TIA/EIA-568-A, T-568B RJ45 Wiring Standard

For wiring straight-through and cross-over RJ-45 cables

RJ-45 conductor data cable contains 4 pairs of wires each consists of a solid colored wire and a strip of the same color. There are two wiring standards for RJ-45 wiring: T-568A and T-568B. Although there are 4 pairs of wires, 10BaseT/100BaseT Ethernet uses only 2 pairs: Orange and Green. The other two colors (blue and brown) may be used for a second Ethernet line or for phone connections. The two wiring standards are used to create a cross-over cable (T-568A on one end, and T-568B on the other end), or a straight-through cable (T-568B or T-568A on both ends).

To create a straight-through cable, you'll have to use either T568A or T-568B on both ends of the cable. The diagram depicted on the left and right shows clip of the RJ-45 connector down. To create a cross-over cable, you'll wire T-568A on one end and T568B on the other end of the cable. The straight-through cables are used when connecting Data Terminating Equipment (DTE) to Data Communications Equipment (DCE), such as computers and routers to modems (gateways) or hubs (Ethernet Switches). The cross-over cables are used when connecting DTE to DTE, or DCE to DCE equipment; such as computer to computer, computer to router; or gateway to hub connections. The DTE equipment terminates the signal, while DCE equipment do not.

More on straight-through and cross-over connections

The RJ45 data cables we use to connect computers to a Ethernet switch is straight-through cables. As noted above, the RJ45 cable uses only 2-pairs of wires: Orange (pins 1 & 2) and Green (pins 3 & 6). Pins 4, 5 (Blue) and 7, 8 (Brown) are NOT used. Straight-through cable, as its name suggests, connects pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2, pin 3 to pin 3, and pin 6 to pin 6. Crossover cables are used to connect TX+ to RX+, and TX- to RX-, which connects pin 1 to pin 3, pin 2 to pin 6, pin 3 to pin 1 and pin 6 to pin 2. The unused pins are generally connected straight-through in both straight-through and cross-over cables. To network two computers without a hub, a cross-over cable is used. Cross-over cable is also used to connect a router to a computer, or ethernet switch (hub) to another ethernet switch without an uplink. Most ethernet switches today provide an uplink port, which prevents a use of cross-over cable to daisy chain another ethernet switch. Straight-through cables are used to connect a computer to an ethernet switch, or a router to an ethernet switch.

Pin Number Designations

There are pin number designations for each color in T-568B and T-568A.

Pin --1 2 3

T-568B -------------------------Color Pin Name -------------------Orange Stripe Tx+ Orange TxGreen Stripe Rx+

T-568A -----------------------Color Pin Name -------------------Green Stripe Rx+ Green RxOrange Stripe Tx+

4 5 6 7 8

Blue Blue Stripe Green Brown Stripe Brown

Not Not RxNot Not

Used Used Used Used

Blue Blue Stripe Orange Brown Stripe Brown

Not Not TxNot Not

Used Used Used Used

RJ45 Color-Coded Scheme

RJ45 cables have 8 color-coded wires, and the plugs have 8 pins and conductors. Eight wires are used as 4 pairs, each representing positive and negative polarity. The most commonly used wiring standard for 100baseT is T-586B stanrard described above. Prior to EIA 568A and 568B standards, the color-coded scheme was used to wire RJ45 cables. The table below depicts pin and color schemes used in traditional and standardized setup. Pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Colored Scheme Blue Orange Black Red Green Yellow Brown White (or Grey) T-568B (Common) Orange Stripe Orange Green Stripe Blue Blue Stripe Green Brown Stripe Brown T-568A Green Stripe Green Orange Stripe Blue Blue Stripe Orange Brown Stripe Brown

RJ-45 Wiring FAQ

1. What are T-568A and T-568B wiring standards, and how are they different?
T-568A and T-568B are the two wiring standards for RJ-45 connector data cable specified by TIA/EIA-568-A wiring standards document. The difference between the two is the position of the orange and green wire pairs. It is preferable to wire to T568B standards if there is no pre-existing pattern used within a building.

2. What is RJ stands for?

RJ stands for Registered Jacks. These are used in telephone and data jack wiring registered with FCC. RJ-11 is a 6-position, 4-conductor jack used in telephone wiring, and RJ-45 is a 8-position, 8-conductor jack used in 10BaseT and 100BaseT ethernet wiring.

