How To: Terminate an Unshielded Cat6/6A RJ45 Plug

Termination means to attach something to the raw end of the cable so it can be plugged into something else like a switch or computer. This is accomplished several ways, and for this video, we will focus on the quickest, easiest, and most common Do-It-Yourself way...the pass through unshielded RJ45 plug.

Let’s dive into this process, where we will show you how to do it correctly.

*We made an updated version of this video viewable at the link below!*

If you found this video helpful let us know in the comments and subscribe for more!

Video Time Codes:
[0:12-0:22] - Cutting Cable to Size
[0:22-1:02] - Stripping the Cable
[1:02-2:05] - Prepping Cable & Removing Spline
[2:05-2:30] - Separating Conductors
[2:30-3:15] - Straightening Out Conductors
[3:15-4:30] - Putting Connectors into T568b Sequence
[4:30-4:50] - Flush Cutting Conductors
[4:50-6:10] - Putting on Pass Through Connector
[6:10-7:07] - Ethernet Cable Ovalization
[7:07-7:30] - Sliding the Connector into the Correct Spot
[7:30-8:43] - Cable Termination & Double Checking Work

trueCABLE Products Featured in this Video:

Check out trueCABLE on Social Media!

Learn more in our Cable Academy!

Trouble finding the right Ethernet cable for your project? Check out our Ethernet Cable Finder!

Need help finding the right connector for your Ethernet cable? Check out our Connector Finder!

[jamestacular]

wow, looks way easier when someone else does it

[GarySchiltz]

Great tips on using the jacket to untwist the paris, and using a glove & screwdriver to straighten the wires. My fingerprints thank you 🙂 And thank goodness for pass-through connectors.

[plutomatt]

thanks i have a job interview soon and i’m going to get tested on this . This video was fast and easy

[jzed]

Thanks for the helpful video! This was the easiest tutorial to follow that I found, and ended up getting the trueCABLE tools myself! It was my first time doing this and even with triple-checking my work each step it only took 20 minutes to terminate a cable successfully on the first try! Only going to get faster from here on out. Thanks again!

[Farly]

Thank you for this video. I got all the tools you recommended and it solved a problem I was dealing with for days, only getting 100Mbps on a Cat6 wire. Once I deployed the pass-through system I got 1Gbps :)

[mellonhead]

Very helpful im taking the 1st semester ccna course intro to networks and been having trouble. They way u slid the connector in the cooper without measuring makes things easier. Also the separator/ spine cut diagonal inward makes sense and was getting in my way most times. Although a quick trick i found for straightening the copper was to stick in a small flat head in between the twisted pair and pull straight up to un-weave

[mwolfod]

Really well done, with lots of seemingly minor, but very helpful tips. I've terminated a fair number of Cat 5 connectors, but Cat 6A throws out some new challenges. This video was quite useful in that regard.

[txag]

What a high quality video! Thank you for the education and it was sure nice to get Eugene Levy to do the commentary!

[firstdown]

Very good video tutorial! I am about to start putting in my Cat 6 cable at home.

[smipy]

Best Cat6 termination tutorial I've seen

[AronBezzina]

Nice, video. To remove the spline I find it easier to grasp it with my flush cuts and pull it tight, this stretches it. I then cut as close to the bottom as I can. the spline usually retracts a bit more as the plastic contracts from the stretching

[kevintiemann]

I just bought truecable unshielded cat6 cable and unshielded passthrough pieces. I can not get one wire to pass using my cable tester. Not sure why. Premade wires I have passed...so it's got to be my termination and not my tester.

[steve]

THIS TUTORIAL IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! Your detailed explanation of every aspect of the process is crystal clear, with excellent tips on how to make the task as easy as possible too. Thank you so much for taking the time to upload this video.

[julians]

I am stuck trying to figure out how to terminate cat6 into an outlet. I had the cable run in my new house with the expressed intention to have points I could plug into the router directly. They didn't terminate the lines and gave me telephone/coax outlets instead of ethernet/coax outlets.

[TheReaganite]

Video was awesome. I've always struggled a bit, but now I see I need to use passthrough.

[ebaystars]

Thanks for the video clip from Thailand, hahaha I just found out I forgot to order the plug term tool at the end of the clip DUH I only ordered the punch down tools and I waz wondering how to do the goddam plugs !! Darn it.... Very good concise video refreshed my depleted memory after 30 years of not doing CAT5/6 🙂

[Perplexer]

Can you tell me if that true CABLE crimper tool has an option to "disable" the strain latch crimping for RJ45 connectors that don't have it? At 7:37 I do see something that looks like a slider below the TIA wiring diagrams but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with enabling or disabling that presser bar above.

[Ninebadge]

Thanks. Exactly what I needed to terminate my cable.

[Sooper]

Ok i'm not sure what black magic this is but I was unable to get gigabit connections on my cables until I watched this video... I thought my cables were bad turns out it was my technique! Tug and push those cables like you mean it!

[Neilson-vesi]

Thanks for your time sir. I appreciate you