A technician has stripped a twisted-pair cable and needs to fasten an RJ45 plug onto the end. Which tool does the fastening?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
The plug has to be squeezed onto the pairs so the pins bite the copper. You use a crimper. A punchdown tool seats jacks, a tone box hunts a cable, and a stripper only takes the jacket off.
Full Explanation
A crimper compresses an RJ45 plug onto the conductors so the contacts pierce the insulation and the plug locks to the jacket. Fastening the plug is that tool's job. A punchdown tool seats conductors into a jack or a block. It does not clamp a modular plug. A tone generator puts a signal on a pair so you can find the other end. It does not crimp. A cable stripper removes the outer jacket. Stopping there leaves the pairs unfastened. The stripper does not finish the plug. Exam caveat: order the pairs to the shop's color standard before you squeeze. A firm crimp on the wrong order is a bad cable. Operational check: crimp the plug, tug it to confirm the jacket is caught, and run a wire-map test. Order the pairs to the shop standard, crimp, then prove the plug with a wire map. Tug the plug to confirm the jacket is caught under the crimp. Run the wire map and fix the plug if any pin is swapped. Cut the failed plug off and start over if the map is wrong.