The wired Internet connection uses the classic RJ-45 cable or also called Ethernet cable. The problem comes when you realize that there are a large number of cables on the market and a detail that nobody pays attention to, the fact that the straight or crossed network cable. What does this concept mean and which of the two types is the best to connect to the Internet from our PC? We explain it to you.
Many of us have the router near the computer with other devices such as video game consoles. The problem arises when the network cable is not the correct one and we do not know it because they all look the same. In fact, we don’t usually care when buying one, only that it supports the speeds of our PC and internet router. Let’s not forget that many systems usually come without the Ethernet cable and we have to buy it in the store, so it will be important to make the right purchase.
Straight or crossed network cable. What is the difference between them?
In principle, its appearance is the same, since its ends must be connected to a classic RJ-45 connection. However, they can be differentiated by the color of the internal cables, which indicates whether they meet the standards T568A there T568B. This will help us know if the network cable is straight or crossed. And it’s not that one type matches another or not.
- If the two ends are exclusively T568A or T568B then we speak of a direct cable.
- On the other hand, if the cable has the two ends differentiated, the cable will be crossed.
As you can see, the difference between the two connection standards is that the order of the pins is different and therefore it is necessary to cross the internal wiring. This is what both types of network cables get their name from. As you can see, this is a slight difference in appearance. It is necessary to start from the fact that each end of the cable has a transmitter and a receiver which send the data at the same time. This is important to understand the usefulness of the two threads.
When should each be used?
In a direct connection, the data transmission cable is the same at both ends, so data cannot be sent from A to B and vice versa at the same time. This makes them ideal for connecting to the Internet, where sending and receiving occurs intermittently. However, if we have a local network of two computers and we need to connect to each other, it is better to use a crossover cable.
Imagine for a moment that you have bought a new PC and want to transmit the information that you had in the previous one and this one works perfectly. You will only have to interconnect the two with a crossover cable to be able to send data from one point to another directly and without problems. Obviously, you will have to make the appropriate settings in the operating system, but this is the best and most comfortable option for transferring personal files from one point to another.