How to Determine if a Cable Is a Crossover

While all Ethernet cables may look alike at a distance, the order of filaments in the three main type of Ethernet cables gives each cable a different function. Simply put, rollover cables are used in programming, crossover cables are use for peer-to-peer transfer and straight-through cables are used for "unlike" network devices. A quick survey of an Ethernet cable's connectors can help you determine which type of cable you have.

• 1

  Take an end of your Ethernet cable. Hold the tip of the cable out in front of you, with the flat side of the cable's connector facing you and the brown filament oriented to your right side.

• 2

  Hold the opposite end of the cable up with your other hand, with the flat side of the connector facing you and the brown filament oriented to your right as well. If the brown filaments are at opposite sides of the connector, your cable is a rollover Ethernet cable.

• 3

  Compare the colors of the other filaments in both ends of the Ethernet cable. If the filaments to the left of the browns are color-coded in the same order, your cable is a straight-through Ethernet cable. If the colors preceding the brown differ in order, your cable is a crossover Ethernet cable.