How To Install Twisted Pair Cable Connectors

Currently, twisted-pair Network Cabling is most ubiquitous, particularly UTP cabling, for For LAN and telephone installations. The main method to put connectors on twisted-pair cables is crimping. You use a tool called a crimper to push the metal contacts inside the connector onto the individual conductors in the cable, thus making the connection.

Firstly, we should know the types of twisted-pair cable connectors

Two main types of connectors/plugs are used for connectorizing twisted-pair cable in voice and data communications installations: the RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors. Figure1 shows examples of RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors for Twisted Pair Cable. Notice that these connectors are basically the same, except the RJ-45 accommodates more conductors and thus is slightly larger. Also note that the RJ-11 type connector shown in Figure1, while having six positions, is only configured with two metal contacts instead of six. This is a common cost-saving practice on RJ-11 type plugs when only two conductor contacts will be needed for a telephone application. Conversely, you rarely see an RJ-45 connector with less than all eight of its positions configured with contacts.

Figure1

RJ-11 connectors, because of their small form factor and simplicity, were historically used in both business and residential telephone applications, and they remain in widespread use in homes. RJ-45 connectors, on the other hand, because of the number of conductors they support (eight total), are used primarily in LAN applications. Current recommendations are to install RJ-45 jacks for telephone applications because those jacks support both RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors.

Both types of connectors are made of plastic with metal “fingers” inside them (as you can see in Figure 1). These fingers are pushed down into the individual conductors in a twisted-pair cable during the crimping process. Once these fingers are crimped and make contact with the conductors in the twisted-pair cable, they are the contact points between the conductors and the pins inside the RJ-11 or RJ-45 jack.

Two versions RJ connectors are stranded-conductor and solid conductors

>>Stranded-conductor twisted-pair cables

Stranded-conductor twisted-pair cables are made up of many tiny hairlike strands of copper twisted together into a larger conductor. These conductors have more surface area to make contact with but are more difficult to crimp because they change shape easily. Because of their difficulty to connectorize, they are usually used as patch cables.

>>solid-conductor cables

Most UTP cable installed in the walls and ceilings between patch panels and wall plates is solid-conductor cable. Although they are not normally used as patch cables, solid-conductor cables are easiest to connectorize, so many people make their own patch cords out of solidconductor

Tools for Connector Crimping

The first tool you’re going to need is a Fiber Optic Strippers, as shown in Figure 2. It will only cut through the outer jacket of the cable, not through the conductors inside. Many different kinds of cable strippers exist, but the most common are the small, plastic ones that easily fit into a shirt pocket. They are cheap to produce and purchase.

 
Figure2

Another tool you’re going to need when installing connectors on UTP or STP cable is a cable connector crimper. Many different styles of Network Crimping Tool can crimp connectors on UTP or STP cables. Figure3 shows an example of a crimper that can crimp both RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors.

Notice the two holes for the different connectors and the cutting bar.

Figure3

The last tool you’re going to use is a cable tester. This device tests for a continuous signal from the source connector to the destination and also tests the quality of that connection

Installing the Connector

Now we’ll go over the steps for installing the connectors. Pay particular attention to the order of these steps(shown in Figure 4)and be sure to follow them exactly.

Equipment from some manufacturers may require you to perform Warnin g slightly different steps. Check the manufacturer’s instructions before installing any connector.

Figure4

Check

Check to ensure all conductors are making contact and that all pins have been crimped into their respective conductors. If the connector didn’t crimp properly, cut off the connector and redo it.