[Q] I have a damaged CAT 5 Cable. Can I repair it?
[A] In some cases, yes you can.
The
type and location of the damage will dictate if it can effectively
repaired, and in many cases you will be better off replacing
the cable. Let's look at some of the different situations that
might call for repair:
Damaged
plug - This type of repair is very common and probably the easiest
to perform. All you are doing is cutting the cable flush, stripping
the jacket and re-tipping the end of the cable. Unless you are
familiar with this type of work, you may want some assistance
making that repair.
Cut
Cable - Although it is possible to "splice" damaged
sections of CAT 5 Cable back together, it is not recommended.
Even if you somehow manage to perform a flawless repair joining
all 8 of the single wires back together, there is no way you
can duplicate the original twist ratio of the pairs in such
a manner to be sure you will not encounter signal problems.
You are also faced with trying to insulate the single wires
from each other, forming a large knot in the area of the cable
that was repaired.
Broken
wire inside jacket - If you have a single wire, or even a single
pair that is failing, and there is no outward damage apparent
on the cable, you might as well just throw the cable away and
start over with a new one. Trying to pinpoint the area of failure
is all but impossible, and once again if you do find it, you
have a difficult repair to attempt.
It
is always best to use cables that are good condition. If you
must make a repair to a cable, use extreme caution and make
certain a qualified person performs the work. It is not worth
damaging your equipment just to try and save a few bucks on
replacing damaged cables.
Many
IT professionals have made it a standard that all patch cables
are to be replaced when equipment is relocated, so using a repaired
cable is not exactly a popular choice.
CAT
5 Cable Company provides CAT 5 and CAT 5e patch and crossover cables for all networking applications in
9 colors, and any custom length. Hand assembled and 100% tested
to ensure the finest quality.
RELATED
FAQ QUESTION: Can I use an RJ45
coupler to connect two lengths of Cat5 cable together?
Keywords: CAT 5 Cable, CAT 5, Patch Cable, Crossover Cable
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