Wiring Ethernet Extensions: How to Fit Sockets & Make Patch Leads 

This is the best ethernet wiring tutorial that you can see on the internet. no frills, no gimmicks just pure learning experience all throughout the video. Thanks Chris*

I have 25+ years experience in CATx cabling. Your information is correct and complete. For everything I thought "will he mention this or that", you mentioned that in the video.

It's EC Sunday again. How I keep waiting for evening time which is EC time. You make our Sundays better, Chris.

I realise that I don’t know much, but this sort of thing brings it home just how much I don’t know. It’s a masterpiece of precision and conciseness.

I'm a simple man. I see an Explaining Computers video and I click on it, like it, unsubscribe so I can subscribe, then make a comment to help the algorithm as well as complimenting Chris as to what great videos he produces. Hey Chris, you make great videos! Thanks!

This is the best tutorial on the Internet. There is not a single video explaining everything like this. This man is a treasure.

Informative and practical. And I'd like to welcome Mr Crimping Tool to the channel.

Network basics and how-to, the information everyone doesn't need... until they need it desperately.:)

Chris’ genius is his ability not to complicate.

Love these. Crisp, clear and informative. What a contrast to most of the junk out there. Never knew there was so much to learn about Ethernet cables - now I want to make some up, just because!

I learned everything about Ethernet cables from just one video. Well done, and thank you.

I'm at a loss to try to imagine why on earth so many dislikes? There is nothing but excellent concise and informative information here in this video. That's what lock-up has done to some people -I despair I really do. Keep up the great work you do as always very much appreciated. Thank you.

After years of messing about with Wifi extenders, ethernet over powerline, the last year I've finally accepted the simplicity and efficiency of just running CAT 6 or 7 cable as needed, including externally. I could have used this video 12 months ago as it demystifies everything I needed to know then!

Many people,including myself thought that when first introduced to the internet, wireless would be faster. Fortunetely I learned very fast that wired is always better. Good video.

Very well explained. I've been making my own cables for years, and rarely seen someone demonstrate it as succinctly as this.

Wow, that was great. I’m a retired IT person and I’ve never heard about pass-through connectors! Thank you ever so much for this video as my old fumble fingers have trouble making cables with the old style connectors. I’ve watched your videos for years and honestly I think this is the most practical, useful video that I’ve watched! Thank you ever so much and please don’t stop making these wonderful videos. Hans …

Those pass-through connectors and crimping tool certainly made it look easy!

That was Ethernet 101 through to Ethernet 105 in one very interesting video. Thanks again, Chris. Superb insights, as always. I would never have suspected there was so much to say about good old Ethernet

I missed this when it first came out but by the miracle of RU-vid a year later I finally get to watch. 👍 Very informative and I feel capable of an outdoor Ethernet project with your help.

It's very nice that you've done a video on UTP. Several years ago, I thougth I'd give my friend an advice on UTP (about 3-5 connections indoor totaling about 70m) by suggesting a youtube video on the matter - and there was not a good one with your relaxed and simple attitude - so that's definitely a plus! As for choosing the appropriate cable category, I think what worths mention is that when you do this a lot (in corporate buildings) - the idea is to select the less expensive (and often less wide) cable sufficient for the application. In 20+ users environments, CAT5 unshielded is still more than enough for general office rooms... shielding is only required for intra-server-room paths and sometimes when using vents near utility shafts (like high-power elevator motors, kitchens, etc.) I often see people select UTP based on the idea of "give me the bestest out there" and then they curse when drilling walls and trying to bend it. So my 5 cents to otherwise great video!

I'm such a cable snob, it's 100% copper or not at all. Just done installing ethernet runs throughout my house, spent the money on a branded cat6 (likewise, longest single run is under 20 metres) and I genuinely sit happier knowing that the hours I spent fitting it and fishing cables through cavities have been with a quality product.

I've cabled up many large structured cabling setups over the years, patch panels to wall sockets. Your presentation and explanation of terminating to RJ-45 and Faceplates is appreciated, and hopefully will inspire some viewers to cable their home network. I have had a Cat5e cabled network at home since around 2006, I only use wifi for my phone. Every other PC, server, TV, console is hard wired via ethernet.

I usually go back to the youtube home page as soon as a presenter starts going into their outro, but not with this channel. I actually keep watching to the end because that outro music is just so awesome. It's simple, yet memorable. And it always makes me smile.

How timely, just about to run a cable to my garage. Wish I had known about pass through plugs in the past though, much easier than the closed ones. Thanks for the video.

