1 00:00:00,150 --> 00:00:00,990 So now that we've talked 2 00:00:00,990 --> 00:00:02,220 about the different cable types, 3 00:00:02,220 --> 00:00:04,019 their categories, and the connections, 4 00:00:04,019 --> 00:00:06,630 we need to talk about how to actually wire these cables 5 00:00:06,630 --> 00:00:09,360 into the connectors to allow us to connect these things 6 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:11,940 to our devices using the right pinouts. 7 00:00:11,940 --> 00:00:14,610 On the exam, it would be completely fair of them 8 00:00:14,610 --> 00:00:16,530 to ask you to create a straight-through cable 9 00:00:16,530 --> 00:00:19,650 or a crossover cable because one of the exam objectives 10 00:00:19,650 --> 00:00:21,180 states that you should be able to troubleshoot 11 00:00:21,180 --> 00:00:24,510 common cable connectivity issues using the appropriate tools 12 00:00:24,510 --> 00:00:28,110 such as a cable stripper, cable crimper, and cable tester. 13 00:00:28,110 --> 00:00:30,120 So to ensure you're ready for that, 14 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,180 we need to talk a bit more about the way the ends are wired 15 00:00:33,180 --> 00:00:34,380 and the proper sequence 16 00:00:34,380 --> 00:00:36,720 for the pinouts of these connectors. 17 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:37,980 Now, I just mentioned a term 18 00:00:37,980 --> 00:00:39,150 that you should be familiar with 19 00:00:39,150 --> 00:00:41,010 from back in your A+ studies, 20 00:00:41,010 --> 00:00:42,810 but like I promised before, 21 00:00:42,810 --> 00:00:44,970 I'm going to do a quick refresher of this term 22 00:00:44,970 --> 00:00:47,610 to make sure everybody's on the same page. 23 00:00:47,610 --> 00:00:50,100 Now that term is a straight-through cable. 24 00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:53,400 A straight-through cable is also known as a patch cable. 25 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,130 This type of cable contains the exact same pinouts 26 00:00:56,130 --> 00:00:57,780 on both ends of the cable. 27 00:00:57,780 --> 00:00:59,910 This is why it's known as a straight through, 28 00:00:59,910 --> 00:01:02,580 because pin one on one side goes straight on through 29 00:01:02,580 --> 00:01:04,980 to pin one on the other side of the cable. 30 00:01:04,980 --> 00:01:07,470 Now to keep everyone consistent when we make cables, 31 00:01:07,470 --> 00:01:09,240 you're going to find there's a standard pinout 32 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:13,110 known as a 568A and a 568B standard. 33 00:01:13,110 --> 00:01:16,230 Now, 568B is the standard that's preferred 34 00:01:16,230 --> 00:01:18,450 for wiring jacks inside your buildings, 35 00:01:18,450 --> 00:01:22,980 and most people are going to use a 568B to 568B wiring scheme 36 00:01:22,980 --> 00:01:25,080 for straight-through patch cables. 37 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:26,820 Now, what does that look like? 38 00:01:26,820 --> 00:01:29,220 Well, if we count our pins from one to eight, 39 00:01:29,220 --> 00:01:32,280 we're going to have a color scheme of orange white, orange, 40 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,960 green white, blue, blue white, green, brown white, brown. 41 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:39,240 That is going from pins one to eight. 42 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,180 So both sides of our cable will match up 43 00:01:42,180 --> 00:01:45,150 and this will create a straight-through patch cable. 44 00:01:45,150 --> 00:01:49,650 These patch cables are used to connect a DTE to a DCE. 45 00:01:49,650 --> 00:01:52,200 Now, what is a DTE and a DCE? 46 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,200 Well, a DTE is a data terminal equipment, 47 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,630 which includes things like laptops and desktops, 48 00:01:57,630 --> 00:01:59,250 servers and routers. 49 00:01:59,250 --> 00:02:01,530 These are all considered endpoint devices 50 00:02:01,530 --> 00:02:02,490 that connect to a piece 51 00:02:02,490 --> 00:02:06,030 of data communications equipment or DCE. 52 00:02:06,030 --> 00:02:08,610 Now, a DCE is things like a switch, 53 00:02:08,610 --> 00:02:11,039 a modem, a hub, or a bridge. 54 00:02:11,039 --> 00:02:16,040 If you're connecting a DTE to a DCE or a DCE to a DTE, 55 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,290 you can use a straight-through cable. 