezrj45 , there are more money but save a lot of time.

 

Look at the post above you.

[hardwired 0]

It took some extra effort to squeeze the crimp tool.

If I would have had the HD crimp tool it would have been no problem

 

http://www.platinumtools.com/products/100054.php?cat=4

Get the HD tool, it works WAY better than the standard one. I had several bad crimps with the standard tool, none at all so far with the HD tool.

[thewireguys 3]

We have been using the EZRJ-45s for years without issues. Works with Cat5 and Cat6. Thousands of end terminated using EZRJ-45. FYI the cutting blade on the crimp tool will ware out over time.

[PeteCress 0]

I installed a EZ-RJ45 Cat 5/5e connector on one end

Part number 202003j http://www.markertek.com/Connectors-Adapters/Data-Connectors-Adapters/RJ45-CAT5-and-CAT6-Connectors/Platinum-Tools/202003J.xhtml

They certainly look like the answer convenience-wise.

 

They have another one that sounds like it works for both Cat5e and Cat6: http://tinyurl.com/l4ymxx2.

 

OTOH, reading http://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/bjc-cat-network-cable-quality-interview I come away thinking that the pass-through thing may not be all that wonderful efficiency-wise.

 

In that context I'm thinking that, instead of the basic "Verification" tester that I have maybe I should have what Fluke calls a "Qualification" tester as in http://tinyurl.com/l78txuj.... but without the $1,000+ price tag -) .... but according the the interview in the link above, that's not going to happen anytime soon.

 

But I have to wonder about PC/Software-based solutions for cable testing. Seems like I should be able to hook a laptop up to a cable and at least determine raw speed given the right application.

 

I think the term-of-art is "Layer 1 (Physical) Layer". I see utilities that run on two PC's - one PC at each end of the wire, but nothing where some sort of hardware gadget is connected to one end of the wire and a single PC is connected to the other end.

 

Edit 2012 06-23 14:08:

 

Just downloaded the freebie version of TotuSoft's "LAN Speed Test (Lite)" and have concluded that I've been obsessing about nothing.

 

While the product is not doing "Level 1", it is blowing a file out to the other end of the wire, reading it back, and computing Mbps each way. Seems to me like that is more conservative than Level 1 because it takes into account all the bottlenecks along the way like switches, patch cords, and so-forth. Maybe not as useful in nailing a specific problem, but it it says I've got enough bandwidth for a given task, I probably really do have enough.

 

It says that my amateurish Cat5e wire to the garden shed is supporting 500-700Mbps. Yeah, test-after-test the numbers move around... but with repeated tests, I'm coming up with around 500 Mbps. How far off can it be? 4 IP cams on that wire.... 2Mbps per cam.... I need to get on with my life.... -)

[ssmith10pn 0]

We have been using the EZRJ-45s for years without issues. Works with Cat5 and Cat6. Thousands of end terminated using EZRJ-45. FYI the cutting blade on the crimp tool will ware out over time.

 

I loose them before I wear the blades out

[ssmith10pn 0]

In that context I'm thinking that, instead of the basic "Verification" tester that I have maybe I should have what Fluke calls a "Qualification" tester as in http://tinyurl.com/l78txuj.... but without the $1,000+ price tag -) .... but according the the interview in the link above, that's not going to happen anytime soon.

 

You think that's expensive..

We have 2 of these.

 

http://www.idealindustries.com/prodDetail.do?prodId=LanTEK2&div=2&l1=certifiers&l2=lantek2

[PeteCress 0]

You think that's expensive..

We have 2 of these.

http://www.idealindustries.com/prodDetail.do?prodId=LanTEK2&div=2&l1=certifiers&l2=lantek2

Holy Schimoley!!!!.... that boggles the mind.

 

OTOH, reading further on the subject I came away with the impression that the $1,200 Fluke device wasn't all that comprehensive and that the $5,000+ devices were more like it...

 

Oh well.... -)

[ssmith10pn 0]

You think that's expensive..

We have 2 of these.

http://www.idealindustries.com/prodDetail.do?prodId=LanTEK2&div=2&l1=certifiers&l2=lantek2

Holy Schimoley!!!!.... that boggles the mind.

 

OTOH, reading further on the subject I came away with the impression that the $1,200 Fluke device wasn't all that comprehensive and that the $5,000+ devices were more like it...

 

Oh well.... -)

 

 

The big $$$$$ Devices are for jobs that require BICSI standard certifications and documentation.