Wow it’s really that simple. I’ve often looked at Ethernet cables and thought to myself it looks really complicated, but now seeing that it only takes a couple of tools, some cable and a wiring diagram, I’ve now learnt something new and could easily do this myself. Thank you for this video Chris. Please please please keep up the good work and do more videos like this 😁😁😁

This gave me nostalgia... quit network engineering about 4 years ago. Would have been nice to have had such a profound, yet easy to follow guide back in the day.

Chris this video is excellent and timely, the best video I have seen explaining cable types and showing the practical application to wire a socket or plug. The reason for it been timely is my 15 year old son asked me to teach him about making Ethernet cables. Now we can watch the video together and then build some tables. I started my career in telecoms and the first thing we had to do was build a set of good test cables. Normally an x21 through and cross cable, a v24/rs232 through and nul modem and a loop dongle and always the most fiddly was a RJ45 plug Ethernet. Loved this video thank you for sharing.

A *proper* crimping tool, like the one shown in this video, is *absolutely* worth the extra money! The ratcheting kind like that -- where it simply will not release until you've fully crimped the connector -- is *SO MUCH BETTER* than the "pliers-style" of crimper. A cheap tool will cause you *no end* of troubles with your network, whereas a good-quality (and thus more expensive) tool will make a good connection every single time. Yes, it hurts to spend that kind of money on a tool, when you see the cheap pliers-style crimpers for so little money. But don't be fooled!! Buy the expensive ratcheting-style crimpers!! The time and frustration you save is worth every penny you'll spend on the expensive crimper! As someone who has wired up literally thousands of these connections in his lifetime, I *promise* it's worth the money!! I learned it the hard way!!

I'm a fan of conduits and pull throughs, laying a pipe to carry the underground cable also helps when it comes to upgrade time. Hardware changes so quickly so after 15 years my plastered in cat 5e cable is looking a little ropey when connected to my teenage son and his insatiable data needs. Thanks for yet another excellent tutorial

I like the Sundays thanks to you! Hello from India.

Very helpful video. I have to run an Ethernet connection out to my greenhouse as I'm planning to install a remote monitored sprinkler system and a camera system there. Now I know what components I will need, and in order to future proof, exactly what cable I want to use. Thank you very much Chris.

Thanks for the timely video, you've probably saved me a bit of cash in the process. I had my garage converted into a "man cave" last year and I have a server cabinet in there with a rack server, POE switch and Ethernet going elsewhere to the house. I had quite a bit of internal and external CAT6 cable left over and was planning to make up a few more patch leads from it over the next couple of weeks. I didn't give any thought to cable types and AWG numbers but, thanks to your video, I've just now ordered the correct crimping tool and Ethernet plugs.

Fantastic guide. Very helpful and NO MUSIC!!

Chris's speech cadence brings me so much joy! Thank you for uploading these amazing videos!

Thanks for another useful video - I note that you didn't even try to demonstrate the non-pass-through type of RJ45 ethernet cable plugs and I don't blame you! They were fiddly and difficult to fit, the bane of my life, and caused endless problems till I finally was able to obtain the pass-through type which made things so much easier!

I had no idea that there were so many variations in network cables. Thank you for the video.

It is quite apparent that the proper tools make this job easy. I have done this just using simple wire strippers and cutters, and it can be tricky.

Handy Tip worth mentioning here: although Chris has made a very neat job of the socket wiring, it’s handy to include ‘service loops’ on the wiring. Basically have the stripped wires a little longer (each end) to facilitate cutting back should you ever need to change the termination configuration at a later date. Or if there is a problem with a good secure connection you get a second or third go. Nonetheless, nice video Chris 👍

This is the PERFECT Ethernet wiring video. EVERYTHING you could possibly want to know about wiring Ethernet. I have been doing this DIY for a number of years now. From my experiences: - Pass-through plugs make it SO much easier. I have tried both. Getting the wires in sequence is tricky. Doing this does take time, patience and practice. A magnifier really helps. -Testers are a must. They can be bought inexpensively, like the model used here, BUT their jacks can be flimsy and finicky. While the cable connections may have been made correctly, they do not always display fully. Sometimes wiggling the plug is necessary. Sometimes the device itself may be bad. SO .... FIRST test the device itself with a known good patch cable.

This is by far the best instructional video on this subject! This is something I have wanted to learn for a long time. After watching this I am confident I can preform the task! I have always had poor eyesight and was not sure I could accomplish this, now I know I can easily! Thank you so much!

Outdoor cable is generally UV protected too. So the sun does not break the cable down. Where as Indoor cable is not UV proof. I have seen many installations where people have used indoor grey cable outside. And after a few years it has cracked open and let water in. Leading to corrosion and failed links.

Well, that was really useful. Thanks for condensing all that information into a single video. Looking forward to seeing more videos on your garage/studio project in the future.

