Networking Tools

[_Adrian_]

Hey guys !

Like most on here buying buld cables and trying to hide the slack behind isnt pretty or fun when your dealing with a rack…
So with that being said, I went out today and bought a few things to start terminating my own cables and make custom lengths that fit just right with little or no slack inside the rack so it sits nice and tidy and doesn't look like a nightmare :)

For a crimping tool I figured i need to get something reliable and sturdy and jumped the gun when I saw the Klein Tools one on sale from $55 to $30 at Home Depot
Now thinking that a punch down tool will eventually be bought as well, but thinking that would be a great idea to have a cable tester as well...

With that being said ebay has a few "cheaper" alternatives ranging from $10 to about $35...
This unit below is quite interesting :
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Automatically-RJ45-Coaxial-Multi-Network-LAN-Phone-Cable-Tester-Test-Tool-/350778660576?pt=US_Cable_Testers&hash=item51ac0996e0

Has anyone bought or used one like this one ??

[phil.davis]

And make sure to buy the stranded patch cable for making your own cables, it works properly with the RJ45 plugs and crimping.
For in-the-wall runs around the house, use building cable (which is solid-core) and the punch-down tool for the RJ45 wall sockets punches it down correctly into the connector points at the rear.
I have seen people try to make patch cables with solid-core building cable - the crimp connectors don't make a good fit.

[_Adrian_]

Thanks for the quick input phil.davis

I was looking at Shielded CAT6 for in rack runs.
Outside of the Rack there is only 3 feeds, 2 are for the WIFI and the other one is for my entertainment center ( Smart TV, Receiver, PS3 and PVR )