How to make Ethernet cable

Sure, you can buy Ethernet cables from the store, but where's the fun in that? If you want to make custom cable lengths or crossover cables, or repair a broken connector, why not do it yourself? Here's how.

Before you get started, make sure you have the necessary tools, and decide whether you're going to use Cat 5e or Cat 6 network cables.

What you'll need:

Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) patch cable
Modular connector (8P8C plug, aka RJ45)
Crimping tool
Cable tester (optional, but recommended)

There are four pairs of wires in an Ethernet cable, and an Ethernet connector (8P8C) has eight pin slots. Each pin is identified by a number, starting from left to right, with the clip facing away from you.

The two standards for wiring Ethernet cables are T568A and T568B. T568B is the most common and is what we'll be using for our straight Ethernet cable. The tables below show the proper orientation of the colored wires to the pins.

Step 1: Strip the cable jacket about 1.5 inch down from the end.

Step 2: Spread the four pairs of twisted wire apart. For Cat 5e, you can use the pull string to strip the jacket farther down if you need to, then cut the pull string. Cat 6 cables have a spine that will also need to be cut.

Step 3: Untwist the wire pairs and neatly align them in the T568B orientation. Be sure not to untwist them any farther down the cable than where the jacket begins; we want to leave as much of the cable twisted as possible

Step 4: Cut the wires as straight as possible, about 0.5 inch above the end of the jacket.

Step 5: Carefully insert the wires all the way into the modular connector, making sure that each wire passes through the appropriate guides inside the connector.

Step 6: Push the connector inside the crimping tool and squeeze the crimper all the way down.

Step 7: Repeat steps 1-6 for the other end of the cable.

Step 8: To make sure you've successfully terminated each end of the cable, use a cable tester to test each pin.

When you're all done, the connectors should look like this:

That's it. For crossover cables, simply make one end of the cable a T568A and the other end a T568B. Now you can make Ethernet cables of any length, fix broken connectors, or make yourself a crossover cable.

Ethernet Cable

An Ethernet cable is one of the most popular forms of network cable used on wired networks. Ethernet cables connect devices together within a local area network, like PCs, routers, and switches.

Given that these are physical cables, they do have their limitations, both in the distance that they can stretch and still carry proper signals, and their durability. This is one reason there are different types of Ethernet cables; to perform certain tasks in particular situations.


What an Ethernet Cable Looks Like

There's a picture of a few Ethernet cable ends on this page. It resembles a phone cable but is larger and has more wires.

Both cables share a similar shape and plug but an Ethernet cable has eight wires and a larger plug than the four wires found in phone cables.

Ethernet cables of course plug into Ethernet ports, which again, are larger than phone cable ports. An Ethernet port on a computer is accessible through the Ethernet card on the motherboard.

Ethernet cables come in different colors but phone cables are usually just grey.

Types of Ethernet Cables

Ethernet cables normally support one or more industry standards including Category 5 (CAT5) and Category 6 (CAT6).

A crossover cable is a special type of Ethernet cable specially designed for connecting two computers to each other. By contrast, most Ethernet cables are designed to connect one computer to a router or switch.

Ethernet cables are physically manufactured in two basic forms called solid and stranded.

Solid Ethernet cables offer slightly better performance and improved protection against electrical interference. They're also more commonly used on business networks, wiring inside office walls, or under lab floors to fixed locations


Stranded Ethernet cables are less prone to physical cracks and breaks, making them more suitable for travelers or in home networking setups.

Limitations of Ethernet Cables

A single Ethernet cable, like an electric power cord, has a limited maximum distance capacity, meaning they have an upper limit to how long they can be before signal loss (called attenuation) happens. This is due to their electrical transmission characteristics and is directly affected by interference around the cable.

Both ends of the cable should be close enough to each other to receive signals quickly, but far enough away from electrical interferences to avoid interruptions. However, this alone doesn't limit the size of a network because hardware like routers or hubs can be used to join multiple Ethernet cables together within the same network. This distance between two devices is called the network diameter.

The maximum length of a single CAT5 cable, before attenuation occurs, is 324 feet. CAT6 can go up to around 700 feet. Keep in mind that Ethernet cables can be longer but they might suffer from signal loss, especially if there are other electrical appliances that the cable passes by.

