Netgear DG834Gv1 DG834Gv2 Reference Manual - Page 180

Reference Manual for the Model Wireless ADSL Firewall Router DG834G 10 ft. (3 m) from the wall outlet to the desktop device The patch panel and other connecting hardware must meet the requirements for 100 Mbps operation (Category 5). Only 0.5 inch (1.5 cm) of untwist in the wire pair is allowed at any termination point. A twisted pair Ethernet network operating at 10 Mbits/second (10BASE-T) will often tolerate low quality cables, but at 100 Mbits/second (10BASE-Tx) the cable must be rated as Category 5, or Cat 5, by the Electronic Industry Association (EIA). This rating will be printed on the cable jacket. A Category 5 cable will meet specified requirements regarding loss and crosstalk. In addition, there are restrictions on maximum cable length for both 10 and 100 Mbits/second networks. Inside Twisted Pair Cables For two devices to communicate, the transmitter of each device must be connected to the receiver of the other device. The crossover function is usually implemented internally as part of the circuitry in the device. Computers and workstation adapter cards are usually media-dependent interface ports, called MDI or uplink ports. Most repeaters and switch ports are configured as media-dependent interfaces with built-in crossover ports, called MDI-X or normal ports. Auto Uplink technology automatically senses which connection, MDI or MDI-X, is needed and makes the right connection. Figure B-1 illustrates straight-through twisted pair cable. Figure B-1: Straight-Through Twisted-Pair Cable Figure B-2 illustrates crossover twisted pair cable. B-12 202-10006-05, June 2005 Network and Routing Basics