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I purchased this CAT6A cable: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M0VB4YD/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and did some network cables by myself in various lengths ranging from 1 metre up to 75 metres. I'm not testing these cables from my gigabit poe switch to the actual devices (ptz cameras) and on the switch itself, even though the devices are powered up and I can still a very clear feed, only the 100mbps led turns on - the 1000mbps led stays off.

I then tried the same test but using some CAT5e cable I have and the 1000mpbs turns on without any issues.

For the RJ45 terminators I used https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01K9Z4K7Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In terms of testing, I only have a continuity tester and all cables done seem to have no problems with this.

I'm wondering what could possibly be the wrong thing I'm doing here. I highly doubt it's a cable issue so i'm throwing the blame either on my selection of connectors or the way i'm terminating these ends. Just in case, here's photos of this: https://i.stack.imgur.com/PxcVd.jpg

Any help would be greatly appreciated as i'm slowly running out of options. Thanks!

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  • Your terminations declared as universal - "For Solid Wire and Standard Cable". But crimping Cat6 cable is hard work. Which crimping tool You use? Some cheap make 7 8 wires with low success rate.
    – mmv-ru
    Apr 18, 2018 at 23:12
  • Did any answer help you? If so, you should accept the answer so that the question doesn't keep popping up forever, looking for an answer. Alternatively, you can provide and accept your own answer.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Dec 25, 2018 at 8:16

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"... and did some network cables by myself ..." it's likely you did something wrong then. Termination of network cables is delicate work. You need to keep the pairing right, don't mess (excessively) with the twist, never exceed the minimum bend radius, pull force, don't stress, nick, ....

My advice is to buy readily made cables that were tested by the manufacturer. Saves a great lot of trouble.

If this is deployed cabling, termination in a socket is advisable. You should get a professional service to deploy and certify the cabling.

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  • Unfortunately readily made cables are not an option as this cable needs to be passed through a trunking system and having the termination there will result, most likely, in having the termination damaged apart from making it more difficult to have the cable pass through. We will be trying some different terminators soon - will let you know how that goes.
    – pol6880
    Apr 17, 2018 at 20:09
  • The usual - and proven - termination are wall sockets. Solid-core cables are a bad choice for movable cables.
    – Zac67 ♦
    Apr 17, 2018 at 20:47
  • Thanks for your response. We will do some more trials with wall sockets and will reply with results.
    – pol6880
    Apr 19, 2018 at 19:15
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It is difficult to judge from a picture, but are you sure that all 8 pins (4 lanes) are connected correctly? From your description it seems like autonegotiation of 1000M is not able to complete. While for 100M operation it is enough to have two pairs (pins 1,2 which are TX and 3,6 which are RX) connected, for 1000M you need all eight. If you need many of those cables assembled, then maybe you can buy one ready-made Cat6A cable with connectors, and replicate it as a sample.

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Even experienced cable installers have problems with Category-6a cabling, and it doesn't sound like you have the proper (expensive) testing tools in order to certify the cabling category (see this answer for the basic required tests).

This appears to be solid-core cable that is suitable for horizontal (in-the-wall) cabling, which should be terminated on wall sockets, then run through the test suite. The connectors appear to be plugs that are normally suitable only for stranded cable that is used for patch cords. For Category-6 and Category-6a, you will be unable to build a patch cord that can pass the category test suite. You must buy factory-built patch cords, and the standard (ANSI/TIA/EIA 568, Commercial Building Telecommunication Cabling Standard) says that you are not allowed to build those patch cords.

Your picture shows an improperly terminated cable. The cable sheath is stripped too far back and the pairs are untwisted too far, and the cable is shielded, meaning that you would need connectors and equipment that can use shielded cabling, and your connectors are not shielded. The shield makes up for poor cable performance, but it must be continuous, and grounded, at least, on both ends, otherwise the cable will not perform to specifications. See Shielded and unshielded twisted-pair cable revisited:

If STP cable is combined with improperly shielded connectors, connecting hardware or outlets, or if the foil shield itself is damaged, overall signal quality will be degraded. This, in turn, can result in degraded emission and immunity performance. Therefore, for a shielded cabling system to totally reduce interference, every component within that system must be fully and seamlessly shielded, as well as properly installed and maintained.

An STP cabling system also requires good grounding and earthing practices because of the presence of the shield. An improperly grounded system can be a primary source of emissions and interference. Whether this ground is at one end or both ends of the cable run depends on the frequency at which a given application is running. For high-frequency signals, an STP cabling system must be grounded, at minimum, at both ends of the cable run, and it must be continuous. A shield grounded at only one end is not effective against magnetic-field interference.

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  • Thanks for taking the time to reply. This is very useful information and I appreciate. I believe the issue is still coming from the rj45 terminator we're using. As mentioned in a previous comment, we will be trying new connectors and see how that goes...
    – pol6880
    Apr 17, 2018 at 20:11
  • As I wrote, you need the correct connectors for solid-core cable, if that is the cable you are using, otherwise you will get very spotty connections, and you will need shielded connectors with proper grounding. Most 8P8C (not actually RJ45) plugs are for stranded cable, and you cannot mix parts for solid-core and stranded.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Apr 17, 2018 at 20:15
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    @pol6880, remember that with today's modern networking frequencies, simple electrical continuity just simply isn't enough.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Apr 17, 2018 at 20:19
  • Yeah i'm learning that more every day - very true. Just out of curiosity, would a connector like this be suitable for the cable I'm using (as mentioned in original question): digitus.info/en/products/network-infrastructure/… ? If not, what kind of terminators should I be looking at?
    – pol6880
    Apr 17, 2018 at 20:30
  • Unfortunately, product or resource recommendations are explicitly off-topic for SE sites, except Software Recommendations and Hardware Recommendations. I don't have any experience with that particular connector. We typically shun shielded cabling because it is really just a kludge for poor cable to get it up to the standard. ANSI/TIA/EIA will not recognize shielded cable and a true category cable is unshielded.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Apr 17, 2018 at 20:35

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