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How to Wire a Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug

Bob Jackson
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by Bob Jackson

How to wire a Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet plug for a home network photo tutorial. This project is continued form How to Wire a Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Jack.

Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug with Strain Relief Boot
Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug with Strain Relief Boot

How to Wire a Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug

After fishing Ethernet cable from the attic and wiring a new Cat6 RJ45 wall jack, I needed to terminate the other end with a Cat6 RJ45 plug for the Wi-Fi Access Point (right side of the following diagram) and also make a Cat6 patch cable to connect the wall jack to my Ethernet switch (left side of diagram):

Cat6 Network Cable - RJ45 Jack and Plug
Cat6 Network Cable – RJ45 Jack and Plug

I purchased StarTech Cat6 RJ45 modular plugs for solid wire part #CRJ45C6SOL50:

StarTech Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug for Solid Wire CRJ45C6SOL50
StarTech Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug for Solid Wire CRJ45C6SOL50

The StarTech Cat6 RJ45 plugs has two parts: 1) 8P8C modular plug and 2) load bars to accurately position the wires inside the plug:

Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug with Load Bars
Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug with Load Bars

Because Cat6 cable has thicker 23 AWG wires and insulation compared to Cat5e cable, Cat6 wires would be too wide if laid flat in the 8P8C RJ45 plug. The load bar arranges the wires in a zig-zag pattern to align with the pins.

Cat6 Ethernet Plug Strain Relief Boot

If you plan on using strain relief boots, slide one over the end of the cable now because you cannot install a boot after the RJ45 plug is wired. I bought a pack of 25 boots.

Strip the Cat6 Cable Insulation Jacket

Strip about 2 inches of outer insulation jacket with a cable stripper tool then cut off the silk-like rip cord and plastic cross web divider with scissors:

Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug Wiring - Cut Rip Cord and Cross web Divider
Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug Wiring – Cut Rip Cord and Cross web Divider

Unravel the twisted pairs and straighten the individual wires by drawing them several times between your finger and thumb. Hold the wires between your finger and thumb and arrange the wires per the EIA/TIA T568A or T568B wiring standard. See this tutorial details. The important thing is to wire both ends of the cable the same way. My home is wired per T568B which I’ll use here:

TIA EIA 568B Ethernet RJ45 Plug Wiring Diagram
TIA EIA 568B Ethernet RJ45 Plug Wiring Diagram

The wires will be a bit uneven after arranging the colors per T568A or B. Cut off a 1/4 inch with the RJ45 crimp tool so they’re even. Hold the wires near the end, double check the color arrangement then wiggle them into the load bar. Note the load bar wedge faces up. It looks tricky but the wires will find their respective positions without difficulty:

Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug Wiring - Load Bar
Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug Wiring – Load Bar

Slide the load bar down the wires. It works better to hold the end of the wires while pulling the load bar. Use the RJ45 plug to position the load bar such that the cable insulation jacket extends past the crimp tab:

Cat6 RJ45 Plug Wiring - Load Bar and Plug Alignment
Cat6 RJ45 Plug Wiring – Load Bar and Plug Alignment

Cut the wires even with the face of the load bar using the crimp tool wire cutter:

Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug Wiring - Cut Wires even with Load Bar
Cat6 RJ45 Modular Plug Wiring – Cut Wires even with Load Bar

The wires are even with the load bar:

Cat6 RJ45 Plug Wiring - Wires Cut even with Wire Guide
Cat6 RJ45 Plug Wiring – Wires Cut even with Wire Guide

Insert the cable and load bar into the RJ45 modular plug. The plug latching tab faces down and the load bar wedge faces up. Verify the insulation jacket extends past the crimp tab and the load bar / wires butt against the end of the plug:

Cat6 RJ45 Plug Wiring - Correct Alignment before Crimping
Cat6 RJ45 Plug Wiring – Correct Alignment before Crimping

Crimp the RJ45 plug on the cable using the crimp tool:

Crimp Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug with Crimp Tool
Crimp Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug with Crimp Tool

The crimp tab secures the cable and the blades have pierced the wire insulation:

Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug after Crimping
Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug after Crimping

Another view of the wired Cat6 RJ45 plug:

Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug Wired per T568B Standard
Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug Wired per T568B Standard

After wiring both ends of the cable, I plugged the cable my Ethernet switch and tested it with my LinkSprinter 300.

Strain Relief Boot

RJ45 plug strain relief boots are optional but recommended. The strain relief boot must be slipped on the cable before installing the plug. Slide the boot over the plug, taking care to push down on the latching tab so it tucks inside the boot:

Install RJ45 Ethernet Cable Strain Relief Boot
Install RJ45 Ethernet Cable Strain Relief Boot

The completed Cat6 RJ45 plug with strain relief boot:

Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug with Strain Relief Boot
Cat6 RJ45 Ethernet Plug with Strain Relief Boot

If making an Ethernet patch cable, wire a plug on the other end of the cable the same way.

Thanks for reading,

Bob Jackson

Cat6 cableCat6 RJ45 Ethernet plug wiringCat6 RJ45 plug load bar
Bob Jackson
Bob Jackson
Technology product manager by day and a prolific handyman in the evenings and over the weekends. Bob was the founder of the original Handyman How To website and that tradition continues on this site with excellent new handyman content into the future.
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