Note: Ethernet cable length is a little different if you're talking about thin, 10 base 2, or thick, 10 base 5 cables.

The former should be no longer than 600 feet while the latter cable type should be able to reach lengths of around 1,640 feet.

Also consider that a short cable may suffer from reflection. However, some users have reported no problems with cable lengths as low as even 4 inches.

Several different types of RJ-45 connectors exist. One type, designed for use with stranded cables, generally is incompatible with solid cables. Other types of RJ-45 connectors may work with both stranded and solid cables.

See Is It Safe to Run Ethernet Cables Outdoors? if you're wanting to do that.

Alternatives to Ethernet Cables for Computer Networking
Wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have replaced Ethernet on many home and business networks.

Computer RAM

Computer RAM (random access memory) is a volatile data storage device. It is used by the computer to temporarily store data. When the computer is turned off all the data stored on the computer memory is lost.


The words 'random access memory' refers to the fact that any byte of data can be accessed directly by the computer instead of it searching in order till it finds it (such as in a cassette tape).


RAM operates at very fast speeds and is crucial to the health of a computer. RAM was measured in ns (nanoseconds) which equals one billionth of a second but with the introduction of SDRAM is now measured in MHz (megahertz).


Computer memory (RAM) is placed into the memory slots of a motherboard meaning that it is easy to upgrade or swap if the memory breaks. Computer memory is needed for everything so it is important to have enough.
Types of RAM
There are two basic types of RAM: Dynamic RAM (DRAM) and Static RAM (SRAM). Dynamic RAM is the more common and needs to refreshed thousands of times per second. Static RAM does not need to be refreshed making a lot faster but also much more expensive.


To find out more information about the different types of RAM click on the type of RAM below that you want to learn about.








What does RAM do?
Operating systems, application programs such as Microsoft word, Firefox or a game program are kept in the RAM so as to be quickly accessed by the CPU. Computer RAM is much faster then other storage devices but it will lose all its information when the computer is switched off. When you turn your computer on again then the information is loaded from the hard drive or CD drive back to the RAM and the process begins again.

Computer Motherboards

Computer Motherboards are an important part of the computer.


Definition of a motherboard: 

A motherboard is the mother to all the computer parts. In other words, everything in a computer connects to the motherboard.


This page links to some valuable motherboard articles. These articles explain what a motherboard is, and how to choose a motherboard and it also links to some motherboard reviews. You can add your own review and even buy a motherboard.

PROCESSOR

A computer cpu is the brain that runs a computer. CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the core chip to a computer. It is placed in the cpu socket and from here it forms an electrical interface with the motherboard. A CPU is the most important part in a computer.

Whenever people talk and brag about their computer they always talk about their CPU first. They say, 'its a Pentium 4, 3.0 Ghz' or 'its a Q6600, Quad Core beast'. Whenever minimum requirements are mentioned on the back of software packages, the CPU processor is the most important piece of information.No matter how much RAM (Random Access Memory) or Hard Drive space you have, the CPU dictates whether the program will run on the computer or not.

Modern processors have millions of transistors placed onto the little square which is called a die. The CPU is responsible for processing codes and instructions through to the motherboard which sends the information through to the graphics card where it then travels to your monitor and then appears on your screen.

AMD, Cyrix and Intel are the major CPU manufacturers. Intel released the first CPU processor which was the 4004 in the year of 1971. It ran at 740kHz (740,000 hertz) compared to the more modern computers that can run up to 3Ghz (3,000,000,000 hertz).


Intel just released the new i7 CPUs. I have just reviewed the best of the lot the: Intel Core i7 965 Extreme Edition Processors. Be sure to check it out!


A computer CPU is measured in megahertz (Mhz) and more recently gigahertz (Ghz). This is generally called the clock speed of the CPU. The higher the amount ofhertz the greater amounts of cycles can be completed and more information will be processed. However, along with faster processors comes more heat and thus bigger and better fans have been placed onto CPUs to keep them cooler.However it is important to understand that megahertz and gigahertz are not the only way to define how good a CPU is. Read this article on the megahertz myth and understand what I am talking about or learn how to choose a CPU with this article.Have any questions on CPUs and Processors? Go to my new forum and post your question there?

