We’ve come across many different and interesting ways of installing data cable over the years so we though we’d share a few. Please come back to this page as we will be updating it periodically with the latest on-site data cable disasters!

Double click on any of the pictures for a larger view.

This is actually unbelievable. The two data cables have been joined using gel crimps and standard electricians block connectors. Connecting data cable this way will lead to information (data packet) loss and a very slow connection.

The above network was found at a high end golf course.

Above the cables have been double kroned. The cable has been terminated once and then cut but individual wires have not been removed before re-terminating. This can lead to insertion and return loss when tested. Also the connection will be prove to higher failure rates over time as the resistance will be greater.

The specification for Cat5 installations is no more than 12mm of wire should be exposed from the jacket. In the above example over 30mm of wire is visible. This is just bad planning when terminating the cable onto the patch panel. As you can see the wire pairs are stretched taught and not properly tied.

Above all the data pairs have been untwisted. This will cause cross talk between the pairs and lead to data errors. Therefore this cable will struggle to transmit data at the speed you would expect from Cat5.

Above the pairs have been miss wired the green pairs being swapped with the orange Also again the twists in the coloured pairs have not been preserved.

The above example was installed by an electrician. The cable passed a basic cable test and the data fault was only found after the IT systems were commissioned.

The above cat5 patching made it hard to decipher what’s connected to what.

The above is also typical of what we see. This is where systems have grown over time and the emphasis is on making it work by any means.