diy network cables how's this plan?

Hi I'm thinking of having a go at making my own network cat5e cables.
I have looked about but the difference between amazon and ordering off
ebay from hong kong is only about two or three pounds so I thought I'd
order the following

Belkin RJ45 Medium Duty Crimp Tool Our Price: £10.40
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000636XSO

Belkin Cat5e Snagless UTP Patch Cable (Grey) 30m Our Price: £6.56
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009VGT8

Belkin RJ45 Modular Connector 50 Pack (Clear) Our Price: £5.79
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004Z648

Postage is free

I hope to end up with eight 20cm patch cables to go from a wall
mounted switch to a patch panel thus reducing current dangling cables.
The idea is to chop up the 30m cable into bits and still have plenty
left over so when I need the odd cable I can just run it off without
paying high street prices or postage costs.

Does this seem a good plan or am I going in the wrong direction (this
is my first attempt)? Equally if you know where the same\better
equipment is available much cheaper... But so far it looks like this
is, while not the cheapest is close enough.

Thanks a bunch

ff wrote:
> Hi I'm thinking of having a go at making my own network cat5e cables.
> I have looked about but the difference between amazon and ordering off
> ebay from hong kong is only about two or three pounds so I thought I'd
> order the following
>
> Belkin RJ45 Medium Duty Crimp Tool Our Price: £10.40
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000636XSO
>
> Belkin Cat5e Snagless UTP Patch Cable (Grey) 30m Our Price: £6.56
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009VGT8
>
> Belkin RJ45 Modular Connector 50 Pack (Clear) Our Price: £5.79
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004Z648
>
> Postage is free
>
> I hope to end up with eight 20cm patch cables to go from a wall
> mounted switch to a patch panel thus reducing current dangling cables.
> The idea is to chop up the 30m cable into bits and still have plenty
> left over so when I need the odd cable I can just run it off without
> paying high street prices or postage costs.
>
> Does this seem a good plan or am I going in the wrong direction (this
> is my first attempt)? Equally if you know where the same\better
> equipment is available much cheaper... But so far it looks like this
> is, while not the cheapest is close enough.

Whilst making up your own patch cables isn't at all hard, I always
like to have a cable-tester just to make sure I have got it right.

James

ff <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed):

> Hi I'm thinking of having a go at making my own network cat5e
> cables. I have looked about but the difference between amazon
> and ordering off ebay from hong kong is only about two or three
> pounds so I thought I'd order the following
>
> Belkin RJ45 Medium Duty Crimp Tool Our Price: £10.40
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000636XSO
>
> Belkin Cat5e Snagless UTP Patch Cable (Grey) 30m Our Price:
> £6.56 http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009VGT8
>
> Belkin RJ45 Modular Connector 50 Pack (Clear) Our Price: £5.79
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004Z648
>
> Postage is free
>
> I hope to end up with eight 20cm patch cables to go from a wall
> mounted switch to a patch panel thus reducing current dangling
> cables. The idea is to chop up the 30m cable into bits and still
> have plenty left over so when I need the odd cable I can just
> run it off without paying high street prices or postage costs.
>
> Does this seem a good plan or am I going in the wrong direction
> (this is my first attempt)? Equally if you know where the
> same\better equipment is available much cheaper... But so far it
> looks like this is, while not the cheapest is close enough.
>

Some thoughts for you to consider:

You'd get a better deal buying a drum or box of bare cable, but you
usually have to buy a minimum of 100m.

Suggest you use snagless boots with the RJ45 connectors.

Making up a cable can be fiddly and time-consuming.

Factor in test gear to check each cable after you've made it -
useful kit to have around anyway IME.

Factor in cocked-up terminations, particularly your first few
attempts.

