Haydon Cat6 RJ45 Patch Lead, 1m, Red, Pack of 5 HAY-RJ45RD1MCAT6

Overview

Short patch leads join the fixed cabling to the kit: a camera to a switch, a recorder to a router, or a patch panel port to a switch port. This pack gives five ready-made 1m red leads with the plugs already fitted.

Red makes a lead easy to spot in a busy rack, for example to mark camera or uplink connections. Blue is the other colour in the range.

A 1m lead suits equipment in the same cabinet or on the same desk; plan a longer lead for anything further away.

How it works

• 8p8c plug: the 8 position 8 contact modular connector, usually called RJ45, used to terminate twisted pair cable.
• 568B colour code: sets which coloured wire lands on each pin; both ends match.
• Snagless boot: a moulded sleeve over the plug's clip that stops it catching when the lead is pulled through a rack.

What the figures mean in practice

• 550 MHz: the frequency rating of the lead. As a rule a Cat6 link needs every part of it, leads included, to be Cat6 to get Cat6 performance.
• 28 AWG: a thin conductor that keeps the lead light and flexible, which suits short runs in cabinets and on desks.
• 1m: long enough for most rack links between a patch panel and a switch, without loops of spare cable.

Installing it

Plug in until the clip clicks, and leave a little slack so the plug is not under strain. Use made-up leads like these rather than crimping your own for short links. Label both ends when a rack holds many leads of the same colour.

For the fixed runs in walls and ceilings, use solid network and data cable and terminate it at a socket or patch panel; the patch lead then makes the final connection.

Planning your system

For a longer reach, the same lead comes as a red 3m pack of five. The blue 1m pack of five lets you colour-code two kinds of link.

The leads usually run from a patch panel to a network switch. The patch panel guide covers how to lay out a cabinet, and Cat5 vs Cat6 explains when Cat6 is worth it.