Router (rooter) thingy update.

[The Medway Handyman]

SWMBO's PC is up & running, not sorted the e mail out yet, but never mind.

Bought a 5 metre Cat 6 cable with male/male ends to connect the new PC to the router. Not piggin long enough! Went to Staples yesterday & they don't do a cable with male/female ends so I can extend it, nor do they do a 'joiner'.

Their only suggestion was to buy a new 10m cable.

I'm sure Maplins or someone online sells these things, prolly much cheaper than Staples, but being a numpty I don't know what to ask for - visions of "fork handles" .

Could some kind person point me at what to order please?

[George]

[Bob Eager]

TZ09K from Maplin - "RJ45 coupler". They say RJ11 in one place but that's just a typo going by the description. This joins two cables.

6 in stock at Luton as of today.

[Andy Burns]

Most walk-in shops are extortionate for cables.

Mind you Maplins are taking the piss at =A35 for a coupler, you would wan= t=20 the pin-to-pin version, not the crossover version.

you do go for a longer cable instead, don't let them persuade you=20 that cat6 is in any way better or faster, cat 5e is all you need, at=20 least they are "down" to =A31/m for the 10m and 15m versions.

[Tim Decker]

Dave I have several metres of cable, crimps and the necessary tool. If you wait until Tuesday I can let you borrow them and you can do the job for free. Regards Tim

[Piers Finlayson]

From Screwfix

Then by £47.01 in vouchers to get free delivery ;-).

There's no need for a Cat 6 coupler - you don't need Cat 6 unless you're going Gigabit ethernet, and going a long way.

Don't think you can get away with one of these:

can't.

[T i m]

Good job ..

Good suggestion ..

'10m Ethernet patch cable'.

eBay eg:

the best ..

T i m

p.s. Considering your role I would suggest you take up Tim's offer and watch him make up a patch for you (a patch would use stranded cable, fixed wiring (between wall boxes / patch panels) would use solid core cable). Once you see how easy it can be (depending on how much patience you have) you could add making such to your portfolio?

[Rod]

Apart from taking Tim up on his offer, I suggest that you have a look here for reasonable/sensible prices:

(Scan's postage is not cheap so not recommending them.) Always a good idea to have a range of cables to hand.

[tony sayer]

This lot are excellent for data stuff:))..

[Cicero]

================================== For future reference, find out if there's a computer fair in your vicinity. You'll always get good prices and advice at these fairs and they help to keep you aware of new stuff.

Cic.

[Bob Eager]

I think the point is that he wanted it today. He's very near a Maplin...

[Phil Jones]

If you're near Colchester you can get a 10m cat5 patch cable from the trade counter at Rapid Electronics for £3.19

. Otherwise it's £4.95 for postage.

[Bob Eager]

Not too near for the Medway Handyman!

That's the problem...Maplin are sometimes the cheapest/quickest option, much to my annoyance; postage and/or delivery delay are important factors.

If I'm in Medway, the Maplin there is OK (I used to park round the back, but someone was murdered there). But I go to Thanet about twice a week so the Maplin there is not much of an overhead in terms of fuel and time.

[Cicero]

================================== And that's why I said, "For future reference.........".

Cic.

[Bob Eager]

Sorry, it was a general reply and I probably chose a bad message to tack it onto.

I thought computer fairs were dead. I haven't seen one for ages, and when I did it seemed to have been taken over by a few cliques who had driven everyone else out and put up their prices.

[George]

But thats just plain silly ie you pay £3 to £4 to get in through the door and pay prolly £6 for the cable so ya might as well go the high street and pay.

[Cicero]

================================== It isn't silly at all.

I pay £1-50 entry as a pensioner and I choose from a selection of suppliers for various items. I have no idea what savings I make but I certainly couldn't buy half a dozen different items online (including 100 DVDs for £13-00) for a carriage / postal cost of £1-50.

Try it sometime - a visit to Manchester might be a pleasant day out for you.

Cic.

[George]

How many people that go through those doors are pensioners? its £4 at aintree racecourse and the amount of stall there leave a lot to be desired. The only time its worth going to those shows is when you're buying a lot of stuff otherwise its pointless paying the entrance fee just for a box of DVD's that can be got at most shops for less.

[Bob Eager]

Probably get close. SVP (svp.co.uk) give a very good service, and have '99p postage' offers quite often.

[Cicero]

=================================== I don't count but I'm aware that a substantial proportion of the people I see are not in the first flush of youth. As I indicated earlier, it's worth the entry fee for an opportunity to browse and see what's new. Buying at discounted prices is a bonus. I haven't been to the Aintree venue (not Northern Computer Markets, I think) but why would I when I have such good service on my doorstep?

Cic.