This is a first-class presenter. Excellent videos each time. Congratulation and thank you for your time and dedication to be simple, robust and unique. You are the best. Congratulations. I've cabled up many large structured cabling setups over the years, patch panels to wall sockets. Your presentation and explanation of terminating to RJ-45 and Faceplates is appreciated, and hopefully will inspire some viewers to cable their home network. I have had a Cat5e cabled network at home since around 2019, I only use WIFI for my phone. Every other PC, server, TV, console is hard wired via

Excellent video! Very professional indeed. I usually don’t have the patience to bother with Ethernet cables, but this makes it very easy to grasp!

Very timely, I’m waiting on my StarLink “dishy” . I’ll need to wire it in. It’s been 30 years since I used a punch down tool. 👍🏽 informative and well presented. Thanks

Another trick is when you run a cable through an outside wall is make a loop on the outside so that the cable going into the wall is at a point higher than the loop. Water always runs down hill...

Bravo! Best wiring video I have seen! Must have been VERY difficult to capture as clearly and in focus as you did. Kudos!

Used your video to install a cctv camera. You made it easy for my first ever ethernet connection. A complete success. Thank you.

Great video. Quick note. If you are using a shielded cable then you should use a shielded CAT6A connector (or whatever standard your cable is) otherwise the cable shield is not connected from device to the socket. They have shielding around the area where the twisted pairs pass into the connector and a small metal crimp that crimps around the foil screen, completing the shield.

I have the same cable tester as you. You can slide the two master/slave units apart then install one on each end of the run of cable run.

This is the most clear concise and all-you-need-to-know tutorial for home network cabling. Thank you 😊

This video came up on my feed yesterday, and I am really pleased I watched it. I've never done this myself, but expect to need to do it in the next few months. Your guide is VERY handy and informative. Also, working in the industry, I can well believe that telcoms engineers go our for pointless wifi issues all the time. Quite frustrating when you know it's a waste of their time.

For the underground cable, you might have want to mention that if you're going from one building to another building with it's own grounding - consider the problem of grounding loops. If you don't want to worry about this, consider multimode-fiber.

Excellent video Chris, fantastic as always! My only comment is that you didn’t use shielded RJ45 plugs for a cable that support it to make that little LED below 8 on your tester light up. But in your case the uplink cable is unshielded so doesn’t matter :)

Pass through plugs are a gift from god!

As always I enjoy the clear and concise explanations of the material being presented. As always, keep up the good work.

Oh my! It's Sunday already? What happened to Saturday? I've lost all sense of time now that I stay at home and walk around in my pajamas!

21:51 - Yep, this is why I use ethernet for everything that has an ethernet port or can use some kind of USB to ethernet adapter. Wi-Fi is only for my portable devices like phones or tablets. PCs, game consoles, televisions - these aren't going anywhere, they get wired. It gives them a more reliable connection and keeps the airwaves free for the devices that really need Wi-Fi.

The socket is called a Keystone Jack. Thank you for the excellent video

Well, that was refreshing. Compared to a lot of the entertainment crap and not educational content. It's been some years since I made my own cables and this brought a lot back to mine so, Thank You.

I found this very interesting as i want to make my own patch cables, and was wondering how it was done you have saved me a lot of research, thank you.

Right into my favourite vids

I just ran 1000 ft Cat6a between 16 outlets through our new office. Learned to terminate RJ45 plugs and jacks. Pass through plugs I feel was easier. After the first few times you get in the groove.

Outstanding tutorial, I've been putting off running a hard wired Ethernet connection to my bedroom, but this has sealed the deal. So clearly explained, thnakyou so much Chris.

I saw this weeks video title and thought 'Really??!?!' I guess the seasoned Cat crimper in me forgot how much info there really is in this subject, especially as it's grown over the years. Once again, a perfectly laid out, easy to swallow, very informative video. Hats off to you sir! Just one niggly comment though (and based on my pet peeve) I would have mentioned the importance of crimping onto the insulation of the wire in the RJ45 as it acts as the strain relief. I have seen it too many times where cables are pulling on the 8 wires, especially on the non ez-crimp connectors. It makes me wonder why aren't all connectors ez-crimp?! (passthrough style)

Broadcast media are always a last resort lol. Wire is the way!

I love networking content. I put drops in every room of my house a few years ago and every PC and smart TV had a wired connection, leaving just phones and tablets on WiFi. Best decision I ever made.

Perfect timing! I will be wiring ethernet in the crawlspace next month, and I mistakenly assumed I knew enough about which cable to use and which tools I'd need. Saved me some headaches!

