Crossover Cable
Crossover cable are used to connect two computer by reversing (crossing over) their respective pin contacts. A crossover cable seems to be similar to straight-through cable. A crossover cable can be created by reversing the order of the wires inside a cable, so that it can connect two computer directly.
The various advantages of using crossover cables are as follows:
- Allows you to connect two computers directly
- Allows you to connect a router to a switch/hub
- Allows you to connect two switches or hubs
You can use a crossover cable to create a direct cable connection when you want to connect two computers but do not have access to a network and cannot set up an ad hoc network. These cables are beneficial in the condition when a network router, switch, or hub is not present. Perform the following steps to construct a crossover cable:
- Unroll the required length of a network cable.
- Remove the outer jacket of the cable.
- Untwist the pairs so that they will lay flat between your fingers.
- Arrange the wires based on the wiring specifications. In our case, we are using the 568B standard. The wires are arranged in the following order, from left to right.
- White-orange
- Orange
- White-green
- Blue
- White-blue
- Green
- White-brown
- Brown
- Press all the wires flat and parallel between your thumb and forefinger. 6. Cut the top of the wires even with one another so that they are 1/2″ (12.5 mm) long from the base of the jacket.
- Push the wires into the RJ-45 plug with the flat surface of the plug on top while keeping them flat.
- Place the wired plug into the crimping tool.
- Press the handle firmly. You should hear a ratcheting noise. A crossover cable has one end wired 568A and the other end wired 568B. In our case, we have already wired one end as 568B; therefore, now let’s proceed to wire the other end as 568A.
- Repeat the steps 1 to 3 with the other end of the cable.
- Arrange the wires based on the wiring specifications. In our case, we are using the 568A standard. The wires are arranged in the following order, from left to right:
- White-green
- Green
- White-orange
- Blue
- White-blue
- Orange
- White-brown
- Brown
- Repeat the steps from 5 to 9
- Test the cable using a cable wiring distribution components in the next section.