WhatsApp

How to Use WhatsApp

WhatsApp, a play on the casual greeting "what's up?", is an ad-free mobile messaging app that allows users to exchange text and media messages through their Internet data plan or through Wi-Fi. Users do not have to pay for SMS. Once you start using WhatsApp to connect with your friends, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

Steps

Download WhatsApp for your phone. The app is available on its website and in the iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace.
WhatsApp does not sell advertising so users have a clean messaging experience, but that means that they charge a small fee for using the app. iPhone users pay $1.99 to download the app, while other phones can download the app and enjoy a one-year trial for free. After that, there is a $0.99 subscription fee for using WhatsApp.

Launch the app from your smartphone. Follow the onscreen prompts to create a WhatsApp account that will be linked to your phone number. Allow WhatsApp to sync with your Contacts to message people you know with ease.


Manage your Favorites. Once in your account, you will see all of your contacts who already have a WhatsApp account on the "Favorites" tab. Keeping this list will allow you to know who has WhatsApp, but it may be too cluttered if you want to access a few frequent contacts with ease.
You can tap "Edit" in the top left corner and then "Delete All" to clear the list and start from scratch, or toggle the red delete switch next to each name to delete people individually.

You can still see your contacts in the "Contacts" tab (middle button of the navigation bar). Contacts who have WhatsApp will have their statuses displayed underneath their name. If you tap on a contact, you will also know if they have WhatsApp because it will give you the option to "Message <name>" instead of "Invite <name> to WhatsApp."


Change your status. Tap "Status" in the bottom horizontal navigation bar. Tap the "+" in the top right corner to add a new custom status.
You can edit your current status by tapping the button under "Your current status is:" or selecting a default or previous status from the list below.

If you'd like to clear your statuses, tap "Edit" in the top left corner to delete them individually or scroll down and tap "Clear Status" to delete them all.



Invite friends you'd like to message to use WhatsApp. Tap on the "Contacts" tab in the middle of the navigation bar. Find a contact and tap on it to view its details. Tap "Invite <name> to get WhatsApp" to send them an SMS invitation to download the app.
If you use this option to invite a contact from another country, both of you may be subject to international SMS charges. You may want to send them an email to join WhatsApp instead. To do this, go to Settings >> Tell a Friend and then select the method of delivery.

In order to message a friend on WhatsApp, they must have been added into your phone's contacts. Ensure that their phone number has been entered into your address book accurately and that they have installed WhatsApp.



Start a chat. Tap "Chats" in the navigation bar. Tap the pencil icon in the top right corner and select a contact to start a new WhatsApp message with. You will be taken to a new chat window where you can type a message, or press the arrow icon (iPhone),menu icon (Blackberry) or paperclip icon (Android, Nokia, Windows Phone) to share your location, contact, photo, or video. You may also record a video or take a photo in realtime for sharing.
Underneath the recipient's name in the chat window, you can see their last seen time, which is the last time they closed WhatsApp or lost Internet connection. You'll also see whether they're online, which means they have WhatsApp open and are connected to the Internet.

To start a new Group message, tap the "New Group" button underneath the pencil icon (iPhone) or tap the menu/options button and find "New Group" (Blackberry, Android, Nokia, Windows Phone). In the subject field, type a name for the group chat and add participants right underneath. You will also be able to select a picture for your group.


Wait for your message to be delivered to your friend's phone. One checkmark next to your message means that it was delivered to the server, and two checkmarks mean that it was delivered to the recipient's device.


Manage your chats. Tap "Chats" in the navigation bar. You'll see a list of all of your WhatsApp conversations with individual users and groups. Tap on one to continue a conversation or to read an old one.


Change your settings. Tap the "Settings" icon in the navigation bar.
To edit your name or profile picture, tap "Profile."

To edit your font size, chat wallpaper, message timestamp settings, download settings, tap "Chat Settings."

To block users from contacting you, tap "Chat Settings" and then "Block." You will see a list of contacts you have blocked underneath. Blocked contacts can see your statuses, though not your "last seen" timestamps or online availability, and they will not be able to send you messages. To know whether someone has blocked you,click here.

To turn off your "last seen" timestamp, tap "Chat Settings" and then toggle the switch next to "Message Timestamp". This means that other users will not know the last time you signed off.