Bad Wired UTP Cables results

Hello Everyone!! Two questions:

1- I'm wondering what are the results that may come from a bad wired UTP cable. See, I've seen a network (at work) where all the CAT5 are bad wired, they're not wired in compliance with 568A or 568B standard, all the CAT5 wires are mixed. There are 7 CAT5 connected to a hub (10Mbps Ethernet) and all the seven are different wired. Then network works however(3 years ago), it's slow sometimes and sometimes fast (2 or 1 PC working), but I don't know what could happen in this situation. Should I wire them correctly?
2- I'm planning to move to Fast Ethernet. All PC's have 10Mbps NICs and mine 10/100 Mbps (7 PC's total) and the hub is 10Mbps. I'm buying a 10/100Mbps Switch, then 100Mbps NICs. Is it right?

Manuel,

A badly wired network is nothing but trouble. In my years of experience I've come across quite a few networks that were wired in a totaly incorrect manner but still managed to 'sort of' work.

Even in the case they did work, I would definately snip off the rj-45 connectors off and crimp on a set of new ones with the right pinout configuration. There is a dedicated section on this site for wiring UTP which you can find under the 'Cabling' section.

Your upgrade to a 10/100 switch is a wise move if you find yourself transfering frequently files over your network or simply want to upgrade the overall performance.

Personally I still use 10/100 hubs in my home network [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] This is mainly because I can sniff data with ease.

Cheers,

Chris P.