Watch the Process
Watch this short demonstration of the full cable termination process from start to finish. It’s easier to follow the written steps below once you’ve seen the whole procedure in motion.
- Stripping the jacket — notice how little force is used and that none of the inner wires are nicked.
- Untwisting and ordering the wires — watch the hand position: the wires are pinched flat between thumb and index finger.
- The T-568B color sequence — listen for the order being called out and confirm it matches the chart from the previous page.
- Wire length before insertion — observe that all eight wires are trimmed to the same length and inserted together in one motion.
- The crimp — the tool is squeezed firmly until the ratchet clicks. Nothing moves when the cable is tugged afterward.
Video: RJ-45 cable termination demonstration. After watching, try working through the four steps below.
ProcedureThe Four Steps
Strip the Cable Jacket
Remove roughly 1.5 inches of the outer jacket without damaging the internal wires.
- Measure about 1.5 inches from the end of the cable.
- Score the jacket gently with a cable stripper or the crimping tool’s built-in blade — cut the sheath only, not the wires inside.
- Rotate the cable as you score so the cut goes all the way around.
- Slide the outer jacket off to expose the four twisted pairs.
If you nick any of the eight internal wires, cut that section off and start over. A damaged wire causes intermittent connectivity issues that are very hard to diagnose later.
Before moving on: can you see all four twisted pairs with the outer jacket removed and no visible nicks in their insulation? If yes, continue.
Arrange the Wires
Separate all eight wires and lay them flat in the T-568B order.
- Untwist each of the four pairs.
- Arrange the eight wires side by side, left to right, in this order: White-Orange · Orange · White-Green · Blue · White-Blue · Green · White-Brown · Brown
- Pinch the wires flat and parallel between your thumb and index finger.
- Straighten any crossed wires with your other hand.
- Trim the wires flat with flush-cut snips so they extend about half an inch beyond the jacket.
This is the most time-consuming step. Uneven wire lengths mean some wires won’t reach the gold contacts inside the connector — always trim them flat before inserting.
From left to right, recite the T-568B color sequence without looking. If you hesitate, flip back to the T-568B Standard page and practice the drag-and-drop activity.
Insert into the Connector
Slide the arranged wires fully into the RJ-45 connector.
- Hold the connector with the tab facing down and the gold contacts facing up toward you.
- Slide all eight wires firmly into the connector — each wire into its own channel.
- Push until each wire tip reaches the very front edge of the connector (all the way to the gold contacts).
- Confirm the outer cable jacket slides inside the connector body so the strain relief will clamp on the jacket, not on bare wires.
If the jacket doesn’t reach inside the connector, your stripped section is too long. Trim the wires shorter and try again before crimping.
Crimp the Connector
Crimp the connector to drive the contacts into the wires and lock the jacket in place.
- Place the loaded connector into the RJ-45 slot on your crimping tool.
- Squeeze the handle firmly until the ratchet releases — you’ll hear and feel a click.
- Give the cable a gentle tug to confirm the connector stays seated.
The crimp does two things simultaneously: it drives the eight gold contacts down through the wire insulation to make electrical contact, and it clamps the strain relief onto the outer cable jacket.
When you tug the cable, does it stay firmly in the connector? If it pulls out at all, the strain relief didn’t engage the jacket — cut the connector off and re-terminate with a fresh one.
Test the Cable
After terminating both ends of the cable, use a cable tester to verify your work. Plug one end into the main unit and the other into the remote unit. A properly terminated cable will show LEDs lighting up in sequence from 1 through 8 on both units. If any LED is missing, out of sequence, or doesn't light at all, there's a wiring error.
The next page covers the most common errors and includes an interactive troubleshooting activity where you'll diagnose simulated cable tester failures.
Don't worry — it's completely normal for beginners to need several attempts. Cut the connector off, strip the cable again, and start over with a fresh connector. With practice, you'll be able to terminate a cable in under two minutes.