"ff" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi I'm thinking of having a go at making my own network cat5e cables.
> I have looked about but the difference between amazon and ordering off
> ebay from hong kong is only about two or three pounds so I thought I'd
> order the following
>
> Belkin RJ45 Medium Duty Crimp Tool Our Price: £10.40
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000636XSO
>
> Belkin Cat5e Snagless UTP Patch Cable (Grey) 30m Our Price: £6.56
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00009VGT8
>
> Belkin RJ45 Modular Connector 50 Pack (Clear) Our Price: £5.79
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004Z648
>
> Postage is free
>
> I hope to end up with eight 20cm patch cables to go from a wall
> mounted switch to a patch panel thus reducing current dangling cables.
> The idea is to chop up the 30m cable into bits and still have plenty
> left over so when I need the odd cable I can just run it off without
> paying high street prices or postage costs.
>
> Does this seem a good plan or am I going in the wrong direction (this
> is my first attempt)? Equally if you know where the same\better
> equipment is available much cheaper... But so far it looks like this
> is, while not the cheapest is close enough.
>
> Thanks a bunch

B and Q wherehouse and screwfix are worth a look

> "ff" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message

www.ebuyer.co.uk

In news:(E-Mail Removed),
ff <(E-Mail Removed)> spake thus :

|
| I hope to end up with eight 20cm patch cables to go from a wall
| mounted switch to a patch panel thus reducing current dangling cables.
| The idea is to chop up the 30m cable into bits and still have plenty
| left over so when I need the odd cable I can just run it off without
| paying high street prices or postage costs.
|
| Does this seem a good plan or am I going in the wrong direction (this
| is my first attempt)? Equally if you know where the same\better
| equipment is available much cheaper... But so far it looks like this
| is, while not the cheapest is close enough.
|

Have a look at http://www.netshop.co.uk/ - ready made cables from £0.50 ....
plus lots of components - we use them a lot - good, realiable service

HTH

--
David

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, ff
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>Hi I'm thinking of having a go at making my own network cat5e cables.
>I have looked about but the difference between amazon and ordering off
>ebay from hong kong is only about two or three pounds so I thought I'd
>order the following
Forget it unless you have an on-going need for this kit. You can buy the
cables you need for under a fiver. If you do need the tools, go ahead
but, generally, patch cables are cheap enough that it's not worth making
them unless you really have to. I only have the crimp tool for when I
come across a damaged plug on a cable I can't rip out. I think I've used
it six times last year and it's not been out of the tool box so far this
year.
>Thanks a bunch

--
Clint Sharp

Thank-you for all your thoughts, very quick response.
-
No b&q near me but looked at screwfix but looked a bit expensive and
not much choice, perhaps aimed more at the professional. Ebuyer I also
looked at and they do a cheaper crimp tool which claims to be the same
as the belkin but their cable is more and they don't appear to have
much in the way of connectors or boots and once you add on postage you
don't really save much. I have looked through the other suggestions
but they all looked more expensive especially once including postage.

The amazon cable at £6.56 for 30m is about 20p a meter which is about
as cheap as I can find anywere short of buying a 305m drum so I don't
see any advantage in buying bulk though I looked around. Seems strange
to dismember a premade cable but if its the best value...

Boots, I had hoped that as they are for cables which once plugged in
wouldn't be unplugged again they would not be nesessary but if you
think they help I will try and get some. Hard to find cheaply but I
see if I order from china I can get a 100 boots and rj45 connectors
for £10 which is tempting. Are cheap connectors\plugs a problem or are
they fairly generic?

Cable tester, do these vary in quality much or would one of the £5
ones off ebay do just as well as any?

I have seen some seperate wire strippers being sold but assume the
built in ones on the crimp tools are adequte?

Just to clarify I don't expect to save huge amounts of money its just
living out of the way it can be hard to get individual cables when the
need arises which is frustrating. Having my own small supply would be
easier and break even in less than a year I reckon. I did look into
just buying 8 50p + postage .5m cables off ebuyer but decided I'd
rather put the money towards this.

So think I am now leaning towards

30m cable £6.50 and crimp tool £10 amazon

100 rj45 connectors and boots ebay chinese seller £10

Cable tester ebay £5

Thanks again