CAT 5 - PC-to-PC 1

[hsvenom]

I have an "enhanced cat 5" cable that i want to connect from one computer to the other. I used to use a 10ft cat 5e patch cable to do this and it worked fine, but we increased the distance of the two computers. I dont have any hubs or switches or routers or anything like that....When I connected the cat 5 cable to both computers, the computers wouldnt read them. I dont know anything about cables and the guy at the store said that the cable would work. anyone know why the cat5 isnt working?

thnx

 

[FaiTHLeSS]

Is the new piece of cat5 you brought a cross over cable? If it isnt it wont work with PC-PC.

 

[hsvenom]

It doesnt say, but i think its not sooo is that i need? a crossover patch cable??

 

[robertjo24]

To go from node to node directly (computer to computer without a hub/switch), you will require a crossover cable.
To verify the cabe type, just look at the colors of the wires in the connectors. If you hold the cable with the connector pointed away from from you and the pins facing up, the pins are 1-8 going left to right.
Pins 1&2 will connect to 3&6 on the other end.
Here is what a cross over cable should look like:
One end
1 WHT/GRN
2 GRN
3 WHT/ORN
4 BLU
5 WHT/BLU
6 ORN
7 WHT/BRN
8 BRN

Other end
1 WHT/ORN
2 ORN
3 WHT/GRN
4 BLU
5 WHT/BLU
6 GRN
7 WHT/BRN

 

[hsvenom]

Thank you very much....it is a cross over cable but it my computers arent recognizing it......anyone know why?

 

[hsvenom]

I just looked at the wires from the cable and they are going in the order like this:
1 BRN
2 WHT/BRN
3 ORN
4 WHT/BLU
5 BLU
6 WHT/ORN
7 GRN
8 WHT/GRN

other side
1 WHT/BRN
2 GRN
3 WHT/BLU
4 BLU
5 WHT/GRN
6 ORN
7 WHT/ORN

This is backwords from the regular way.....is that effecting the cable and thats why it isnt working?

 

[franklin97355]

That would be backwards but it would depen on how you were looking at the cable. If you are looking in the end it's OK but if you are looking at the top with the tab away from you it's backwards.

 

[hsvenom]

Thanks for all the help guys!!

 

[robertjo24]

HSVENOM,

If the cable is wired as you say above, the system will not work. You have Pin 1 on one end going to pin 2 on the other, and pin 3 on one end going to pin 6 on the other.
Pins 1&2, and 3&6 need to be crossed, no matter the color scheme.
(In my example above, I left off pin 8 on the second connctor, which would be the brown wire, but for a straight 10/100 system, the BLU and BRN pairs are not used.)
For a cross over cable: pin 1 on one end goes to pin 3 on the other, pin 2 on one end goes to pin 6 on the other.
The actual color code helps to keep it consistant, but as long as the cable is pinned correctly, it should work.
Look for the link lights on the ethernet cards on both computers.
The link light only indicates that one computer sees signal from the other. If both link lights are lit, there is a physical path for both computers to talk to each other.
If one or the other is not lit, there is a problm with the pinning of the cable (most likely).
I would suggest always following the proper color code, as it aids in troubleshooting when things don't go right.

Best of luck.