2 KNE100TX cards, no hub/switch, options= ?

[Brian Leeper]

On Sat, 29 Apr 2000, Eric Jorgensen wrote:

>        Heh, amazing what they'll charge for a bit of plastic with some
> metal chunks. You can get no-name taiwanese rj45's for as little as 2
> cents each, and they're not much worse than the expensive, crappy rj45's :) 

For plugs, I agree. For jacks, well...no. I don't think a no-name $2 RJ45
jack is going to be near the quality of a $6 Leviton RJ45 (actually, the
Leviton jacks can be found cheaper at electrical supply stores, the Home
Depot has the advantage of being open on Sunday. Some are even open 24
hours, so if I ever feel the need to wire a network at 3AM I'll know where
to go..).

> 	The problem that caused me the most grief with noname, yellowed-plastic
> type cheapo heads is the way that they gradually work their way loose in
> a receptical. like something was not quite cut to the right size or

There's a difference between the plugs designed for stranded cable and for
solid cable. It's kinda worrying that you can buy RJ45 plugs that don't
give you a clue as to what kind of cable they were designed for. 

Crimping a plug designed for stranded cable onto solid cable will cause
problems, as the teeth that bite into the wire are designed to go through
it, which doesn't work so well with solid cable.

> 	Somewhere I've got a bookmark for a place online that sells Amphenol
> rj45's for 17 cents each, in lots of 100 or something . . . 

Amphenol or AMP? I've used AMP RJ45s before, never had real good luck with
them (I think they're designed for use with an AMP crimping tool). 

> 	I don't actually know where our purchasing guy gets them. They are big
> enough to use with outdoor cat5, tho, which is a plus if you need it.
> just don't forget to squirt some dielectric silicone goo in there before
> you crimp it to make it gas tight if it's actually going outside. And in

Silicone dielectric grease, I'm familiar with that. It's recommended for
applying to sparkplug boots, especially on DOHC engines with deep,
undrained sparkplug wells that can accumulate moisture. But that's a
discussion for another mailing list :)

> cable free of the crimper. These of course were "Ideal" crimpers, so
> tools that you paid actual money for probably won't have such problems. 

I've solved the problem by refusing to put anything but RJ45 jacks at the
end of a cable. I will not install an RJ45 plug unless there's no other
choice.

Usually what I do is to get a biscuit jack with a cutout for a keystone
jack, and put THAT at the end of the cable. Or a 6-cutout wallplate (and
surface-mount wall box) if there aren't enough cables to justify using a
"real" patch panel.

It's also a good idea to not install an RJ45 plug if you are using solid
cable. The wires can only flex so many times before they break. Much
better to terminate it with a jack fixed to a wallplate or biscuit jack,
so it won't be flexed as much. Then use a short stranded patch cable to
make the connection to your equipment.

Brian




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