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Back in the day you needed a modified cable for this with RX/TX swapped on one end but nowadays probably all nic chips have auto-detect so you can take a normal

Back in the day you needed a modified cable for this with RX/TX swapped on one end but nowadays probably all nic chips have auto-detect so you can take a normal patch cable and do it.

bronlund 17d ago
Yeah, I remember those. When setting up an ad-hoc network, you were like; "where the eff is the crossover cable!" :D
- luz666 17d ago
  it was the red one, right?
  - bronlund 17d ago
    Mine was just a custom made gray one, but I have seen those red ones, yes :D
    - Ekaros 17d ago
      I bought bunch of ready made 10 meter cables for lan party dunno 15 or 20 years ago... Used with switch... Grey with nice paper label at end with "Cross over"... Haven't had any issues with them ever in regular use... So pointless even back then...
      - bronlund 17d ago
        If using a switch, there isn't any need for crossover cables, is it?
        luz666 14d ago
        yes (, except if you lack an additional power slot or have no switch available)
  - ErroneousBosh 17d ago
    Mine were grey same as the normal patch cables but had red Hellerman sleeves at the ends. Look at you with your fancy red Cat5 ;-)
steve1977 17d ago
Yeah so called crossover cables. But that's like decades ago.
- johnwalkr 17d ago
  Yeah it's been about 20 years since there was a risk this didn't work.
dolmen 17d ago
In fact you just need one of the two ends to be able to auto swap RX/TX.
- myself248 17d ago
  When I hacked a USB2-GigE adapter into my old Toughbook CF-m34 to replace the stock 10/100 adapter, it wasn't for the speed. I didn't need the speed, and of course USB2 wouldn't let me use the whole gig anyway. But GigE uses all four pairs, so the hardware has transceivers behind all four pairs, which means even when they're running at 10 or 100, the chipset can choose which pairs to transmit and receive on. Thus all GigE adapters are Auto-MDIX, and it meant I no longer needed to carry a crossover cable, no matter what other device I was talking to. It's funny how 10/100 cards with Auto-MDIX capability were exotic and expensive, but once GigE had it by default, it became ubiquitous, cheap, and quickly forgotten.
pezezin 17d ago
Gigabit Ethernet sends and receive over the 4 pairs simultaneously using echo cancellation, so it doesn't need crossover cables.
Hikikomori 17d ago
Not really modified, you could buy them pre terminated or put on your own rj45 and just wire it as crossover.

Back in the day you needed a modified cable for this with RX/TX swapped on one end but nowadays probably all nic chips have auto-detect so you can take a normal patch cable and do it.

bronlund 17d ago

Yeah, I remember those. When setting up an ad-hoc network, you were like; "where the eff is the crossover cable!" :D

luz666 17d ago
it was the red one, right?
- bronlund 17d ago
  Mine was just a custom made gray one, but I have seen those red ones, yes :D
  - Ekaros 17d ago
    I bought bunch of ready made 10 meter cables for lan party dunno 15 or 20 years ago... Used with switch... Grey with nice paper label at end with "Cross over"... Haven't had any issues with them ever in regular use... So pointless even back then...
    - bronlund 17d ago
      If using a switch, there isn't any need for crossover cables, is it?
      - luz666 14d ago
        yes (, except if you lack an additional power slot or have no switch available)
- ErroneousBosh 17d ago
  Mine were grey same as the normal patch cables but had red Hellerman sleeves at the ends. Look at you with your fancy red Cat5 ;-)

steve1977 17d ago

Yeah so called crossover cables. But that's like decades ago.

johnwalkr 17d ago
Yeah it's been about 20 years since there was a risk this didn't work.

dolmen 17d ago

In fact you just need one of the two ends to be able to auto swap RX/TX.

myself248 17d ago
When I hacked a USB2-GigE adapter into my old Toughbook CF-m34 to replace the stock 10/100 adapter, it wasn't for the speed. I didn't need the speed, and of course USB2 wouldn't let me use the whole gig anyway. But GigE uses all four pairs, so the hardware has transceivers behind all four pairs, which means even when they're running at 10 or 100, the chipset can choose which pairs to transmit and receive on. Thus all GigE adapters are Auto-MDIX, and it meant I no longer needed to carry a crossover cable, no matter what other device I was talking to. It's funny how 10/100 cards with Auto-MDIX capability were exotic and expensive, but once GigE had it by default, it became ubiquitous, cheap, and quickly forgotten.

pezezin 17d ago

Gigabit Ethernet sends and receive over the 4 pairs simultaneously using echo cancellation, so it doesn't need crossover cables.

Hikikomori 17d ago

Not really modified, you could buy them pre terminated or put on your own rj45 and just wire it as crossover.