Patch Vs. Crossover Cables
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Posted by Tony on March 9, 2006, 11:18 am
Please log in for more thread options Hi everyone, Can some people chime in as to whether or not patch cables are the same as crossover cables? Are they or are they not the same? If you do not already know the answer I would prefer you not respond. Please do not look on Google to get your answer. :) I recently bought three crossover cables from ComputerCableStore.com. When the cables arrived I found they were actually patch cables, not crossover cables. When I e-mailed the customer service person about the problem she insisted that "patch" is just another term for "crossover". In other words, ComputerCableStore.com is claiming there is no difference between patch and crossover cables. I'm not an Ethernet expert but I'm pretty sure (about 99.9%) that crossovers are different from patch. Is it true or is the customer service person from ComputerCableStore.com correct? Thanks. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Al Dykes on March 9, 2006, 11:26 am
Please log in for more thread options ""patch" is just another term for "crossover"" is incorrect. Crossover cables are wired differently but look identical to patch cables. Every factory-made crossover cable I ever seen was clearly labeled as such. If it doesn't say "crossover", it's probably not one. Patch cables are wired "straight through". Crossover cables have signals crossed. -- a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m Don't blame me. I voted for Gore. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by DecaturTxCowboy on March 9, 2006, 1:29 pm
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Tony wrote: > I'm not an Ethernet expert but I'm pretty sure (about 99.9%) that
> crossovers are different from patch. Is it true or is the customer > service person from ComputerCableStore.com correct? Two different definitions here, one is a generic usage description ("patch cable") and one is wiring (pin out) scheme description ("cross-over"). A patch cable just a phrase to describe the usage of a short cable. It does not specify the wiring scheme, i.e. straight-through or cross-over. It is usually a short 3 ft. cable that connects two devices together, such as the house cable termination patch panel to a hub or switch located in your equipment room, as opposed to the cabling inside the wall (house cable) or from office wall jack to the computer NIC (you could usually just call this the network cable to the computer). These cables use a straight-through wiring scheme in that both cable ends and jacks are wired identically. It doesn't matter what wiring scheme or jack standard you use, 568A or 568B, just as long as the same standard is used through out the wiring plan. There is one exception where you might need a cross-over patch cable. A cross-over cable is where the pins 1 and 2 are swapped with pins 3 and 6. Basically the cable has a 568A wiring scheme on one end and 568B on the other. This is often used for the cable from a DSL modem to the internet jack of a router or uplink jack between two hubs, or for connecting only two computers together in an simple "network". So to answer your question...99.9% of patch cables are straight-through, the .1% exception is when you really need a crossed over cable. Therefore the customer service answer in the context you described would be incorrect. Look at the two ends of the cables you bought. If pin 2 is the same color on both cables, you have a straight through patch cable. It will most likely be orange/white 568B), but may be green/white 568A). *IF* pin 2 is green/white on one end and orange/white on the other end, then you have a cross-over patch cable which is not what you'll be wanting to use. BTW, I used pin 2 for my example as its easier to see the colors compared to pin 1. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by dg on March 14, 2006, 4:28 pm
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> These cables use a straight-through wiring scheme in that both cable ends
> and jacks are wired identically. It doesn't matter what wiring scheme or > jack standard you use, 568A or 568B, just as long as the same standard is > used through out the wiring plan. I am a firm believer that you should go with either 568A or 568B throughout an entire installation, not a mix. But tell me this, is there really any technical problem with using 568A patch cables in a building that is wired to the 568B standard? I mean, permanent in-wall cabling is all terminated 568B but you use patch cables that are 568A? Or the other way around, the permanent cabling is terminated 568A but you use patch cables that are 568B? It seems to me that no problem should be caused by this, and I wouldn't want to do it just because I like to keep things simple to avoid complications down the road. But what do you guys think? Should there be any problem? THANKS! --Dan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by DecaturTxCowboy on March 14, 2006, 9:17 pm
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dg wrote: > It seems to me that no problem should be caused by this, and I wouldn't want
> to do it just because I like to keep things simple to avoid complications > down the road. But what do you guys think? Should there be any problem? There's nothing wrong doing that at all. Consider all the government house cabling jobs done with the 568A standard and then using 568B patch cables and jack to computer cables. Since the patch cables are pre-made, the only thing YOU would need to make sure is that the wall jacks are wired to same standard as you equipment room patch panel jacks. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
>
>Can some people chime in as to whether or not patch cables are the same
>as crossover cables? Are they or are they not the same? If you do not
>already know the answer I would prefer you not respond. Please do not
>look on Google to get your answer. :)
>
>I recently bought three crossover cables from ComputerCableStore.com.
>When the cables arrived I found they were actually patch cables, not
>crossover cables. When I e-mailed the customer service person about the
>problem she insisted that "patch" is just another term for "crossover".
>In other words, ComputerCableStore.com is claiming there is no
>difference between patch and crossover cables.
>
>I'm not an Ethernet expert but I'm pretty sure (about 99.9%) that
>crossovers are different from patch. Is it true or is the customer
>service person from ComputerCableStore.com correct?
>
>Thanks.
>