converting cat5 to crossover?

[djCN]

I just made a very noob mistake, but want to turn it into a learning experience.

I want to hook my computer directly to my brother's via and ethernet line. We don't have dsl (*cry* i hate 24.0kbps dialup ), and I don't have a switch/hub (yet), so I thought i'd just use a cat5 cable, but then a friend told me that just a cat5 wouldn't work, that I'd need a crossover cable.

Well, my question is:
is it possible to convert a cat5 to a crossover? he mentioned that the only difference between the two is that 2 of the 4 lines were cross. Can that be done via handywork? or am I just going to have to wait until tomorrow until office depot opens to pick up a crossover, or perhaps just a switch?

Thanks!

 

[lorlabnew]

You can convert your straight CAT5 cable to crossover CAT5 as long as you have crimping pliers and 2 new RJ45 connectors on hand...otherwise wait till tomorrow

 

[AnMig]

it is very easy to make, you will need a crimper though.

You will need a switch or hub if you are connecting your computers via patch cable.
But if you only have two computers andf dont want to buy a switch then crossover cable is what you need.

just look at the colors of the wires at one end then reverse the order on the other end. its as simples as that


I would still buy a switch much simpler plus you can connect more than two computers(lan party)



good luck

 

[torreyk]

When you look at the connector with the retaining tab facing downward and the end pointing away from you the colors should go like this
Orange White
Orange
Green White
Blue
Blue White
Green
Brown White
Brown

For a cross over cable one end must be changed to this order:

Green White
Green
Orange White
Blue
Blue White
Orange
Brown White
Brown

Guess you could try a MacGyver and strip a bit form the center of the cable and connect the orange white to green white and orange to green, might work at 10Mbit but at 100 i think you might run into interference problems. Good Luck

 

[ScottMac]

AnMig: Just reversing the order of the whole cable won't work.

You need to swap 1&2 and 3&6 on one end of the cable (exchange the orange and green pair).

If you don't know what you're doing, you should either buy a crossover cable, or, there are crossover adapters / pigtails you can get for a couple bucks at Radio Shack, maybe Home Depot, or any computer store.

If the cable is not properly done, you'll either get very slow response (maybe as slow as your modem), or it won't work at all.

Don't even try cutting and splicing, it'll FUBAR the cable big time.

Just buy the cable / adapter, you'll be way ahead of the game.

FWIW

Scott

 

[lupohki]

I've spliced a cable to crossover and then back again, and it works fine.

 

[Mucman]

lupohki - Sure, you probably got a link, but I bet your cable would have been rated at 1Mbit after that