What are Straight and Crossover cable
Common Ethernet network cable are straight and crossover cable. This Ethernet network cable is made of 4 pair high performance cable that consists twisted pair conductors that used for data transmission. Both end of cable is called RJ45 connector.
The cable can be categorized as Cat 5, Cat 5e, Cat 6 UTP cable. Cat 5 UTP cable can support 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network, whereas Cat 5e and Cat 6 UTP cable can support Ethernet network running at 10/100/1000 Mbps. You might heard about Cat 3 UTP cable, it’s not popular anymore since it can only support 10 Mbps Ethernet network.
Straight and crossover cable can be Cat 3, Cat 5, Cat 5e or Cat 6 UTP cable, the only difference is each type will have different wire arrangement in the cable for serving different purposes.
Straight Cable
You usually use straight cable to connect different type of devices. This type of cable will be used most of the time and can be used to:
1) Connect a computer to a switch/hub’s normal port.
2) Connect a computer to a cable/DSL modem’s LAN port.
3) Connect a router’s WAN port to a cable/DSL modem’s LAN port.
4) Connect a router’s LAN port to a switch/hub’s uplink port. (normally used for expanding network)
5) Connect 2 switches/hubs with one of the switch/hub using an uplink port and the other one using normal port.
If you need to check how straight cable looks like, it’s easy. Both side (side A and side B) of cable have wire arrangement with same color. Check out different types of straight cable that are available in the market here.
Crossover Cable
Sometimes you will use crossover cable, it’s usually used to connect same type of devices. A crossover cable can be used to:
1) Connect 2 computers directly.
2) Connect a router’s LAN port to a switch/hub’s normal port. (normally used for expanding network)
3) Connect 2 switches/hubs by using normal port in both switches/hubs.
In you need to check how crossover cable looks like, both side (side A and side B) of cable have wire arrangement with following different color . Have a look on these crossover cables if you plan to buy one. You can also find more network cable choices and information from Comtrad Cables.
In case you need to make a crossover cable yourself! You can use this crimper to do it.
Lastly, if you still not sure which type of cable to be used sometimes, try both cables and see which works.
Note: If there is auto MDI/MDI-X feature support on the switch, hub, network card or other network devices, you don’t have to use crossover cable in the situation which I mentioned above. This is because crossover function would be enabled automatically when it’s needed.
Straight Through vs Crossover Cable
What Is Straight Through Cable?
A straight through cable is a type of twisted pair cable that is used in local area networks to connect a computer to a network hub such as a router. This type of cable is also sometimes called a patch cable and is an alternative to wireless connections where one or more computers access a router through a wireless signal. On a straight through cable, the wired pins match. Straight through cable use one wiring standard: both ends use T568A wiring standard or both ends use T568B wiring standard. The following figure shows a straight through cable of which both ends are wired as the T568B standard.
What Is Crossover Cable?
A crossover Ethernet cable is a type of Ethernet cable used to connect computing devices together directly. Unlike straight through cable, the RJ45 crossover cable uses two different wiring standards: one end uses the T568A wiring standard, and the other end uses the T568B wiring standard. The internal wiring of Ethernet crossover cables reverses the transmit and receive signals. It is most often used to connect two devices of the same type: e.g. two computers (via network interface controller) or two switches to each other.
Straight Through vs Crossover Cable, which to choose?
Straight through vs crossover cable, which one should I choose? Usually, straight through cables are primarily used for connecting unlike devices. And crossover cables are use for connecting alike devices.
Use straight through Ethernet cable for the following cabling:
- Switch to router
- Switch to PC or server
- Hub to PC or server
Use crossover cables for the following cabling:
- Switch to switch
- Switch to hub
- Hub to hub
- Router to router
- Router Ethernet port to PC NIC
- PC to PC
Conclusion on Straight Through vs Crossover Cable
Straight through and crossover cables are wired differently from each other. One easy way to tell what you have is to look at the order of the colored wires inside the RJ45 connector. If the order of the wires is the same on both ends, then you have a straight through cable. If not, then it’s most likely a crossover cable or was wired wrong. At present, the straight through cable is much more popular than crossover cable and is widely used by people. FS.COM provides a full range straight through Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a and Cat7 Ethernet cables with many lengths and colors options.
