Crossover Cables

Crossover Cables can be useful in creating links and networking devices together at home or in the office. Eliminate the need for additional hubs, switches, or routers by connecting your devices with a range of useful crossover cables.

What is a crossover cable?

A crossover cable is used for connecting two devices of the same type. Whereas other types of cables are used to connect two different device (such as a PC to a router), the crossing of wires in a crossover cable allow for the easy linking of like devices, often connecting from the output of one device to the input of the other.

Examples of crossover cable use may include creating a link where two terminal (DTE) devices (such as PC’s) can communicate without an interconnection to a separate hub device. Crossover cables can also be used to link together a series of switches, routers, or hubs in order to allow them to function together as one wider device.

Crossover cables work in contrast to more familiar straight-through cables, which use direct wiring to connect devices that typically pair together such as a PC and a printer.

What is the difference between an Ethernet cable and a crossover cable?

Just about anyone with a PC or other similar device in their home has at least a passing familiarity with Ethernet LAN (Local Area Network) cables. They tend to provide our PC’s and modems with a connection to the broader network at large we commonly refer to simply as the internet. Since crossover cables are designed to utilize the same port as Ethernet cables, they tend to look quite similar—and can even be mistaken for one another—despite relatively different functions.

As previously noted, the key difference is that crossover cables are intended to link together two like devices, such as two PC’s or two routers. Conversely, an Ethernet cable serves to connect one device to another device of a different type (such as a PC to a modem) as described above. There are many scenarios where Ethernet cables are useful, which is why they are more common and well known to the average consumer as opposed to crossover cables with their more specialized functions.

Taking a closer look at the connectors is one way to easily differentiate between a crossover cable and an Ethernet cable. While both Ethernet cables and crossover cables have the same number of pins, those pins are configured differently between the two. Furthermore, those pins are identified by colour, which makes examining them visually one way to note the difference and identify whether a cable is an Ethernet cable or a crossover cable.

What is a T1 crossover cable?

In computer networking, a T1 line carries 1.544 Mbps signals between devices. When those devices are in close proximity, a T1 crossover cable can be used to make the connection. The T1 signal being transferred between the two devices “crosses over”, allowing each unit to receive the signal from the other device. This can be a very useful method for linking together T1 servers or other T1 network devices.