To properly crimp a twisted pair, the wire is placed in the connector and clamped with the strip, so as not to break it off due to carelessness. Next, you must lay the connector on a flat surface and a slotted screwdriver alternately press the contacts so they broke the insulation and cut into the wires. Now it is worth making sure that all the contacts are pressed in completely and are at the same level.
- Which router connector to plug the cable into
- Connecting
- No connection between the computer and the router
- What does the WAN connector look like on the router
- What is the difference between a WAN and a LAN connection on a router
- Category and Sheathing
- Choosing Wire
- Indications on the router
- The indication of an ordinary router
- Pinout
Which router connector to plug the cable into
This article will tell you how to connect your computer to your router via cable. It would seem that it is not difficult to do. But along the way sometimes there are problems. How to make things work quickly, tell us next.
The need for a wired connection to the router occurs in the following cases:
The speed may not be enough, for example, if you are processing video over the local network, working with files from the network storage. A Wi-Fi network can be loaded with the operation of a wireless video surveillance system. If the PC or laptop is close to the router and the Wi-Fi network is actively used by other devices or users, a wired connection will be a good solution.
Connecting
To connect a laptop or PC to a router, you need a cord, otherwise known as a patch cord. As a rule, it comes with the router. If such a cable is not available or its length is insufficient, the patch cord should be purchased in the store.
Two types of problems can arise with a wired connection to the router – a lack of physical connection and improper hardware settings. Let's take a closer look at how to overcome possible difficulties.
No connection between the computer and the router
If the network connection icon in the lower right corner of the screen has a red cross on it, but when you connect the patch cord from the router to the computer it does not disappear, it means that the physical connection could not be established.
Watch this video for instructions on how to access the Internet through your router:
The "most" common problem is your computer not connecting to the Internet through your router. This is signaled by the exclamation point in the yellow triangle on the network connection icon in the lower right corner of the screen. There can be many reasons for this – from incorrect router settings to the banal disconnection of the Internet for non-payment.
To localize the problem, you should check whether the Internet works on other devices connected to this router via Wi-Fi, such as a smartphone. If everything is OK with the router, then the problem is in the computer settings. Very often the IP addresses are wrong.
In order to correct the settings in the "Control Panel" you should find the section "Network and Internet", there in "Network Connections" to call a context menu by right-clicking on the item "Local Area Connection". Then go to the submenu "Properties", there select "Internet Protocol version 4" and again select "Properties". Here you have to choose the option to get IP and DNS addresses automatically.
What does the WAN connector look like on the router
Each router has one or two wan ports. The port must be marked with a different color from the others, usually blue, and marked with the word "WAN", "Internet", "Ethernet" or just a pictogram of the planet.
When you plug a cable into the WAN port, the corresponding indicator light comes on. It starts blinking when the ISP approves the wan network settings and starts transmitting data from the WAN.
Each router's wan connector has its own address – a wan ip to identify it to the global network.
What is the difference between a WAN and a LAN connection on a router
The main difference is the purpose of these ports. WAN is the port to connect the Internet, that is, the external network, and LAN is the port to connect all home devices into a single local network. There are a few more key features, let's look at them:
- WAN port is one and its color is blue, and LAN ports are several and their color is usually yellow.
- Network coverage, WAN covers the whole world, while LAN is limited territorially, for example to an apartment, house or office space.
- Network speed, in the LAN between devices is faster and limited only by the type of router, now the standard speed of 1000 Mbit/s, and the WAN depends on the provider and the selected tariff ( from 1 Mbit/s to 1000 Mbit/s).
- In the local network, we can use printer management services, file sharing, DLNA technology. VPN services, routing services are available on the global network.
