Help: Ethernet Cables Not Working - Cat5e vs Swann Ethernet

[Rustinkowski]

Having a very frustrating problem with new Swann system.
Problem: My ethernet cables DO NOT work with the camera, but the cables that came with the unit do.

Notes:
1. I personally ran Cat5e cables throughout my house and have an ethernet tester which I confirmed cables were wired correctly. (4 pairs, 8 wires out to each RJ45 connector)
2. Cameras are all PoE (Power over Ethernet).
3. Swann Ethernet cables that came with unit work.
4. The camera gets warm when I use my cables installed but camera does not turn on or send video.
5. My 8 wire cable is shorter than the cable than theirs.
6. Their cable has only 4 wires (2 orange in slots 1&2 - 2 Green in Slots 3&6) - Picture attached.

I wired my house before walls were finished so it's not really an option to rewire house.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Camera: NHD-1200BE

Amazon link to whole system here

 

[mat200]

Having a very frustrating problem with new Swann system.
Problem: My ethernet cables DO NOT work with the camera, but the cables that came with the unit do.

Notes:
1. I personally ran Cat5e cables throughout my house and have an ethernet tester which I confirmed cables were wired correctly. (4 pairs, 8 wires out to each RJ45 connector)
2. Cameras are all PoE (Power over Ethernet).
3. Swann Ethernet cables that came with unit work.
4. The camera gets warm when I use my cables installed but camera does not turn on or send video.
5. My 8 wire cable is shorter than the cable than theirs.
6. Their cable has only 4 wires (2 orange in slots 1&2 - 2 Green in Slots 3&6) - Picture attached.

I wired my house before walls were finished so it's not really an option to rewire house.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Camera: NHD-1200BE

Amazon link to whole system here

Hi @Rustinkowski

What CAT5e cable did you use ?

Do you still have any remaining from the box ?

 

[looney2ns]

Are the cables terminated as per the T568b or T568a standard?
If not, they won't' work.

 

[Rustinkowski]

Cable is stamped with "Cat 5E CC1 96263 CAT5 24 AWG 4 PR UTP - C(ETL) US listed 302-3211 type CMR sun res- type CMR FT – 4 - Tested to 350 MHz ETL verified to T1A/EIA-568 – B.2. CAT5e"

 

[wittaj]

Keep in mind a tester simply tests continuity and that it could pass that but not be sufficient for POE loading.

I suspect it is CCA wiring as that tends to be the crap box units use and they are probably doing "proprietary" connections to keep people withing their platform, which is why theirs works and yours doesn't.

Send it back and buy something better that uses normal wiring!

 

[tangent]

I wired my house before walls were finished so it's not really an option to rewire house.

It's unlikely you'd need to rewire, but you probably need to re-terminate the cables.

Both ends of the cable should follow the T568B color standard and the wires must be fully seated before you crimp.
From left to right: orange-white, orange, green-white, blue, blue-white, green, brown-white, brown; tab down.

Can you post a close up of the connector on a cable you made?

Try to make a short 3-6' cable with some of the left over cable and test a camera at your desk. It's much easier to terminate a cable on a bench than on a ladder. Practice makes perfect.

From device manager what model of NIC do you have in computers with ethernet ports? There are often some extra free software from the mfg you can download to test cables in a different way.

 

[tangent]

Cable is stamped with "Cat 5E CC1 96263 CAT5 24 AWG 4 PR UTP - C(ETL) US listed 302-3211 type CMR sun res- type CMR FT – 4 - Tested to 350 MHz ETL verified to T1A/EIA-568 – B.2. CAT5e"

Looks like southwire solid Cat5e cable, should be good as long as it's not a knockoff. Where'd you buy it from?

 

[f1restarter]

The picture of your Swann cable looks to be "568B" just missing wire 4,5,7,8. Does the other end look the same?
If not, this is a crossover cable. In that case, simply hook that up as an extension using a cat cable inline coupler.

 

[TonyR]

Notes:
6. Their cable has only 4 wires (2 orange in slots 1&2 - 2 Green in Slots 3&6) - Picture attached.

FWIW, looks like "10/100 mode A, mixed DC & data".

Properly terminated and tested RJ-45's to the T-568 spec on both ends (or the T-568A spec on both ends) as shown in @looney2ns ' post #3 will work.

 

[Broachoski]

I suspect @f1restarter may be onto something and if you have a "coupler" then try that between their new cable and yours. Since you have a basic tester you could plug each end of it into one of their cables and see if the continuity sequence is the same.
If both ends of their cables look the same but their colors are all solid then I would suspect proprietory wiring.

