Any way to cut down on broken clips on LAN CAT5e Cables?

[WestCoastWilson]

I do not have WiFi on my laptop, yet I got a brand new LAN CAT5e cable in January. I do not use the cable to connect up to the internet much, yet I would venture to guess that I have used it about 36 times this year. Now the plastic snap-clip-connector (on the cable) is about ready to break, then once it breaks, then I will not be able to firmly keep the cable in place to use the internet.

Is there any solution to fix this problem? Right now, the only fix I see is, I will have to keep buying a cable each time the snap-clip-connector breaks.

Wilson

[trinket]

Are you particularly rough plugging in and out? I've had some of the same network cables kicking around for a few years and they've held up with no breaking or premature looseness of the clip. Just a gentle squeeze to depress, then gently slide it out. Although they are definitely the weakest point of the cable and I've seen friends where the clip is broken off or barely hanging on because they were a little rough or yank the cable around.

You could try fixing your own if you're handy - might be fun to learn how to do the crimping, etc. even if you're not, as a fun project - or use some of their suggestions like affixing other plastic things (plastic fork piece for example).

As far as I know they don't make "clipless" Ethernet cables or some other variation on the technology that claims to last longer or work better. I know with SATA cables the earliest versions of the cable when the interface was introduced got complaints from people that they would just fall loose even when connected tightly. They introduced a revision that had side clips on those.

[Corny]

It's not that difficult to crimp them on your own, there are plenty of videos etc at the web. Do avoid this problem you could by cables with a rubber sleeve over the nose.

[WestCoastWilson]

Thanks, Guys. I sincerely and greatly appreciate the help. “I don’t think” that I’m particularly hard/rough on the clip . . . I think it is just from too much plugging and unplugging the cable.

Now with that said, I will give the crimping idea a try. Yet in the future, I will get the cables with a rubber sleeve over the nose, to see how that works.

Thanks so very much, you two.

Wilson

[OPHELIA_HARDIN]

orange-white/orange; green-white/blue; blue-white/green; brown-white/brown.


Did I remember the order right? LOL, I haven't crimped a CAT cable in years...

[AstareGod]

If the clip does come off, you may be able to just flip the cable around and plug the bad end into your router/switch and use the other end, clip intact, for your laptop - at least until that side breaks, too. That'll give you a little more longevity until you figure something else out.

orange-white/orange; green-white/blue; blue-white/green; brown-white/brown.


Did I remember the order right? LOL, I haven't crimped a CAT cable in years...

If you pair them by color, only pins 3 and 6 are switched - I think. It's been a while since I crimped my own, too. I'm much better with software.

Correction: Just had to look it up. Pins 3 and 6 are paired, and pins 4 and 5 are paired. So by color, it's 1-2, 3-6, 4-5, 7-8. Now who the fuck had to go and make it all complicated? The actual colors/striping of the wire don't matter - the equipment is colorblind. As long as the ends of the same wire are in the same spots, you're good!

[WestCoastWilson]

If the clip does come off, you may be able to just flip the cable around and plug the bad end into your router/switch and use the other end, clip intact, for your laptop - at least until that side breaks, too. That'll give you a little more longevity until you figure something else out.

GREAT idea, AstareGod. That will work for me. Thanks so much.

Wilson