cross cable (cat5 )

Typically the ports on a hub are MDIX ports. This allows the machine at the other end to utilize its MDI Port (which is what typically a NIC card uses) without the need for a crossover cable. When I say that the ports on the hub are MDIX ports, what I mean is that one of the functions of the hub is to automatically perform the crossover functions, which are required to properly align the cables with each other. When no hub or switch is used, your cable itself must physically perform these crossover functions. To expand on this a little, when using a hub or switch, the Transmit wires on the workstation need to be connected to the Receive wires on the hub; likewise, the Receive wires on the hub need to be connected to the Transmit wires on the workstation. But if you remember what we stated earlier - cables which are run from PC to Hub are 'straight through' type cables. This is because the hub is providing the required crossover functions internally for you. Thus, when you connect two machines together without the use of a hub or switch, a crossover cable is required - because both 'ends' are essentially the same - a NIC Card. The crossover function must take place somewhere, and since there is no hub or switch to do it for you, the cable must. Now that we know what a crossover cable is for, let's talk for a few about types of cabling. The two most common unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) network standards are the 10 Mbit (10BASE-T Ethernet) and the 100Mbit (100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet). In order for a cable to properly support 100 Mbit transfers, it must be rated Category 5 (or CAT 5). This type of low loss extended frequency cable will support 10 Base T, 100 Base-T and the newer 100VG-AnyLAN applications. Other types of cabling include Category 3 which supports data rates up to 16 Mbps, and Category 1 which only supports speeds up to 1Mbps. The cable we are about to make is considered Category 5, and will work on both 10 Mbit and 100 Mbit systems, assuming all components used (cables and jacks) are rated for Category 5. What you need Cable - Be sure the cable(s) you are using is properly rated for CAT 5. It should state clearly on the jacket of the cable, what it is rated at. One option that you have when selecting your cable is to use a pre-made normal 'straight through' cable, and simply whack off one of the ends, and replace with a new "Crossed Over" end. For the purpose of this article, though, we aren't going to go that route. We are going to make the whole thing from scratch - using bulk CAT 5 cable.