Purpose: Create a mechanically stable, electrically correct CAT6 Ethernet cable that passes continuity and supports gigabit speeds.
Tools & Materials
- CAT6 cable (solid or stranded — match connector type)
- CAT6-rated pass-through RJ45 connectors
- Pass-through crimping tool (sharp blade)
- Cable stripper
- Cable tester (main + remote)
Standard Reference (DO NOT SKIP)
- Wiring standard: T568B
- Orientation rule:
Clip DOWN, gold contacts UP - Pin 1 location:
Far left when clip is down and contacts face you
T568B order (left → right):
White-Orange, Orange, White-Green, Blue, White-Blue, Green, White-Brown, Brown
Step-by-Step Procedure
1. Strip the Jacket
- Strip ~25 mm (1 inch) of outer jacket
- Do not nick conductors
- Remove any ripcord or spline cleanly
2. Manage the Pairs
- Untwist the pairs so that you can put them in proper order.
3. Arrange the Conductors
- Hold plug (connector) clip DOWN
- Arrange wires into T568B order
- Flatten once using thumb + index finger
- Ensure wires lie flat with no crossings
4. Trim to Length
- Trim conductors so they extend ~12–13 mm (½ inch) past the jacket
- Wires should be straight and relaxed (no bowing)
- This may be hard for beginners.
5. Insert Into RJ45 Plug
- Insert wires fully into the pass-through plug
- Confirm:
- All 8 wires visible
- Copper tips reach the front face
- Outer jacket is inside the plug, under the strain-relief tab
Sanity check:
If you see only individual wires from the side → redo.
6. Orientation Check (Critical)
Before crimping, verify:
- Clip is DOWN
- Contacts are UP
- Pin 1 (far left) is white-orange
If orange is on the right, the plug is upside down.
7. Crimp
- Insert plug fully into crimper
- Crimp once, firmly
- Pass-through blade should trim wires flush
8. Inspect the Termination
- All copper ends are flush (no burrs)
- No stray copper visible
- Jacket firmly captured
- Plug body not cracked or stressed
9. Test the Cable
- Connect tester main to one end
- Connect tester remote to the other end
- No patch cords or adapters in between
Expected result: PASS
- Miswire → re-terminate
- Open → conductor not seated
- Short → cut off and redo termination
Known Failure Causes (Avoid These)
- Plug inserted upside down (mirrored wiring)
- Jacket not under strain relief
- Too much untwist
- Connector type mismatched to cable (solid vs stranded)
- Re-crimping the same plug
Installer Rule (Memorize This)
Clip down. Copper up. Jacket in. Crimp once. Test before plugging into gear.
This can be very frustrating for beginners, especially when they don’t have the best tools to make this easy.
If you push the wires through and they come out of the end of the connector, give them a clean snip.
Pull any wires back into the connector without them sticking out of the connector.
Carefully crimp them.
You will get better over time.
Termination can feel much harder then Spanning Tree Protocol.