56 00:02:19,290 --> 00:02:21,180 Basically, any terminal device 57 00:02:21,180 --> 00:02:23,160 can connect to any communication device 58 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,170 using one of these patch cables. 59 00:02:25,170 --> 00:02:28,170 But if I wanted to connect a switch to another switch, 60 00:02:28,170 --> 00:02:30,600 since they're both data communication equipment, 61 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,730 I have to use a different type of cable 62 00:02:32,730 --> 00:02:34,980 known as a crossover cable. 63 00:02:34,980 --> 00:02:38,280 Anytime you connect a DTE to a DTE, 64 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:39,750 a terminal to a terminal, 65 00:02:39,750 --> 00:02:42,390 or a DCE to a DCE, 66 00:02:42,390 --> 00:02:44,760 communication equipment to communication equipment, 67 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:46,920 you have to use a crossover cable. 68 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:49,800 So if I connect a computer to a laptop, 69 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:51,990 that's going to need a crossover cable. 70 00:02:51,990 --> 00:02:53,880 If I'm connecting a computer to a switch, 71 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,700 I don't need one, I can use a patch cable. 72 00:02:56,700 --> 00:03:00,270 So, what makes a crossover cable so special? 73 00:03:00,270 --> 00:03:02,070 Well, a crossover cable is going to take 74 00:03:02,070 --> 00:03:04,560 your send and receive pins from that cable 75 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,570 and swap those on the other end 76 00:03:06,570 --> 00:03:09,450 when you create your connector and you pin it out. 77 00:03:09,450 --> 00:03:13,170 So on one end, you're going to need to have a 568B, 78 00:03:13,170 --> 00:03:16,710 and on the other end, you're going to have a 568A. 79 00:03:16,710 --> 00:03:19,380 This is used to connect a workstation to a workstation 80 00:03:19,380 --> 00:03:21,210 or a switch to a switch. 81 00:03:21,210 --> 00:03:24,300 Now, in general, you should always use a crossover cable 82 00:03:24,300 --> 00:03:26,610 when you're going from a switch to a switch. 83 00:03:26,610 --> 00:03:28,530 For the exam, I want you to remember 84 00:03:28,530 --> 00:03:32,040 that a switch to a switch requires a crossover cable. 85 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:34,170 The reason I'm making a big deal about this 86 00:03:34,170 --> 00:03:37,200 is that in the real world, this isn't always the case. 87 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,420 Now, this is because most modern switches 88 00:03:39,420 --> 00:03:41,790 have something known as MDIX, 89 00:03:41,790 --> 00:03:44,970 which stands for Medium Dependent Interface Crossover. 90 00:03:44,970 --> 00:03:47,820 Essentially, MDIX is an automated way 91 00:03:47,820 --> 00:03:50,880 to electronically simulate using a crossover cable 92 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,460 even if you're using a straight-through patch cable. 93 00:03:53,460 --> 00:03:56,640 Essentially, your modern switch, if it supports MDIX, 94 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:59,160 will allow you to use a patch or straight-through cable 95 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:01,290 and it will switch the pin out electronically 96 00:04:01,290 --> 00:04:03,780 inside itself to make it work. 97 00:04:03,780 --> 00:04:06,510 But for the exam, you should always assume 98 00:04:06,510 --> 00:04:08,460 a switch is going to be an older device 99 00:04:08,460 --> 00:04:10,860 that does not support MDIX, 100 00:04:10,860 --> 00:04:13,110 unless the question specifically states 101 00:04:13,110 --> 00:04:15,390 that the switch is using MDIX. 102 00:04:15,390 --> 00:04:16,589 Now, we'll talk about this more 103 00:04:16,589 --> 00:04:19,529 when we go to troubleshooting way in the end of this course, 104 00:04:19,529 --> 00:04:21,870 but for right now, I wanted to bring this up 105 00:04:21,870 --> 00:04:23,490 because it's something that is going to come back 106 00:04:23,490 --> 00:04:25,680 and bite you if you don't remember it. 107 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:27,570 Remember when there are two switches 108 00:04:27,570 --> 00:04:29,010 and they're not communicating, 109 00:04:29,010 --> 00:04:31,770 it's usually because somebody is put a patch cable there 110 00:04:31,770 --> 00:04:33,180 or a straight-through cable there 111 00:04:33,180 --> 00:04:35,340 instead of doing a crossover cable 112 00:04:35,340 --> 00:04:38,280 and that switch doesn't support MDIX. 113 00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:40,350 If your switch doesn't support MDIX, 114 00:04:40,350 --> 00:04:42,270 you have to use a crossover cable 115 00:04:42,270 --> 00:04:44,250 to make those devices talk. 116 00:04:44,250 --> 00:04:47,040 All right, let's look at the pinout a little bit closer. 