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Cat5 vs Cat6 “Standard Wiring” Question
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ghporter
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Jun 21, 2018, 05:50 PM
 
I installed a Cat5 line between the room with our router and my wife’s home office. I chose a blue keystone for her end’s wall plate to make it stand out, but it turns out this one is a Cat6 keystone jack, while the other end has a Cat5-marked keystone. The wiring guides on both the packages and the keystones themselves are quite different, and though I punched the pairs identically on each device, I do not have a network connection...

First off, is the actual internal wiring of a Cat6 keystone jack really different from a Cat5 jack?

Second, if I just match the colors on the wiring guides, should that work?

These are Legrand-branded devices, both of them their Quick Connect line of products. I’m using a 110 punch tool to individually terminate each wire, and the wires are definitely properly installed.

I don’t have an Ethernet tester - not until late tomorrow when the Amazon deliverer does his/her thing at my house. I’d like to at least have a clue why this didn’t work...

Any help and/or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jun 21, 2018, 06:41 PM
 
It turns out that Legrand has the blue and orange pairs reversed for the Cat6 connector, though both are supposed to be compliant with TIA568A specs. This makes me think Legrand has indeed altered how the pinout on the Cat6 device is wired. Which seems weird, but I haven’t done any actual cable terminating in a long time...

I’m going to redo the Cat6 end following their color code and see if there’s a difference...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jun 21, 2018, 07:46 PM
 
So I reterminnated the Cat6 end, still no go. Reterminated the other end - and found a problem with one unused wire - but still no go.

Then I started looking at patch cords. I used a brand new, commerciallly made patch cord from the router to the wall plate. I plugged that cord into my old MBP, and no go... Hmmmm. I swapped out the new patch cord for a cable I’ve been using for a long time to connect to my iMac across the room from the router, and BINGO!!!

Finally, just to see, i moved the patch cord that didn’t work to my wife’s office and hooked it up. And it worked there. . I’m mildly torqued that I went thorough all that hassle for a “new” cable to give me problems, but I’m really torqued that the darn thing decided to work in a different room.

Anyway, I got it running, and it really does seem that the Legrand Cat6 keystone is wired differently internally. I just don’t have a clue why...

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
reader50
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Jun 21, 2018, 08:49 PM
 
Wikipedia is often useful. Try this section.

My guess: one of the pairs is broken in the odd patch cable, and your wife's computer is using it at 100M speed. While the router insisted on 1000M. If so, your tester will reveal the glitch.
     
ghporter  (op)
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Jun 28, 2018, 07:50 PM
 
Well I've finally gotten to get everything sorted out.

I have a bad port on my AirPort Extreme, which made everything start out looking VERY bad. And as I have the Extreme elevated so I get better coverage, I had some problems getting the cables in the correct (non failed) ports.

The tester shows all cables as good, and right not my wife is working, using that connection without a problem. I am frustrated that I have a bad port, but getting things working has made for less heartburn.

My biggest fear was that I'd have to go up in the attic again and run MORE cable, but after redoing both ends (and finding that one pin on the Cat5 end was indeed not quite properly terminated), and testing the patch cables shows all are good. It's just the bad port that I can't quite see without a step stool that was making things really weird.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
   
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