 

[Rustinkowski]

Thank you all so much for the help! Here are a few updates:

1. Both ends of the Swann cable are the same. Picture attached.

2. My ethernet cables are NOT the same as the T568B spec. I copied the pattern from another ethernet cable I had. However, both ends of the cable have the EXACT same pattern and pass the ethernet test. Are there certain wires that have more copper or something for carrying power? I always thought each wire was the same. I will cut both ends and wire the colors exactly to the T568B spec later today. I'll update you then.

3. Thank you for the idea to just use a shorter cable for testing... this will save me from running to the other side of the house and up and down the ladder.

 

[f1restarter]

A network cable consists of twisted pairs. They are twisted to avoid interference and crosstalk (noise). That is why it is important to follow a code such as 568b or 568a. It does not really matter which one you stick to, but I find that 568b is more common, and after terminating hundreds of them I always remember the B standard colours.

Actually, when I made my first network cables for personal use more than 20 years ago, I, like you did not think it mattered as long as both ends were the same. And it actually works to just select random colours if the cables are very short (3-5meters in my experience) but one should not expect gigabit speeds.

Anyway, good luck with your re-termination and let us know if it works

 

[tangent]

My ethernet cables are NOT the same as the T568B spec

If you followed the T568A color code on both ends that should also work. Anything other than T568A or T568B on both ends and you'll have a problem.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Can refer to this one.

 

[Rustinkowski]

Well, you were RIGHT. It was indeed the wiring order. Now that I have the T568B Spec order, the camera now works and is powered by just the cable....

I had no idea, I thought as long as they matched order the order did not matter.

I reached out to Swann many times and they had no idea how to help

Thank you everyone! This forum is amazing.



PS. Now, I have to see if I can get to the other side of the property with a couple of my cables. Any recommendations on a PoE range extender if needed?

 

[Broachoski]

PS. Now, I have to see if I can get to the other side of the property with a couple of my cables. Any recommendations on a PoE range extender if needed?

How far? Clear line of sight? Is electric available there?

 

[looney2ns]

Take a look here: Q&A: Are YOU terminating your Ethernet cable all wrong? You probably are!

 

[tigerwillow1]

Take a look here: Q&A: Are YOU terminating your Ethernet cable all wrong? You probably are!

" Instead of crimping, we recommend using field termination plugs, which employ an insulation-displacement contact (IDC) mechanism similar to Keystone modules."

My conspiracy side notices that these recommended plugs are 5 bucks, instead of less than a dime for a "bad" one, that "lacks the mechanical stability required for a reliable connection".

 

[TonyR]

My conspiracy side notices that these recommended plugs are 5 bucks, instead of less than a dime for a "bad" one, that "lacks the mechanical stability required for a reliable connection".

I'm sure they're great if 1) you can afford them and 2) you don't feel you can ever make up a good one "the old-fashioned" way.

Out of the many, MANY good RJ-45 crimps I've done in my lifetime, I'm pleased to say there were only a few bad ones.....they were done early on and I'm happy with the reliability of those still in service. Did I start out doing great terminations? Not at all...like anything, there was a learning curve. But I will admit it's not for everyone and It's a good thing to have choices so as to help us with better results. I'm all about having choices.

That being said, the good ol' plain-jane RJ-45's are also a form of IDC (Insulation Displacement Connector), right? When crimped, the metal tangs inside the RJ-45 pierce the individual, 4 pair of conductors' insulation to make contact.

 

[JDreaming]

I'm sure they're great if 1) you can afford them and 2) you don't feel you can ever make up a good one "the old-fashioned" way.

Out of the many, MANY good RJ-45 crimps I've done in my lifetime, I'm pleased to say there were only a few bad ones.....they were done early on and I'm happy with the reliability of those still in service. Did I start out doing great terminations? Not at all...like anything, there was a learning curve. But I will admit it's not for everyone and It's a good thing to have choices so as to help us with better results. I'm all about having choices.

That being said, the good ol' plain-jane RJ-45's are also a form of IDC (Insulation Displacement Connector), right? When crimped, the metal tangs inside the RJ-45 pierce the individual, 4 pair of conductors' insulation to make contact.

I actually look into these field termination plugs few months ago but ended up buying some regular Ethernet Pass Through Plugs from Amazon due to the price differences.

It's funny I'm willing to spent hundreds of dollars on one camera but feeling like I'm getting robbed for 2 field termination plugs at the price of $11-17.