117 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:49,290 And this time, let's look at our 568A 118 00:04:49,290 --> 00:04:51,870 and 568B wiring standards. 119 00:04:51,870 --> 00:04:54,570 Remember, 568B is the standard we use 120 00:04:54,570 --> 00:04:56,250 for all our interior wiring 121 00:04:56,250 --> 00:04:59,730 and for both ends of a straight-through cable or wall jack. 122 00:04:59,730 --> 00:05:02,130 But if we want to do a crossover cable, 123 00:05:02,130 --> 00:05:04,410 we're going to use 568B on one end 124 00:05:04,410 --> 00:05:06,570 and 568A on the other end. 125 00:05:06,570 --> 00:05:09,870 When you do this, you're going to start with 568B on one end 126 00:05:09,870 --> 00:05:14,340 and then switch out pins 1, 2, 3, and 6 on the other end 127 00:05:14,340 --> 00:05:15,540 so that we have our transmit 128 00:05:15,540 --> 00:05:17,550 and receive pins in a different place 129 00:05:17,550 --> 00:05:19,680 when we create that crossover cable. 130 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:21,840 Essentially, your orange and your green pairs 131 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:23,640 are going to swap places. 132 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:25,470 Now, do you have to memorize this? 133 00:05:25,470 --> 00:05:27,480 Yes, unfortunately you do. 134 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:28,410 In the real world, 135 00:05:28,410 --> 00:05:29,970 you really don't have to have it memorized 136 00:05:29,970 --> 00:05:31,710 because you can carry your smartphone with you 137 00:05:31,710 --> 00:05:33,210 or a small chart in your pocket, 138 00:05:33,210 --> 00:05:34,590 and whenever you're going to make a cable, 139 00:05:34,590 --> 00:05:36,840 you could pull it out of your wallet and look at it. 140 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:40,350 But for the exam, you need to know this pattern. 141 00:05:40,350 --> 00:05:42,907 As I said before, they may give you a question that says, 142 00:05:42,907 --> 00:05:46,710 "Wire up the correct pinout for a 568B connector." 143 00:05:46,710 --> 00:05:48,330 Then you're going to have to drag and drop 144 00:05:48,330 --> 00:05:50,220 the color of the wire to the right pin 145 00:05:50,220 --> 00:05:53,550 as part of a simulation, or they could be really mean 146 00:05:53,550 --> 00:05:55,260 and just ask you to create a patch cable 147 00:05:55,260 --> 00:05:56,670 or a crossover cable, 148 00:05:56,670 --> 00:05:58,800 and you're going to have to drag and drop the right wires 149 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:01,740 into the right spots in an RJ45 connector 150 00:06:01,740 --> 00:06:04,170 from pins one to eight for both sides. 151 00:06:04,170 --> 00:06:05,850 Now, why am I bringing all that up? 152 00:06:05,850 --> 00:06:07,200 Well, because I wanted to show you 153 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:08,700 a couple of the tools we use 154 00:06:08,700 --> 00:06:10,200 when we're building out these cables. 155 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,690 Whether you're making a straight-through or a crossover, 156 00:06:12,690 --> 00:06:14,700 these are going to be the tools you're going to use. 157 00:06:14,700 --> 00:06:15,930 So here in front of me, 158 00:06:15,930 --> 00:06:17,760 you'll see I have this one little kit 159 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:18,900 that I've put together. 160 00:06:18,900 --> 00:06:20,640 Now, you can get everything you see here 161 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,120 for about $10 on Amazon if you're located in the US. 162 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,550 It'll come with 100 of these end connectors, 163 00:06:26,550 --> 00:06:29,070 which is what you put onto the cable on both ends 164 00:06:29,070 --> 00:06:31,020 to plug it into the computer, the switch, 165 00:06:31,020 --> 00:06:32,370 or the patch panel. 