crosslink network cable

[nicholas]

My internet connection comes in through a cable modem.
As my office is not in that same building, I used an existing underground
telephone cable between my cable modem and my computers network card. This
worked fine.

Now I installed a router just after the cable modem. At my office I've got
a switch. From the switch I've got standard ethernet cables going to my
computers.

For this to work the existing telephone cable between the router and the
switch needs to be "crossed over".
So I just changed the pins of that telephone cable to make it look like a
crosslink cable. Unfortunately this does not seem to work.

Does anybody knows why. Is it absolutely necessary to have a real crosslink
network cable installed.

Thanks for your help !

 

[George Lob]

First of all, you should not be using a telephone cable to connect your
router to your switch. For this use a Cat 5 patch cable. Now, it depends on
the switch you are using as to whether or not to use a crossover cable. Some
switches come with a button that will convert a regular cable to crossover
and some have a designated port for upload that may also do the conversion.
When you plug your cable into the switch, check and see if the port shows a
connection on the front. If it does not show as having a connection, then
you will need to use a crossover cable. I would check your switch manual
first.

George

 

[nicholas]

Thanks for reply.

I'm sure I need a crosslink cable. I tried it out with another computer
with a real crosslink cable.
The problem is that the underground cable is a telephone cable and I cannot
change it to a network cable.
It would be cheaper to install a wireless network.

So, in fact, the only thing I don't get is why this phone cable worked
between my router and my computer as a normal cable, and once I change it to
a 'fake' crosslink cable (by just changing the pins of the phone cable) that
I use between the router and the switch it does not work.

THX

 

[NO ONE]

Because you probably didn't wire it correctly. xmit to
receive and receive to xmit

 

[nicholas]

I don't think so, because when I noticed it did not work I did not want to
re-change the wires, so I just atached a crosslink to my crosslinked phone
cable: this should have as result that I get again a normal cable. And
indeed, the connection between my router and my computer (but without the
switch) worked again.

So normaly, my wiring should have been OK.

I just just think I cannot use a simple phone cable as a crosslink, even if
I change the wires.
But why ???
Or do I just have to adapt some settings in the network card, like max
10Mbps , half duplex, ... to make it work ?

Thanks again for you replies.

 

[nicholas]

Just thought of something else: what's the max distance I can have with a
crosslink network cable?
Mayby that's the reason. I have at least 60 meters to overlap.

 

[Bob I]

With REAL UTP (unshielded twisted pair) network cable 100 meters. With
phone wire, who knows, you might be lucky to get 50 feet at 10 mb/simplex.