How to make a network cable Introduction

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How to make a network cable 
VVOB 
–
Bernard Kapinda
Page 1 of 7 
August 18, 2016
How to make a network cable 
Introduction 
Connecting computers in a network 
– mostly referred to in ICT lingo as a LAN (Local 
Area Network) - has become a standard proceeding in institutions where a significant 
number of computers is present. Whether it is to connect your computers internally as a 
so called intranet, or to connect various computers to the Internet, a LAN permits you to 
exchange information between computers without physically going over to the other 
computer. 
All that is strictly necessary to set up a LAN is some sort of a central dispatching device 
(like a router, hub or switch) and some network cables. The dispatching device is used to 
bring the computers together, and the type used depends on the application; a router is 
used to connect to different subnets, while a hub and a switch connect computers within a 
subnet, the switch providing a faster connection than the hub. However, this document 
will not cover the complete installation of a network; it is very easy to find information 
about this on the internet.
Instead, this document focuses on the production of the network cable. Very few and 
relatively cheap materials are needed to make a network cable, and the proceedings are 
simple.

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How to make a network cable 
VVOB 
–
Bernard Kapinda
Page 2 of 7 
August 18, 2016
Materials 
To make a network cable all you need is a piece of cable and two connectors, one for 
each side. In order to connect the connectors to the cable you need a crimping tool. 
Figure 1: UTP cable 
Nowadays there is one type of network cable that is almost universally used: the UTP 
cable of category 5e. Look closely at the cable and you should find a print on the jacket.
UTP stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair
. Let’s examine the significance of this 
acronym a bit closer. The P for Pair refers to the fact that inside the cable there are 4 
pairs of wires. Each pair of wires consists of one wire in a full color (orange, green, blue,
brown) and one white wire with a line of the corresponding color (orange/white, 
green/white, blue/white, brown/white). The T for Twisted indicates that each pair of 
wires is twisted along its longitudinal axis, and inside the cable the 4 pairs are twisted 
around each other (along the longitudinal axis of the cable as well). This is done so to 
reduce the effects of electromagnetic interference. Finally, the cable is called Unshielded 
because covering the inside pairs of wires there is just a plastic jacket, not some special 
shielding material to shield the cable for interference. Shielded cables exist as well (e.g. 
in power cables), but they would be so expensive that it would not be viable to use them 
in computer networks. 
Figure 2: RJ 45 Connectors 

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How to make a network cable 
VVOB 
–
Bernard Kapinda
Page 3 of 7 
August 18, 2016
The connector used is a RJ45 connector. They have 8 canals where the 8 wires of the 
UTP cable should fit into, and gold coated connecting pins to make the electrical contact.