[BryanB55]

I just terminated a ton of CAT5e for security cameras and I can definitely see the margin of error begin high. It sucks to do, I feel like there should be an easier way to terminate them that doesn't involve carefully trying to align the right color combination and holding them steady enough to then align them in that same order with tiny slots on the plug.

[rdl]

Yes, the correct solution is structured cabling with punchdown jacks, punchdown patch panels, and commercially manufactured and certified patch and lobe cords. No one is going to pay commercial electrician rates, even lv, to futz around with a crimper, especially when one little plastic tab getting snapped off means a cable needs to be re terminated.

[mturmon]

I have done a lot of punchdown jack connections, and a few crimp connections, and I have to agree that the punchdown connections (into a female jack which receives a patch cord, and the patch cord goes to the device) have been much more deterministic. It is rare when one does not work the first time.

I wasn't using structured cabling, just ordinary Cat5e cable.

But I think for a security camera, as in the parent comment, which may be getting PoE, the tidiest connection would use a crimp-down male RJ45. I would not enjoy being up on a ladder fussing with a crimping tool and 8 stubby wires.

[DrPhish]

Still better to put a jack (facing down!) into a surface mount box and patch into the camera. When you are working with outdoor gear, put the surface mount box into a waterproof jbox. Even if you are going into gear with a gasket that requires you to crimp an end on a patch cable, it's still better to do it this way. Jack-to-jack lasts so much longer and is so much more reliable, I will almost never allow crimped ends anywhere in my networks. Patch cables are a commodity, horizontal runs are an investment.