An ethernet cable splitter is very handy, particularly since most people now have more than one computer in their home. This splitter makes it possible to connect two computers to one Ethernet cable. Homes and offices only tend to have one or two Ethernet jacks and when you have many computers, such as in an office situation, you will use a splitter to be able to have each machine connected to the Internet. While you can buy an Internet splitter for about $20 it is also fairly straightforward to make your own. This is a great option as many people cannot actually get more than one Ethernet cable from their patch panel without ripping out some of the wall or floor. If this is the case then a splitter is the best option.
Step 1: Choose the Correct Cable
There are several different types of splitter cable and you want to make sure you use the correct one. It is crucial that for an Ethernet cable you use an Ethernet splitter cable. The other splitter cables that can be found include hdmi splitter cable, modem splitter cable, monitor splitter cable, vga splitter cable, component splitter cable and more.
Make sure to keep the length of cable below 300 feet, as the performance of the cable will decrease if the cable is of longer length.
Step 2: Skin the Cable
Once you choose the correct cable, remove about 1 inch of the wire coating or sheath from each side of the cable with the help of a wire stripper. If you are using a normal wire cutter for this then there is a chance you will cut the wires and your splitter will not work properly.
Step 3: Wiring Scheme
When the coating has been stripped from the wire you will see that the cable actually consists of four different pairs of wires. You will notice that each wire is color coded or is a solid color twisted with a white color. Now, untwist these wire pairs. The following wiring scheme will work for a crossover cable as well as an EIA/TIA T-568A cable.
Starting from the left use a green/white wire, then green, then yellow/white, followed by solid blue, then a blue/white twisted cable, next a solid yellow, then a twisted brown and white wire, ending with a solid brown colored wire. This wiring scheme will differ depending on the type of cable you are using.
Step 4: Insert Wires into the Connector
In order to get the wires to go easily into the RJ45 connector, straighten the wires. Insert the wires until they touch the end of the small corridor space. You can remove them and try again until you get it right. Once everything is correct you can put the jack into the crimp tool and crimp everything so it stays in place.
When inserting these different wires into the RJ45 plug make sure that the clip is facing down.