3. What is the Category Rating System?

Electronic Industries Association (EIA) developed the TIA/EIA-568-A standard, which specifies wiring and performance standards for Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cabling. Category Rating System specifies the definition of performance categories for 100 ohm UTP cabling system. Category 3 specifies the twisted pair cable and connecting hardware that can support transmission frequency up to 16MHz, and data rates up to 10Mbps. This is primarily used in telephone wiring. Category 4 specifies cables and connectors that supports up to 20MHz and data rates up to 16Mbps. With introduction of category 5, this is a rarely used category. Category 5 specifies cables and connectors that supports up to 100MHz and data rates up to 100Mbps. With 100BaseT

Ethernet today, Category 5 is a widely used cabling system that matches todays high-speed data requirements. Category Cat 1 Cat 2 Cat 3 Cat 4 Cat 5 Cat Cat Cat Cat 5e 6 6a 7 TIA/EIA Standard None None TIA/EIA 568-B None None TIA/EIA 568-B TIA/EIA 568-B None ISO/IEC 11801 Class F Description POTS, ISDN and doorbell wiring 4 Mbps token ring networks 10 Mbps Ethernet - frequency up to 16MHz 16 Mbps token ring networks - frequency up to 20MHz 100 Mbps Ethernet - frequency up to 100 MHz Not suitable for GigE (1000BaseT) 100 Mbps & GigE Ethernet - frequency up to 100 MHz 2x Performance of Cat 5 & 5e - frequency up to 250 MHz Future specification for 10Gbps application Designed for transmission at frequencies up to 600 MHz

4. What is UTP Cable?

UTP stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair. It is the cabling system with one or more pairs of twisted insulated copper wires contained in a single sheath. It is the most widely used cabling system in telecommunications and data communications environment today.

Ethernet Cable - Color Coding Diagram

The information listed here is to assist Network Administrators in the color coding of Ethernet cables. Please be aware that modifying Ethernet cables improperly may cause loss of network connectivity. Use this information at your own risk, and insure all connectors and cables are modified in accordance with standards. The Internet Centre and its affiliates cannot be held liable for the use of this information in whole or in part.

T-568A Straight-Through Ethernet Cable

The TIA/EIA 568-A standard which was ratified in 1995, was replaced by the TIA/EIA 568-B standard in 2002 and has been updated since. Both standards define the T-568A and T568B pin-outs for using Unshielded Twisted Pair cable and RJ-45 connectors for Ethernet connectivity. The standards and pin-out specification appear to be related and interchangeable, but are not the same and should not be used interchangeably.

T-568B Straight-Through Ethernet Cable

Both the T-568A and the T-568B standard Straight-Through cables are used most often as patch cords for your Ethernet connections. If you require a cable to connect two Ethernet devices directly together without a hub or when you connect two hubs together, you will need to use a Crossover cable instead.

RJ-45 Crossover Ethernet Cable

A good way of remembering how to wire a Crossover Ethernet cable is to wire one end using the T-568A standard and the other end using the T-568B standard. Another way of remembering the color coding is to simply switch the Green set of wires in place with the Orange set of wires. Specifically, switch the solid Green (G) with the solid Orange, and switch the green/white with the orange/white. Ethernet Cable Instructions: Pull the cable off the reel to the desired length and cut. If you are pulling cables through holes, its easier to attach the RJ-45 plugs after the cable is pulled. The total length of wire segments between a PC and a hub or between two PC's cannot exceed 100 Meters (328

feet) for 100BASE-TX and 300 Meters for 10BASE-T. Start on one end and strip the cable jacket off (about 1") using a stripper or a knife. Be extra careful not to nick the wires, otherwise you will need to start over. Spread, untwist the pairs, and arrange the wires in the order of the desired cable end. Flatten the end between your thumb and forefinger. Trim the ends of the wires so they are even with one another, leaving only 1/2" in wire length. If it is longer than 1/2" it will be out-of-spec and susceptible to crosstalk. Flatten and insure there are no spaces between wires. Hold the RJ-45 plug with the clip facing down or away from you. Push the wires firmly into the plug. Inspect each wire is flat even at the front of the plug. Check the order of the wires. Double check again. Check that the jacket is fitted right against the stop of the plug. Carefully hold the wire and firmly crimp the RJ-45 with the crimper. Check the color orientation, check that the crimped connection is not about to come apart, and check to see if the wires are flat against the front of the plug. If even one of these are incorrect, you will have to start over. Test the Ethernet cable.

Ethernet Cable Tips: A straight-thru cable has identical ends. A crossover cable has different ends. A straight-thru is used as a patch cord in Ethernet connections. A crossover is used to connect two Ethernet devices without a hub or for connecting two hubs. A crossover has one end with the Orange set of wires switched with the Green set. Odd numbered pins are always striped, even numbered pins are always solid colored. Looking at the RJ-45 with the clip facing away from you, Brown is always on the right, and pin 1 is on the left. No more than 1/2" of the Ethernet cable should be untwisted otherwise it will be susceptible to crosstalk. Do not deform, do not bend, do not stretch, do not staple, do not run parallel with power cables, and do not run Ethernet cables near noise inducing components. Basic Theory:

By looking at a T-568A UTP Ethernet straight-thru cable and an Ethernet crossover cable with a T-568B end, we see that the TX (transmitter) pins are connected to the corresponding RX (receiver) pins, plus to plus and minus to minus. You can also see that both the blue and brown wire pairs on pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 are not used in either standard. What you may not

realize is that, these same pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 are not used or required in 100BASE-TX as well. So why bother using these wires, well for one thing its simply easier to make a connection with all the wires grouped together. Otherwise you'll be spending time trying to fit those tiny little wires into each of the corresponding holes in the RJ-45 connector.