[planetlarg]

This is a warning for amateurs like me who make their own network cables. The cheapest cat5 cable in Maplin has a plastic strip running down it. This makes it a total git to crimp RJ45 connectors onto.

I went into my local Maplin and bought the cheapest cat5 cable they had, 69p a meter. I think it's code CW45Y "Cat 5e Network Cable UTP Solid2". I know I'm supposed to crimp plugs onto stranded wire, not solid, but it works OK for me.

I had problems trying to jam an RJ45 plug on the end because there is a "+" shaped strip of plastic running through the middle of the cable, holding apart the 4 twisted pairs. It's too fat to fit in the plug. It's like trying to wedge a middle-aged guy into teenage jeans.

The other network cables in Maplin WFM.