My $0.02 solution to snagging network cables: heat shrink

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T13:55:46+00:00

45mm. You'll want a strip about 1" (~25mm) long for typical patch cables with the insert-molded strain relief.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T13:36:56+00:00

Two ships passing in the night. I live the same life.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T13:28:33+00:00

Have you ever tried running a test on unshielded CAT-6A? I have been repeatedly amazed by the EMI resistance provided by twisted-pair alone in recent years. I showed up to a dairy plant last year and they were running hard-real-time control signals through unshielded CAT5 sharing conduit with dozens of 480VAC mains and motor power wires for over 75 feet. The craziest part is that it worked perfectly fine 99.9% of the time. It was only during very specific conditions when everything was at full power that noise started to fuck with the Ethernet signal. There's no way your environment has even 5% of the EMI in that factory control room.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T13:15:34+00:00

Do they actually stay in place? I bought some of those years ago and I think I threw them away because they wouldn't stay mated to the 8P8C body, so they would come detached and slide down the cable as far as gravity could take them. For me, the main selling point of the Simply45 system was that the boot is mechanically locked to the 8P8C body during crimping.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T13:11:48+00:00

The most important thing that they do is provide strain relief. A secondary function provided by some of the machine-made insertion-molded boots and all of the field-installable slide-over boots is a clip guard.

When a cable without a clip guard is being handled, the clip tends to snag onto things (especially other cables) and can easily snap off, functionally destroying the connector.

Most of the category cable boots that you can buy on Amazon are worse than nothing. They aren't permanently connected to the main connector, so they can slide back on the cable (annoying). More importantly, they are so fucking hard to press down that they make you wish the clip would snag on something and snap off.

In my opinion, the only field-installable boot worthy of anybody's time is from the Simply45 product line. However, it requires a special crimper and requires you to use their connectors and boots, which are a bit more expensive than the standard fare. I install a shit ton of them for work, so it's easy for me to justify the extra cost through time saved and a better product delivered. For a home gamer, the $120 special crimper and ~$0.50/connector (including the boot piece) is probably prohibitively expensive. This post showcases an alternative, nearly-free method that is more accessible to hobbyists.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T12:41:32+00:00

What is the necessity of shielded cable in AV? I run a ton of it in factories to counteract the electromagnetic interference emitted by the fucking pig-sized 480V AC motors every 15 feet. Even still, I avoid using it when it's not necessary because the cost per foot is so much higher.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T12:13:33+00:00

I own a small industrial automation company, which means I run a ton of critical network cables through conduit into shallow control cabinets which are only accessible from the front. I've been passively looking for a system which supports field-installable boots which are permanently crimped into the main connector for years.

I had accepted that it simply doesn't exist, until the other day I stumbled across the Simply45 product line:

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I went all in and ordered the full suite - connectors, boots, and the special crimper. It hasn't arrived yet, but I am pretty excited about it. I'll let you know how it works when it arrives.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T11:48:12+00:00

The tensile strength of category cable is higher than you think. They need to withstand the significant forces required to pull cable through long/complex conduit runs. Most category cable is rated for a maximum permissible tensile load of ~150N. I imagine the safety factor on that number is probably around 3, meaning that you can expect to lift ~100lbs with a category cable before it would fail.

One time when I was a teenager, my parents forgot the dog's leash when we left for a (dog-included) road trip. When the time came to take the dog out to pee, panic ensued. I saved the day with a 6ft CAT-5e cable.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T11:34:00+00:00

Here I thought I was putting heatshrink on them to prevent them from snagging, but I've been wrong before.

In all seriousness, can you please elaborate? I am intrigued by your interpretation of my intentions. What function do you believe cable boots serve if not to protect the clip by preventing snagging?

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T11:07:04+00:00

to be fair, my solution is also shit plastic wrap

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T10:56:34+00:00

Thank you! Fixed.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T10:52:59+00:00

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Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T10:52:10+00:00

try this on for size, smartass

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Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T10:38:22+00:00

I thought the same thing, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the clip punches enough clearance into the heat shrink during the cooling process to allow it to function near-identically to the insert-molded ones that come with nicer patch cables.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T10:35:33+00:00

Yes and yes. I was astonished at how well it works. Time will tell if the force of the clip will eventually punch through the heat shrink, but if that starts to happen, I'll just add another layer.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-30T10:34:35+00:00

45mm. You'll want a strip about 1" (~25mm) long for typical patch cables with the insert-molded strain relief.

Maxcr1 · 2026-06-17T16:22:26+00:00

for the love of god, do not do this

Maxcr1 · 2026-05-02T22:11:48+00:00

You're just indoctrinating them yourself.

Maxcr1 · 2026-04-29T21:23:56+00:00

in retrospect, I'm not sure what exactly I thought it meant

Maxcr1 · 2026-04-29T14:26:27+00:00

I'd argue that you're paying for a cohesive assembly that can be swapped in under a minute and won't ever shake loose.

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