Category and Sheathing
The cable category is important when crimping cable for Internet connections or setting up a local network. You must use a category no lower than CAT 5. You can see the number on the sheath. There are 7 categories in all:
| Category | Number of pairs | Bandwidth, MHz | Data rate, Mbps |
| CAT 1 | 1 | 0.1, used in telephone communications | — |
| CAT 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| CAT 3 | 4 | 16 | 10 и 100 |
| CAT 4 | 4 | 20 | 20 |
| CAT 5 | 4 | 100 | 100 |
| CAT 5E | 4 | 125 | 100 (2 pairs), 1 Gbit/s (4 pairs) |
| CAT 6 | 4 | 250 | 1 to 10 Gbit/s |
| CAT 7 | 4 | 600 | Up to 10 Gbit/s |
The shape, braid, and color of the twisted pair matter. The classic cable has a gray color. It is made of PVC, indicated by the letters PVC. It is used indoors, it is cheap, but it is afraid of fire and is exposed to heat or cold.
Polyethylene (designation – PE) is made of cable for outdoor installation. It is not afraid of temperature extremes and moisture, often equipped with a supporting cable to stretch the cable between supports, without the fear of compromising the integrity of the cores.
Orange or bright red indicates that the cable does not burn. It is made of a low-smoke, halogen-free compound (labeled LSZH). It is used in rooms with high requirements for fire safety. Such cable is more expensive than standard PVC, but more durable and safe.
Choosing Wire
When choosing a twisted-pair cable for a home network or Internet connection, CAT5E cable is recommended. CAT6 and CAT7 will do, but you don't have to pay for them unless you need to.
When planning a local area network, it is recommended that you lay a cable with four pairs of wires right away. Two pairs will be enough for speeds up to 100 Mbit/s, but if you increase the speed later, you will need to re-route the wire.
A single-core cable is suitable for Internet outlets and a multicore cable for connecting PCs, routers, and PCs.
If the cable is placed away from the electrical wire, the UTP type will do. Otherwise, you need to look at the types of twisted pair with a shield that protects against external interference.
Indications on the router
Internet routers have various indicators that indicate how well the Internet modem is working. Is the LAN connection and WAN port working? Does the router have power? Is there a WAN connection? Usually their appearance and location slightly differ from each other, that is why having learned to distinguish indications on one Internet-modem you will be able to get used to it on other models.
The indication of an ordinary router
- The symbol, which looks like a part of the circle with a vertical line, indicates the presence of power at the web modem. If the router is plugged into an outlet, the light should be on all the time.
- If the indicator in the form of Wi-Fi is on, there is access to Wireless Fidelity technology. If it is off, Wi-Fi is not available.
- It is possible that two Wi-Fi indicators are provided on the body of your Internet modem, then the one that looks a little wider indicates the application of the 5 GHz radio channel, and the second one shows the activation of wi-fi with the 2.4 GHz channel.
- The WAN on the router is shaped like a globe and if it lights up green, the Internet connection is present. If it doesn't light up, you can say that the web cable is not plugged into the WAN connector, or there is no signal coming in. There is a chance that the cause lies in a faulty modem or damaged cord. If the indicator began to light yellow, there is a signal, but no Internet connection, and if it blinks, there is currently transmitting information.
- There is a single LAN indicator, or there are several, but each one corresponds to a specific LAN socket. When one of them is lit, the signal is reaching the router, and if it is not, the signal is probably lost or the computer is turned off.
- If the USB icon is lit, the device is plugged in, otherwise there is no signal.
- If the circle consisting of two arrows (on some models it is made in the manner of a closed lock) lights up, it means that Wi-Fi Protected Setup technology is activated, making it easier to obtain a web connection.
Pinout
If the Internet cable inserted into the WAN port has been damaged, the signal will not be able to get into the router port. You can fix this with your own hands if you have some skills and tools.
First of all, you need to remove the winding from the wires and arrange them in the proper order: white-orange, orange, white-green, blue, white-blue, green, white-brown, brown.
Next, you need to cut the wires so that they are the same length and insert them into the connector. At the same time, they have to be placed so that a small piece of insulation also goes into it. Then crimp the cable, and then the Internet cable can be inserted back into the WAN connector.
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