Crossover Patch Cable
When two computers or devices need to be connected together, a crossover patch cable is used. There is a difference between a crossover cable and a normal CAT 5 or 6 cable. The wires in a crossover patch cable overlap each other, whereas in a normal cable they are not. This can be easily seen using a cable diagram. These cables are used in cases where two devices need to be connected without a router or hub. It can be quite useful, especially when a person does not have the router or hub bought and installed yet. They can be bought in several different sizes as well.
A crossover patch cable is designed to connect two devices with the same interface together. This includes PC to PC, Mac to Mac, or even hub to hub. The reason they are used over normal patch cables is because of the way the wires are laid out. In a crossover cable, the wires overlap each other, which allows it to connect to the same interface between two devices. This is useful because it allows a computer without Internet to connect to it via a second computer without the use of a hub or router.
The overlapping wires in a crossover patch cable can be diagrammed to help illustrate the difference between it and a normal cable. In a normal cable, the pins are in 1, 2, 3, 6 order on both ends of the cable. In a crossover cable, the pins are normal on one side and cross over to 3, 6, 1, 2 on the other.
A crossover patch cable can be bought in different lengths, ranging from a couple feet to fifty feet or more. There are even extension cables designed to lengthen the reach of these cables. The price of a crossover patch cable will differ depending on the length of the cable itself.
Being able to connect two devices together without a router or hub can be quite useful at times. The only way to achieve this is via a crossover patch cable, which connects two identical interfaces together. The wires overlap each other in this cable; this can be seen with a cable diagram. All of these cables can be bought at differing lengths, ranging from a few feet to over fifty feet, which is quite handy when a person needs to extend the cable over some distance. Of course, the longer the cable, the more expensive it will be, but having a few crossover cables can help in case a person needs to connect two devices together directly.