166 00:06:32,370 --> 00:06:34,350 You'll also see we have the wire stripper. 167 00:06:34,350 --> 00:06:35,700 This is going to be able to allow us 168 00:06:35,700 --> 00:06:37,980 to strip off the outer sheath of the cable 169 00:06:37,980 --> 00:06:40,020 so we can get to those inner eight wires 170 00:06:40,020 --> 00:06:42,510 to be able to push them through into the connectors 171 00:06:42,510 --> 00:06:43,620 and then crimp them. 172 00:06:43,620 --> 00:06:46,470 And as you can see here, we have an RJ45 crimper. 173 00:06:46,470 --> 00:06:48,923 You'll see that it has a cutter here at the bottom, 174 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:51,930 and you can put it in there, squeeze it together, 175 00:06:51,930 --> 00:06:53,490 and that will cut your cable. 176 00:06:53,490 --> 00:06:56,640 And then up here at the top, we have three different sizes. 177 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,070 The one in the middle is RJ45, 178 00:06:59,070 --> 00:07:02,400 which is an eight-wire pin or 8P as it's called. 179 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,420 We have a six pin, which is going to be used for phone cables. 180 00:07:06,420 --> 00:07:08,490 That would be something like an RJ11. 181 00:07:08,490 --> 00:07:11,910 And then on the right side here, we have a four pin, 182 00:07:11,910 --> 00:07:14,220 which should be used for some very strange connections 183 00:07:14,220 --> 00:07:15,810 that honestly I've never used. 184 00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:18,090 I've always used either the phone with the six pin 185 00:07:18,090 --> 00:07:19,950 or the network with the eight pin. 186 00:07:19,950 --> 00:07:22,230 And that's what we're going to be focused on here today. 187 00:07:22,230 --> 00:07:26,070 Now over here, you'll also see that I have a cable tester. 188 00:07:26,070 --> 00:07:27,810 And so when I'm done making my cable, 189 00:07:27,810 --> 00:07:30,360 I want to be able to test it and make sure it works properly. 190 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,820 And to do that, you simply are going to take it. 191 00:07:32,820 --> 00:07:35,700 You're going to plug in the RJ45 connector 192 00:07:35,700 --> 00:07:39,330 into the receiver here and the sender over here. 193 00:07:39,330 --> 00:07:40,170 And then on the front of it, 194 00:07:40,170 --> 00:07:42,360 we'll be able to see those cable connections, 195 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:44,850 those pins from here over to the other side. 196 00:07:44,850 --> 00:07:46,290 And so if we're doing a straight-through cable, 197 00:07:46,290 --> 00:07:48,270 it's really easy 'cause one needs to match one 198 00:07:48,270 --> 00:07:49,770 and two needs to match two. 199 00:07:49,770 --> 00:07:50,880 But if we're doing a crossover, 200 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,100 we need to remember those different pinouts 201 00:07:53,100 --> 00:07:55,020 because it's going to look a little different. 202 00:07:55,020 --> 00:07:57,840 So let me show you how this works with a real cable. 203 00:07:57,840 --> 00:07:59,190 So if you want to make a cable, 204 00:07:59,190 --> 00:08:01,020 you're going to start out with bulk cable. 205 00:08:01,020 --> 00:08:03,150 And so I have right here a nice piece of cable. 206 00:08:03,150 --> 00:08:05,430 It's about maybe two feet long. 207 00:08:05,430 --> 00:08:06,600 And you can see here on this end 208 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,570 that all those little individual wires are inside of it. 209 00:08:09,570 --> 00:08:10,860 Now, what I want to be able to do 210 00:08:10,860 --> 00:08:12,600 is pull those inside wires out 211 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:14,610 and remove this outer sheathing 212 00:08:14,610 --> 00:08:16,950 so that I can work with them and make a cable. 213 00:08:16,950 --> 00:08:19,620 To do that, I'm going to use my wire stripper. 214 00:08:19,620 --> 00:08:23,133 All you have to do is pinch on here, go down, 215 00:08:24,150 --> 00:08:25,380 put it in there, 216 00:08:25,380 --> 00:08:27,720 and then you're just going to run your finger around like that 217 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,150 and that's going to cut the outer sheath only, 218 00:08:30,150 --> 00:08:32,070 and then I can just pull it off. 219 00:08:32,070 --> 00:08:34,830 And now you can see those pairs of cables 220 00:08:34,830 --> 00:08:36,510 and we call them twisted pair 221 00:08:36,510 --> 00:08:39,360 because they literally are twisted pairs. 