Any cabling experts about?

brundles · 07-02-2009, 20:18

I'm pretty sure I've missed the blinding obvious so this should give someone a good laugh at my expense but it's driving me round the bend...

Spent the day shifting the router, switch and a bunch of other stuff and placing cat 5e cabling around that's connected to the switch and wall plates (again, cat5e standard).

I'm happy with the cable terminations as the other cables done are all working fine (between router/switch and VM modem and router), but I'm pretty sure I'm missing something on the wall plates as it's not working.

The switch (GS608) picks up the cable connection and detects power over the link, but nothing happens beyond that. PC can't get an IP address and the router swears blind there's nothing there. I've also hooked the same cable direct to the router - same thing - the router can physically see it but nothing happens beyond that.

The cables have been terminated to T568A and the jacks on the wall plate have been connected up according to the T568A markings too.

Can anyone spot the (presumably blinding obvious!) mistake?

CHiLL · 07-02-2009, 23:58

Could the cables inside the cat5 cable be snapped?

brundles · 08-02-2009, 01:02

Thanks for the response CHILL

It's possible I guess, but I'm getting consistent behaviour across 4 connections so far so I'm not too keen on the idea. If it was one or even two I could see it.

I've been pretty careful throughout to make sure there's been no excessive bends on the cable while placing it so if that is the case I'll be a little bit cheesed off!

I'm going to try a couple of things tomorrow but replacing the cabling is another option to rule it out.

Dai · 08-02-2009, 07:44

Do you have a tester?
Something like this can make snagging a lot easier.

brundles · 08-02-2009, 09:57

Not just yet, but will do in about half an hour...

08-02-2009, 10:39

Did you say you have faceplates on the wall? You said above that you:

Quote:

The cables have been terminated to T568A and the jacks on the wall plate have been connected up according to the T568A markings too.

So are they terminated on RJ45's on on a faceplate???

brundles · 08-02-2009, 11:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by LSainsbury

Did you say you have faceplates on the wall? You said above that you:

So are they terminated on RJ45's on on a faceplate???

Not sure I understand what you're saying (bit slow sometimes!)

One end of the cable has an RJ45 connector to go into the netgear switch and the other is connected to the RJ45 jack in the faceplate. Is that what you meant?

I'm working through the connections with a tester not and seem to be making progress (slowly!).

Dai · 08-02-2009, 11:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by brundles

Not sure I understand what you're saying (bit slow sometimes!)

One end of the cable has an RJ45 connector to go into the netgear switch and the other is connected to the RJ45 jack in the faceplate. Is that what you meant?

If I understand correctly, the workstation end terminates in a faceplate with socket. Presumably at the back of the plate you make the connection into push-down contacts?

That's a likely area to find a problem. If it's solid cable it's prone to break if moved too much or it may not be a good contact in one of the clippy things..

brundles · 08-02-2009, 11:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaiNasty

If I understand correctly, the workstation end terminates in a faceplate with socket. Presumably at the back of the plate you make the connection into push-down contacts?

That's a likely area to find a problem. If it's solid cable it's prone to break if moved too much or it may not be a good contact in one of the clippy things..

Just looking at that now.

Those testers are worth their weight in gold. Must have spent too long on the thing yesterday and swappig too many cables around - what I thought was endemic in the whole job is looking suspiciously like 1 dodgy cable. A much happier thought than having to redo the whole lot.

MovedGoalPosts · 08-02-2009, 12:00

When I've done this type of cabling, to either a patch panel at one end or face panel RJ45 socket at the other end, I've found the cable tester, like that linked to above, invaluable. Inevitably I find I've not punched down one cable end properly, or crossed one over.

brundles · 08-02-2009, 12:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaiNasty

If I understand correctly, the workstation end terminates in a faceplate with socket. Presumably at the back of the plate you make the connection into push-down contacts?

That's a likely area to find a problem. If it's solid cable it's prone to break if moved too much or it may not be a good contact in one of the clippy things..

Todays prize for remote diagnostics goes to DaiNasty - seems the "clippy things" for 3/6 in the problem jack aren't that great.

All sorted now though - thanks to everyone for the help.

08-02-2009, 15:26

Glad you got it fixed...

When you say the clippy things - you mean these?

brundles · 08-02-2009, 15:41

Those'd be the ones - curtesy of Screw Fix.

Dai · 08-02-2009, 16:58

I really need to focus on my terminology...

08-02-2009, 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaiNasty

I really need to focus on my terminology...

I think we knew what you meant!

I normaly use a punch-down tool for those - it makes sure the wire is in contact with the metal contact.