This article is on network cable tools tips and links.
If you are going to do a Network Tech Course (The Cisco CCNA for example) get yourself a head start by following this guide to get some practice in.
Before you can get started, you need to make sure you have the necessary tools, and decide whether you’re going to use Cat 5e or Cat 6 network cables (the ones with the spline to increase separation distance for performance reasons). Yes, even more recent versions are available, but as these are sufficiently different I’ll leave them out for now.
I hope the list below helps.
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25ft CAT6 Patch Cable
You are going to make one of these, but you can start off with a long CAT6 cable and make several smaller ones for practice following the RJ-45 Pinout diagrams above. They will come in handy later too. I always carry a patch cable in my toolkit for obvious reasons, so it is a good idea to get a long one anyway.
The longer the better especially when trying to plug in to a wall port or switch that fortune has it way of in the distance. Or you can cut and practice more wiring and crimping.
If you want you can just get a cheap ‘Amazon Basics’ cable:
You can find their Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) patch cable here>.
PINK is the New Black! Er.. Blue?
Pink rj45 crossover cables are all the rage.
You might know you can get these crossover cables in different colors now.
You might love the 10 ft pink patch cable here!
Or you might like to find your own cable color for that matter. Maybe it’ll become the trademark of your installations!
Shout out to our women in tech!
Do NOT forget PURPLE! Follow the link and search for that if you like!
Okay, so those are some short cable options. Feel free to search around and find your own source. Moving on!
Buy Cable in Bulk = Cheap RJ45 Cable!
You might be ready to buy in bulk to save. To do this you want to look for pull cable like the following.
1,000 ft bulk Cat5e Ethernet Cable (Wire UTP with Pull Box Cat-5e-Style Grey Cable)
Cat5e Ethernet cable
This bulk cable of 1000 ft (308 meters) is by far the cheaper way to buy it. But it might just be too big and too much so I list it last. If you are just starting out I think you could get it as there will always be applications and it will go quicker than you think.
If you look closely at the picture, you can see there is the center hole in the wall of the box, so you can pull through as needed (great for long runs) with the clip to hold the end of the cable until next use.
Cat 5 RJ45 connectors
Get a big pack of Cat 5 connectors
RJ45 Connectors
Used with my TRENDnet Crimp Tool to make new cables or repair damaged ones. Buy a big pack! You will probably use many of these.
(These connectors are also called 8P8C plugs.)
RJ45 Female to Female Straight Coupler
I carry one of these around with me just in case I need to quickly make a longer cable. This one is optional for this exercise, but handy if you cut your long cable and then need to reconnect it!
These do not look the best in my opinion, so you might prefer couplers like these.
Depending on what you’re going to be doing, you might also consider to buy the following tool now, although it is optional for now (did I say it is optional?).
Fluke Network Pro3000 Toner and Probe Kit
I use the Pro3000 for toning and tracing out Ethernet wires. It’s especially handy when the cable installers don’t label any of the ports! If you are going to be installing cables – THEN LABEL THE PORTS please!
And you will probably want other cables in time.
Additional Cables you might consider while you are at it:
Tools to Connect Your RJ45 Wiring
I mentioned above that there is another article with all the tools to help you make your RJ45 wiring, but I’ll put a few of the most relevant ones below too.
What you’ll need to use when following the above RJ45 pinout pics.
TRENDnet RJ11/RJ45 Crimp/Cut/Strip Tool
I use these for not only making new network cables but also replacing damaged RJ45 connectors on existing cables, using the RJ45 pinout poem shown above of course!
This is my preferred brand of Crimp and Strip tool. If you want you can search around on Amazon to find a brand to your liking (or price for that matter!).
Klein Tools Ratcheting Crimper
A more popular one among colleagues is the Klein Tools crimper.
Brilliant for cutting stripping and crimping.
Ratcheting action makes it easier. Versatile as it crimps 4, 6, and 8 position modular connectors (RJ22, RJ11/RJ12, and RJ45).
Network Cable Tester
This basic network cable tester is used to determine if your cable is good, bad, or wired incorrectly. You will always use this one or one like this.
Also for a bigger list, I have written an article that gives you all the consumables along with a list of tools you’ll need as a computer repair technician (don’t worry if you never want to become a computer repair tech, but this list is gold!).
It has pretty much all the consumables you will need as well as the tools I use and have found to be the best in my work.
If that’s not enough of an explanation of how to make your own Ethernet cable, here is a video!
Here’s simple video tutorial that takes less than 10 minutes that shows anyone can do it. Do check out my links just above to check pricing before you buy any tools!
Are you new to Making Cables and Installing Networks?
If you are looking for RJ45 Pinouts then likely so! You would be well advised to check out Mike Meyers book on the CompTIA network plus book below. We have mentioned Mike Meyers books before, but of course you could check out a few books and get a different CompTIA network plus book if you prefer.
It’s very handy and as typical the CompTIA study course covers a lot of the basic knowledge or foundational knowledge that you need.
I know you may not intend to do exams and become a certified computer network technician. However, this book does provide worthwhile knowledge before you start cutting and crimping to any large degree.
For beginners, it is a book covering the basics and really is an essential network technician’s tool regardless of whether or not you intend to actually sit the CompTIA test.
Mike Meyers’ CompTIA Network+ book is a great way to leapfrog your computer networking knowledge. Click any of the links above, and to check it out on Amazon search for CompTIA or Mike Meyers. Yes these are affiliate links which mean if you click and buy AND if it qualifies, we get a commission that goes towards running this FREE website. Thank you for your support!
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