[xACEKx]

What is the difference between regular Cat5 cable and a cat5 crossover cable?

[Dalsim]

A regular Cat5/Cat5e/Cat6 ect cable is what os referred to as a patch cable because pin1 goes to pin1 and so on. This type of cable is often used to connect PCs to switches/routers/gateways ect.

Where as a cross over cable some of the wires are crossed over, this allows two PCs to be connected without the use of a switch.

If you want to learn more then go to John's (Weaver's) site and look at his Networking Fundamentals docs or Click Here

[Weaver]

Thanks Jeff.

Here is an excerpt from part 2.

Earlier, we discussed Ethernet without actually knowing what components (devices) other than network cards (NIC's) are needed to setup an Ethernet network. The most basic setup is two computers each plugged in directly to one another via a special Ethernet cable called a crossover cable. The role of a crossover cable is to reverse the transmit and receive pins on one of the end of the cable. This is done so that the receive pins of one node line up with the transmit pins of another node. Think about what would happen if transmit was hooked up to transmit, and receive pins were hooked up to receive pins... Nothing would get done. That is all a crossover cable is, no matter what your friends tell you... and I have heard some interesting explanations let me tell you.

Let's say we want to hook more than 2 computers up to our Ethernet network. We have to purchase what is called a hub, or more specifically a repeater hub. Hubs come in different flavors, repeater hubs and switching hubs. Switching hubs or switches have taken over the market, more on switches later. A standard repeater hub enables you to hook up more than 2 machines into the Ethernet network via standard Ethernet cable. Standard Ethernet cable is sometimes called straight-through, or just patch cable. It is the opposite of a crossover cable in the sense that the wiring on each end of the cable is identical, instead of

[xACEKx]

thanks guys! you have more than answered my question , now all i have to do is find a place to buy some at or make my own. i have made my own CAT5 (with a little help) so i think i can manage this.

[nolonet]

You got a crimping tool? err silly question, you have done patch cables b4...duh!!!!

Regards, Am :D

[professor_paradigm]

ww.pcmall.com has pretty decent prices on cables and cat 5. Or your local radio shack, compusa, best buy, even home depot carries it now.

[marathonman]

I carry a home-made converter in my box which is quite handy if you're somewhere & you need a crossover, but there are only straight-thru patch leads lying around. Just get a double cat-5 socket module & wire across from one set of terminals to the other, incorporating a crossover as in Weaver's post above. Ordinary 'phone cabling conductor works fine, certainly on low speeds anyway. Handy stopgap.

[coenraad]

Thanks you all there.
I own 4 kinds of cable, but no network. Did try everything I thought to do the right way.
I work at the basicschool as a volunteer, and take care of the network. I do very well, but at home with 2 computers I messed it.
How could I be so stupid.
Coenraad.

(Hope Holland is going to win the footbalmatch tonight)

[Kril'ya]

Yeah, well, obviously this has been answered by people a lot better than I'm going to now, but I'll answer it anyway.

A normal CAT5 patch cable runs the wires on one end of the cable to the exact same contacts on the other end. A crossover one will flip the send/receive cables, so that the send cable of one device links to the receive cable of another. It's necessary if you're networking two computers without a hub.

[TCD]

If I remember correctly, some hubs also used to require crossover cables to function properly, however nowdays I see little need for crossover cables when switches and hubs which function without out cross over cables are so prevelent.


But, in a pinch, a cross over cable has saved me.....