7675
Etherfast
®
Wireless AP + Cable/DSL Router with PrintServer
• Straight-Through Cabling
•Cross-Over Cabling
Crimping Your Own Network Cables
Instant Broadband
TM
Series
Twisted-Pair Cabling
There are different grades, or categories, of twisted-pair cabling. Category 5 is
the most reliable and is highly recommended. Category 3 is a good second
choice. Straight-through cables are used for connecting computers to a hub.
Crossover cables are used for connecting a hub to another hub (there is an
exception: some hubs have a built-in uplink port that is crossed internally,
which allows you to link or connect hubs together with a straight-through cable
instead).
You can buy pre-made Category 5
cabling, or cut and crimp your own.
Category 5 cables can be purchased or
crimped as either straight-through or
crossover. Inside a Category 5 cable are
8 thin, color-coded wires inside that run
from one end of the cable to the other.
All 8 wires are used. In a straight-
through cable, wires 1, 2, 3, and 6 at one
end of the cable are also wires 1, 2, 3,
and 6 at the other end. In a crossover
cable, the order of the wires change from
one end to the other: wire 1 becomes 3,
and 2 becomes 6. See the diagrams on
the next page for more detailed informa-
tion on straight-through
and crossover cabling.
To determine which wire is wire number 1, hold the cable so that the end of the
plastic RJ-45 tip (the part that goes into a wall jack first) is facing away from
you. Face the clip down so that the copper side faces up (the springy clip will
now be parallel to the floor).When looking down on the copper side, wire 1 will
be on the far left.
