Cat-5 wiring using 2 pairs

[cutter]

The folks that installed Cat-5 wiring in my home only used 2 pairs, pair 2(green) and pair 3(orange), to wire from the network enclosure to the corresponding Cat-5 wall jack. Do my patch cords that run from the wall jack to the computer need to have only 2 pairs (4 conductors) in order to get a link?
Thanks!

 

[Hefemeister]

as far as I understand for data transfer you need 4 pairs or eight wires. 2 pairs work for phones. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[cutter]

I read that only 2 pairs are used for standard ehternet wiring. See (http://www.bluemax.net/techtips/networking/Wiring_Tips/Wiring100TX/colorcodestandards.htm)

 

[Obtruse_Man4]

There should be eight single wires in all. The very first picture on the site you referenced is correct. However it doesn't mention that the picture on the left is the color code for a crossover cable. The picture on the right is the color code for a straight through cable (or patch cable). For a patch cable, both ends of the cable are the exact same in color coding sequence. For a crossover cable, one end is wired each way.

Now I think I'm correct in saying that it is possible to "create" your own color coding sequence. As long as you follow it throughout your entire network that is. The only problem with not following the standard is that it won't work with anything else you plug into your network.

The only reason someone would do this would be to force whoever you're wiring for to pay you to keep coming back. Say you have a guy wire your house, and he decides to use his own color code. It's basically impossible for you to rip all the wiring out of the walls, so you have to pay him to keep coming back if you want to add to your network at all.

I'm not sure what you're talking about cutter; talking in pairs is confusing to me. However if you had your house wired by professionials, I would assume they wired your house correctly. Buy a patch cable from your local staples and if it works on your network then you have standard ethernet wiring throughout your house.

 

[Phoenix1]

10Base-T and 100Base-TX only use pairs 2 and 3 of the cat5 cabling. 1000Base-T uses all four pairs (8 wires).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TIA-568A

 

[BASSMASTER]

Now I think I'm correct in saying that it is possible to "create" your own color coding sequence. As long as you follow it throughout your entire network that is.

that's correct

 

[Inaris]

The standards that I know of all work this way... for non 1000baseT netowrks, you can use 1236 pairings only. All other wires can be left unattached. In 1000BaseT, you use all pairs. The 1236 color codes that I have always seen and used are Orange:1 Orange stripe:2 Green:3 Green stripe 6. If I'm doing two ports off one cable then I use Blue for Yellow and brown for Green. The use of all the wires isnt' manditory in the case of our house. It really only helps with interference.

hope that explains a little.

The only reason someone would do this would be to force whoever you're wiring for to pay you to keep coming back. Say you have a guy wire your house, and he decides to use his own color code. It's basically impossible for you to rip all the wiring out of the walls, so you have to pay him to keep coming back if you want to add to your network at all.

as to this statement, as long as you follow the pairs you can fix anything you want. all netowrk ports use the same pair sequences. 1236 are the arrangement for them. 1 and 2 are transmit and 3/6 are receive. That is the same no matter what collor arrangement you use.

Good luck

 

[Alex81388]

Cat5 only uses 4 wires, or 2 pairs. It doesn't matter which pairs as long as the ORDER of them from endpoint to endpoint are consistant with the devices (IE Straighthrough/cross)

 

[Obtruse_Man4]

Originally posted by Inaris
as to this statement, as long as you follow the pairs you can fix anything you want. all netowrk ports use the same pair sequences. 1236 are the arrangement for them. 1 and 2 are transmit and 3/6 are receive. That is the same no matter what collor arrangement you use.

Does this mean that you can color code the pairs whichever way you want on a single ethernet cable, as long as they are the same on each end. Then if you plug this cable color coded a certian way into a "standard" network, it will work? Is that what you mean; it doesn't matter how each individual cable is color coded, it sends and recieves the same anyway?

 

[mikesgroovin]

Does this mean that you can color code the pairs whichever way you want on a single ethernet cable, as long as they are the same on each end. Then if you plug this cable color coded a certian way into a "standard" network, it will work? Is that what you mean; it doesn't matter how each individual cable is color coded, it sends and recieves the same anyway?

if we are talking about going from one network segment to an end node, then sure. think about it on a very basic level. the colors of the cables dont matter. the twists matter in pairs and in cross-pairs so it wouldn't make sense to allow pair 1,2 to be orange-white and brown-white and pair 3,6 to be green and blue-white....
in the end data travels in a basic serial fasion on cat5 and in pairs. as long as the "pairs" are the same "pairs" on the other end (given in straight and crossed environments) then it doesn't matter what the colors are.