How to Terminate with an RJ45 Connector

If you'll be installing or maintaining a Local Area Network (LAN), one of

the most important things for you to know is how to terminate Cat5,
Cat5e or Cat6 network cables with RJ45 connectors. Rely on our step-by-
step guide to take you through your project.

STEP 1

Using a Crimping Tool, trim the end

of the cable you're terminating, to
ensure that the ends of the
conducting wires are even.

STEP 2

Being careful not to damage the

inner conducting wires, strip off
approximately 1 inch of the cable's
jacket, using a modular crimping
tool or a UTP cable stripper.

STEP 3

Separate the 4 twisted wire pairs

from each other, and then unwind
each pair, so that you end up with 8
individual wires. Flatten the wires
out as much as possible, since they'll
need to be very straight for proper insertion into the connector.
STEP 4

Holding the cable with the wire ends facing away from
you. Moving from left to right, arrange the wires in a
flat, side-by-side ribbon formation, placing them in the
following order: white/orange, solid orange,
white/green, solid blue, white/blue, solid green,
white/brown, solid brown.

STEP 5

Holding the RJ45 connector so that

its pins are facing away from you
and the plug-clip side is facing
down, carefully insert the flattened,
arranged wires into the connector,
pushing through until the wire ends emerge from the pins. For strength
of connection, also push as much of the cable jacket as possible into the
connector.

STEP 6

Check to make sure that the wire ends

coming out of the connector's pin side
are in the correct order; if not, remove
them from the connector, rearrange into
proper formation, and re-insert.
Remember, once the connector is crimped onto the cable, it's
permanent. If you realize that a mistake has been made in wire order
after termination, you'll have to cut the connector off and start all over
again!
STEP 7

Insert the prepared connector/cable

assembly into the RJ45 slot in your
crimping tool. Firmly squeeze the
crimper's handles together until you
can't go any further. Release the
handles and repeat this step to ensure a proper crimp.

STEP 8

If your crimper doesn't automatically trim the

wire ends upon termination, carefully cut wire
ends to make them as flush with the
connector's surface as possible. The closer
the wire ends are trimmed, the better your
final plug-in connection will be.

STEP 9

After the first termination is complete, repeat process on the opposite

end of your cable
 Network Wiring Instructions
1. RJ-11 (Telephone) Plug

Figure 1

2.
Figure 1 is the wiring scheme for the plug side of an RJ-11
connector. The diagram is shown with the "hook clip" on the
underside. The typical RJ-11 connector has six terminals. Usually,
only the middle four pins are used. The POTS (Plain Old Telephone
Service) residential telephone wiring generally contains two pairs
of wires - designed for two separate telephone lines. The center
pins (Red and Green) contain the first telephone line. Please note
that business (digital) phone systems may be wired differently.
3. RJ-45 (DATA) Plug Wiring

Figure 2
4. Figure 2 is the wiring scheme for the plug side of an RJ-45
connector in accordance with T-568B standards. The T-568B
standard is the most commonly used. The wiring diagram is shown
with the "hook clip" on the underside. The wall jack may be wired
in a different sequence because the wires may be crossed inside
the jack. The jack should have a wiring diagram or designated pin
numbers/colours to match up to the colour code below. When
wiring a jack or an RJ-45 plug, remember to keep the “twist” as
close as possible to the (jack or plug) receptacle. This will insure
compliance with Ethernet wiring standards.

Specification T-568B

Pin # Colour Pair # Name

1 white/ orange 2 Transmit Data +

2 orange 2 Transmit Data -

3 white/ green 3 Receive Data +

4 blue 1 not used

5 white/ blue 1 not used

6 green 3 Receive Data -

7 white/ brown 4 not used

8 brown 4 not used

5.
(Even pin numbers are always solid colour. Odd pin numbers are
white/ stripe colour.)

For reference purposes only, Figure 3 details the wiring scheme

according to T-568A standards. Be sure adhere to EITHER the T-
568B or the T-568A standard. Do not mix different wiring
specifications within the same wiring installation.

Figure 3

6. Specification T-568A

Pin # Colour Pair # Name

1 white/ green 3 Receive Data +

2 green 3 Receive Data -

3 white/ orange 2 Transmit Data +

4 blue 1 not used

 5 white/ blue 1 not used

6 orange 2 Transmit Data -

7 white/ brown 4 not used

8 brown 4 not used

7. Crossover Cable
Some applications may require a crossover cable. The most
common use of a crossover cable occurs in wiring together two
Hubs. A crossover cable “crosses over” Transmit and Receive Data.
Pins 1 and 3 are crossed over, and Pins 2 and 6 are crossed over.
To build a CROSSOVER cable, simply wire one side according to
specification T-568B, and wire the other side according to T-568A.
8. 110 Block / 66 Block Punchdown

Punchdowns are made with the pairs in order with the white-stripe
wire first, then the coloured wire.

Pair 1 white/blue - Blue

Pair 2 white/orange - Orange
Pair 3 white/green - Green
Pair 4 white/brown - Brown

Reminder hint: BLOG– BLue Orange Green and Brown

Punchdown Block Order

T-568A Straight-Through Ethernet Cable

T-568B Straight-Through Ethernet Cable

RJ-45 Crossover Ethernet Cable