RJ45 Crimping Tool Kit - 9 Piece Network Cable Tester and Crimper Set

Description

This RJ45 crimping tool kit is a nine piece network cable set built around a three-way crimper and an NS-468 two-part cable tester, and it covers RJ11, RJ12, RJ45 and Cat5, Cat5e and Cat6 cable to both TIA-568A and TIA-568B wiring standards. The kit is $39.99 at Lets Party and comes in a carry bag. Ten RJ45 crystal heads are included so you can terminate straight away.

Making your own network leads stops being a hobbyist exercise the moment you need a cable that is 14 metres long and runs behind a wall. Pre-made patch leads come in fixed lengths, which means every run is either too short to reach or has three metres of slack coiled behind the cabinet. Terminating your own means the cable is the length of the run, and a kit like this pays for itself on the second or third cable. The tester is the part people skip and then wish they had not - a miswired pair looks identical to a good one until something intermittently fails months later.

Specifications

What's in the Box

Why Choose a Complete Kit Over Separate Tools

• The tester is included - bought separately it is often the piece people leave out, and it is the one that turns guessing into knowing.
• Two-part tester - the remote unit lets one person test a cable that runs between two rooms without a second pair of hands.
• Crimper does three jobs - cut, strip and crimp in one tool, so terminating a cable does not mean picking up three things.
• Punch down tool for fixed cabling - the piece you need for wall plates and patch panels, which crimping alone will not do.
• Connectors to start with - ten RJ45 heads means the kit is usable the day it arrives.

What Is in a Network Cable Tool Kit and What Does Each Piece Do?

The crimper is the centre of it: you strip the outer jacket, arrange the eight wires in order, slide them into an RJ45 plug and squeeze, which drives the plug's contacts through the wire insulation and clamps the jacket. The strippers take the outer sheath off without nicking the pairs underneath, which matters because a nicked conductor is a fault that will not show up for months. The punch down tool is for the other kind of termination - pushing wires into the slots of a keystone jack or patch panel and trimming the excess in the same stroke. The tester confirms all eight conductors reach the far end in the right order. The screwdrivers and mini cutter are for the wall plates and trimming that go with the job.

What Is the Difference Between T568A and T568B Wiring?

They are two standard colour orders for the same eight wires, and electrically both produce an identical working cable. The difference is only which pairs sit on which pins - green and orange swap places between the two. The rule that actually matters is consistency: use the same standard at both ends of a cable and you get a straight-through patch lead, which is what you want for essentially all modern equipment. Use different standards at each end and you get a crossover cable, which was needed for older gear connecting two computers directly and is almost never wanted now. T568B is the more common choice in Australian domestic and commercial installs, so if you are adding to existing cabling, match whatever is already there rather than starting a second convention in the same building.

Do You Need a Punch Down Tool for Wall Plates?

Yes, and this is where a lot of first-time installers get stuck. Wall plate keystone jacks and patch panels do not take a crimped plug - the individual wires are pressed down into insulation-displacement slots, and the tool both seats the wire properly and trims the tail flush in one action. Pushing wires in with a screwdriver seems to work and mostly does not: the contact is not fully seated, so the connection passes a continuity test today and fails intermittently later, which is the hardest kind of network fault to chase. The 110 punch down tool in this kit is the standard pattern for that job.

Buyers are typically people wiring their own home network or running cable to a new room, small business owners tidying a comms cabinet, IT and AV technicians who want a spare kit for the van, and anyone who has bought one patch lead too many at the wrong length.

For more workshop gear, see our Tools and Hardware range, our Tech and Mobile Accessories collection, and Essentials for everyday items worth keeping spares of.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a battery included for the tester?
No. The NS-468 tester needs one 9V battery and it is not supplied. Worth adding one to your order so the kit is usable on arrival.

Is network cable included?
No. You get ten RJ45 crystal heads but no cable, keystone jacks or wall plates.

Will it work with Cat6?
The tester covers Cat6, and the crimper handles standard RJ45 plugs. Note that thicker Cat6 and shielded cable can be tight in standard plugs - for Cat6 specifically, pass-through style plugs make the job much easier.

Does the tester check speed or bandwidth?
No. It is a continuity and wire-map tester - it confirms every conductor reaches the far end in the correct position. It does not certify a cable to a performance category; that needs a certification tester costing many times this.

Can one person use the tester on a long run?
Yes. That is what the remote unit is for - leave it plugged in at one end and read the main unit at the other.

Will it crimp phone connectors as well?
The crimper is described as three-way for three plug types, and the tester covers RJ11 and RJ12 telephone connectors alongside RJ45.

Does it come with a case?
Yes, the kit is supplied in a carry bag.

Fast Australian Shipping

We ship from within Australia, so orders reach Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin quickly rather than waiting on an overseas shipment. Regional and remote addresses go through the standard Australia Post network.

Kit contents and specifications are as supplied by the manufacturer. This kit is for data and telephone cabling only. It is not for mains electrical work - fixed electrical wiring in Australia must be carried out by a licensed electrician.