222 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,909 You could see here is the brown and the brown white. 223 00:08:41,909 --> 00:08:43,590 Here is the green and the green white, 224 00:08:43,590 --> 00:08:44,670 the blue and the blue white, 225 00:08:44,670 --> 00:08:46,500 the orange and the orange white. 226 00:08:46,500 --> 00:08:47,460 Next, what we're going to want to do 227 00:08:47,460 --> 00:08:50,010 is we're going to want to unwrap those cables 228 00:08:50,010 --> 00:08:52,440 and we're going to try to flatten them out as best we can. 229 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:54,360 What I like to do is I like to cut off the excess 230 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:55,200 that I don't need. 231 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,540 To do that, you're just going to put them in the crimper 232 00:08:57,540 --> 00:08:59,910 and cut down and they'll get cut off. 233 00:08:59,910 --> 00:09:02,520 Now at this point, what I want to do 234 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,820 is I want to put those into the end of the connector. 235 00:09:05,820 --> 00:09:08,370 And to do that, you're just going to slide them in 236 00:09:08,370 --> 00:09:10,080 and each of those is going to end up 237 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:13,980 getting into the end of those pins here in the end. 238 00:09:13,980 --> 00:09:16,140 Once you have it into the right position, 239 00:09:16,140 --> 00:09:18,570 you're going to put it into the crimper 240 00:09:18,570 --> 00:09:21,930 and all you have to do is push down. 241 00:09:21,930 --> 00:09:23,880 And now you have a cable end 242 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,190 that's made on the connector and it's nice and solid. 243 00:09:26,190 --> 00:09:28,140 You'll do the same thing on the other side. 244 00:09:28,140 --> 00:09:29,970 And then you want to test the cable. 245 00:09:29,970 --> 00:09:31,560 So let me go ahead and fast forward here a little bit 246 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:32,853 to a ready-made cable. 247 00:09:35,670 --> 00:09:37,680 And I'm going to take my cable tester 248 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:39,210 and a ready made little patch cable 249 00:09:39,210 --> 00:09:42,060 that's a straight-through just for this demonstration. 250 00:09:42,060 --> 00:09:45,090 Now, this does come apart so that I can have a long cable 251 00:09:45,090 --> 00:09:47,527 and have it on one end and the other end if I need to. 252 00:09:47,527 --> 00:09:49,260 What I'm going to do is I'm just going to flip this around 253 00:09:49,260 --> 00:09:50,960 so you can see it a little better. 254 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:55,140 Now I'm going to connect that in. 255 00:09:56,010 --> 00:09:57,693 Now, when I turn this on, 256 00:09:59,940 --> 00:10:02,760 you're going to see that that straight-through cable, 257 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:04,710 they are going straight through 258 00:10:04,710 --> 00:10:07,173 and each pin is matching up with its own. 259 00:10:08,820 --> 00:10:11,880 And this tells me that the cable's good. It's that easy. 260 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:13,110 Now, if it was a crossover cable, 261 00:10:13,110 --> 00:10:15,840 we'd be matching up pins 1, 2, 3, and 6 262 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,090 with the other side that matches up appropriately. 263 00:10:18,090 --> 00:10:20,430 But this was a straight-through cable, it's a patch cable, 264 00:10:20,430 --> 00:10:23,070 and you could see that it worked and it's working just fine. 265 00:10:23,070 --> 00:10:25,230 Now, do you have to be able to do this for the exam? 266 00:10:25,230 --> 00:10:26,970 Do you have to be able to make a cable? 267 00:10:26,970 --> 00:10:29,220 Well, no, because you're going to be taking the exam 268 00:10:29,220 --> 00:10:31,560 on a computer, and so they can't hand you these tools 269 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:33,180 and ask you to make the cable, 270 00:10:33,180 --> 00:10:36,510 but they can ask you to do this in a simulation. 