PC911 > How-To > Networking > Making Your Own Network Cables
Making Your Own Network Cables
No matter whether you're putting together a small home network, or maintaining a major network in your office, you'll need network cables. The most commonly used type is Category 5 (short: Cat5), which supports speeds up to 100 Mb/s (Megabits per second). You can either go buy Cat 5 cable in the store, or you can make it yourself.
If you decide to buy it in the store, you'll pay a premium price for the convenience, but if you only need 2 or three cables and don't foresee the need for more in the near future, or need a lot of cables right away and don't have the time to make them yourself, then this is probably the way to go.
If you decide to make your own Cat 5 cable, you'll save a lot of money in the long run, as buying rolls of cable, a baggie of RJ-45 connectors, and the necessary tools will be a lot cheaper and pay for itself in a short period of time if you have an ongoing need.
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