If you need a job with my local cable company, please let me know and I'd be happy to write a letter of recommendation. ☺️ Thanks for the wonderful content.

Hardware repair, excellent.

Christopher, just wanted to say thanks for an excellent tutorial, i decided 18 months ago to hard wire our new build house, some cables had already been installed however i decided to purchase 2 X TP-LINK AC1350 and install dado trunking within my office for better connect and better speed. i have put off the the final commissioning as i wasnt sure about the correct termination of both jacks and leads. after watching this i have bought the termination kit with pass through tool and cable tester and its all gone well! ive now subscribed as well. Thanks 🙂

Have to agree with the many other positive comments - the first 5:45 of this video alone is the clearest, most comprehensive-yet-concise information on ethernet cabling I've seen. Well done and thank you!

A new EC video, oh yeees

Another informative video. For people like me, who do better with tools than with computers overall, these DIY styled videos are a nice aspect of your channel. I learn from all of your videos, but these give me confidence to do more with computers.

thankyou so much for the lesson ., U t's so important to me as an ICT teacher here in Uganda, it's so helpful, I may need more connections

Some people go to church on Sunday morning. Not me. I watch the latest Explaining Computers video.

Ooh, a new video. I clicked so fast 😂

That Ethernet to USB adapter looks very interesting thank you for showing it

This is a first-class presenter. Excellent videos each time. Congratulation and thank you for your time and dedication to be simple, robust and unique. You are the best. Congratulations.

Plebs: I hope my Wi-Fi will make it through my garage wall ExplainingComputers: Drill to make ethernet hole goes "Brrrrr"

Here! First. 12th 🏅 gold. Ready to watch the best tech stuff on internet thanks to Chris.

Christopher - this video is exceptionally useful, by far the best video I've seen by quite a margin in this area. I have forwarded this to a bunch of students and people curious on the topic who appear to find it equally as useful, many thanks! Outstanding stuff!

Nice video. I had to learn all this years ago when I ran Ethernet for a local business as well as when I wired my home. The only thing I can think to add is that if you are running the cables in your attic Please get the plenum rated cabling because it will not produce toxic smoke in case of fire! Thank you for the excellent video and the time you put into it for us. It is appreciated.

Anyone here with OCD that are bothered by the crooked sticker on the RJ45 crimper? - 9:06 8-P

Cat5 never comes shielded ? Do they just not make it anymore ? Are all these old 1997 vintage spools of Cat5 STP in my garage worth more money now ?...

Excellent video with clear, relevant, and concise information. Watching the video gives you the confidence and all the necessary information needed to embark on your own project. Well done and keep up the good work.

Nice, no music no BS straight to the topic. Well done. Thanks

I prefer to strip the outer shield by cutting about 5 centimeters along the length of the cable. It is much less likely to damage a conductor. Even if I cut too deep, I only might hit the conductor, but I am very unlikely to cut into the copper. However stripping by cutting radially can easily cut halfway through a conductor because you are not absolutely sure about the cable diameter.

The cats 🐈 aren’t working this week. They’re on vacation!

A very timely video Chris, I've just had an offer accepted on my first house and it needs loads of work. I'm glad I can use this as a reference for getting and ethernet connection in each room that I want.

Perfect timing Mr. Barnatt! I, (we, including SWMBO) are moving to far rural NW Montana, which features fiber optic internet. My request for hard-wired ethernet has been conditionally approved, but it's probably been 25 years since I've wired an RJ-45 plug.

FYI: The results address is not blurred. It can be accessed :/

that brick 'blow out' was caused by drilling from the inside to outside...with a hammer drill ( try to do like Chris and go outside to in :)

Thanks for posting. I did this type of patch cable assembly for the Coast Guard. Our tools were more primitive however. I like the test tool you had for finished product. Back in the day we wired the 46 buildings with cat 4 and very shortly afterward the industry upgraded to cat 5 . This was a video I wished I had when training the telephone techs that accomplished the wiring for use by us.

This video earns a much coveted spot in my ultimate playlist; "REFERENCE". Thanks!

13:27 - RU-vid's 1080p video compression is getting worse. You can really notice the large "pixels" at the blue to red edges here.

16:32 - Your crimp could be better by removing all of the excess shielding (wire and foil) outside of the cable jacket. This caused the back crimp tab, that should hold the jacket, to be only on the wire shielding. That will pull out from the connector much easier requiring a future repair.

Totally on point. Didn't knew these much things to consider when buying a cable, such as pvc inner coating. Excellent!!!!

In my personal opinion, this is the easiest and most simple way to learn how to tie the wires Great job man 🇩🇿🇩🇿

putting a shielded cable into unshielded plugs 😥