271 00:10:36,510 --> 00:10:39,570 So I might give you eight different colored wires, 272 00:10:39,570 --> 00:10:42,630 that orange white, orange, green white, blue, blue white, 273 00:10:42,630 --> 00:10:44,910 green, brown white, brown, 274 00:10:44,910 --> 00:10:47,490 and you might have to pin them into the right pinouts, 275 00:10:47,490 --> 00:10:48,450 one through eight, 276 00:10:48,450 --> 00:10:50,700 for either a straight-through or a crossover. 277 00:10:50,700 --> 00:10:53,400 And if so, you need to make sure you memorize both halves 278 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:56,340 and be able to drag them and drop them into the right place. 279 00:10:56,340 --> 00:10:57,510 By doing that, 280 00:10:57,510 --> 00:10:59,610 that will make sure that you know how to do this. 281 00:10:59,610 --> 00:11:02,250 Now, in the real world, how often are you going to make cables? 282 00:11:02,250 --> 00:11:03,990 Well, it depends on your job. 283 00:11:03,990 --> 00:11:06,510 I'll tell you, when I first started out 20 years ago, 284 00:11:06,510 --> 00:11:10,560 I ran networks for a living and I made cables all day long. 285 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:12,780 The reason was cables that are pre-made 286 00:11:12,780 --> 00:11:14,340 were very expensive back then. 287 00:11:14,340 --> 00:11:16,560 So I could buy 1,000 feet of bulk cable 288 00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:18,540 like I showed you with that gray wire, 289 00:11:18,540 --> 00:11:20,310 cut it, trim it, and make the cable 290 00:11:20,310 --> 00:11:22,830 in just about 30 seconds to 60 seconds 291 00:11:22,830 --> 00:11:24,480 because I did it all the time 292 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:26,670 and I could charge my customers a dollar a foot 293 00:11:26,670 --> 00:11:27,780 for running those cables. 294 00:11:27,780 --> 00:11:29,550 So I made a lot of money doing that. 295 00:11:29,550 --> 00:11:33,000 Nowadays though, it's so cheap to buy ready-made cables. 296 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:34,170 And so because of that, 297 00:11:34,170 --> 00:11:35,970 for something like a patch cable like this 298 00:11:35,970 --> 00:11:37,560 that's, you know, a six inch cable, 299 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:39,210 I wouldn't spend my time making it 300 00:11:39,210 --> 00:11:41,580 because I can buy this for about 10 cents. 301 00:11:41,580 --> 00:11:43,620 So it's just a lot easier to buy them ready-made. 302 00:11:43,620 --> 00:11:45,120 The same thing with the three foot cables, 303 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:48,000 the six foot cables, the 10 and the 15 foot cables. 304 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,800 Really when I start making my own cables 305 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:51,330 is when I get into some weird lengths, 306 00:11:51,330 --> 00:11:54,120 like 57 feet or something like that. 307 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:56,100 Now the other thing to remember when you're making cables, 308 00:11:56,100 --> 00:11:57,810 don't go over 100 meters 309 00:11:57,810 --> 00:12:01,200 because a Cat 5 cable can only go 100 meters 310 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:02,910 before you start losing signal. 311 00:12:02,910 --> 00:12:06,180 And so I like to keep my cables down under 90 meters. 312 00:12:06,180 --> 00:12:07,830 That way I have a little bit of leeway 313 00:12:07,830 --> 00:12:09,360 and I don't have any problems. 314 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:10,740 So if you keep all that straight in your head, 315 00:12:10,740 --> 00:12:12,150 you'll do great on the exam. 316 00:12:12,150 --> 00:12:14,160 And again, if you want to try this stuff out, 317 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:15,450 it's not that expensive. 318 00:12:15,450 --> 00:12:16,800 For $10 on Amazon, 319 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,410 you get everything you need in one convenient kit, 320 00:12:19,410 --> 00:12:21,240 and you can go ahead and play with this at home, 321 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,480 and it'll give you a cable tester, a crimper, a stripper, 322 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:27,060 and about a 100 of those end pieces to start playing 323 00:12:27,060 --> 00:12:29,410 and making your own cables and trying this out.