Connecting The Nodes

       This section will involve cables crimping. So, you might need some advise on it. Crimping cables is not that easy but when you already know what you are doing, it is easier than you have ever imagine. Lets get started then.

      The connector of the cables that we are using is the RJ-45 jack. It has a noticeably a variety of colour modules. The colourful wires are to be connected correctly according to their respective sections on the RJ-45 jack.

The RJ-45 jack

     So, here comes the cable crimping. In order to do such a thing, you might be needing one of these:

      Its a cable crimp. It crimps the cables neatly to be fitted into the jack. Note that you might need someone who can really do it because it can cause a little injury. So, be careful in whatever you are doing.

     Now. Notice that there a several colour codes in the ethernet cables. There are all 8 colour codes that you should consider. Maybe you don't get the idea but the photo below is how it pretty looks like. The only way to show is to cut one end and see for yourself.

    Now. The idea was to crimp the cables into the RJ-45. That will involve some work. But before that, the cables will need to be twisted around with each pair has two wires. Don't worry. About the colour codes, you just need to follow the below diagram. Make sure you are doing it right. Otherwise, it won't work.  Note that the twisting of the cables is so important. It makes sure that the cable can counteract noise and any other interferences.

   For your information, there are two types of ethernet cables. One is shielded twisted pair and the other is unshielded twisted pair cable. It is called twisted as two wires are twisted around each other. Now. The first one is shielded twisted pair. Basically, the cable has extra resistance. It protects against external interference. But note that it don't cover internal connectors.

    Basically, ethernet cables are divided into two groups. First is solid and the second is braided. Solid are used for longer operations in a fixed position. The plenum ethernet cable are to be used whenever it travels through an air circulation space. Yeah. It works like that. To make it clearer, take this for instance. An ethernet cable placed above the ceiling or below the ground. On the other hand, the braided ethernet cables are to be used in shorter lengths. For example, patching two computers to enable a P2P(peer to peer) connection. Get it? In finding the correct cable, you might need to cut out an end and look into the connectors inside despite the colour scheme. Always remember that.

     Next in list is the pin and jack that the cables are going to get into. Imagine the large phone cable in your house. That's how exactly the jack look. Here's how they look.

      To date, there are two basic ethernet cable pin outs. One is straight through and the other is crossover ethernet cable. Each is distinctive. The straight through cable is for connecting to the hubs or switch while the crossover cable is for setting up a peer to peer network.

Colour schemes:

     The scheme above is for the straight through ethernet cabling which is the T568A and T568B. Take a closer look and you will see that the first 3 ports and 6th ports are different.

   The above diagram shows the crossover ethernet cable colour scheme ( T568B). All connectors are crossed in the first and second pin. Use this colour scheme ethernet cabling when you want to setup a peer to peer network.