220-1101 Question 168
Single answerCrimperA technician is installing a new wall-mounted VoIP phone in a small office. The cable run has already been measured and cut from a box of Cat 6 UTP, but the patch panel side is complete while the phone side still needs an RJ-45 connector attached. The technician has a crimper, RJ-45 connectors, a cable jacket stripper, and a cable tester. To create a reliable Ethernet patch cable end, which action should the technician take NEXT with the crimper process?
- A
Arrange the conductors in the chosen pinout order, trim them evenly, insert them fully into the RJ-45 connector, and crimp the connector onto the cable
- B
Twist each conductor pair together as tightly as possible all the way to the front of the RJ-45 connector before crimping
- C
Crimp the RJ-45 connector onto the cable first, then use the stripper to remove excess jacket from the end
- D
Use the crimper to attach an RJ-11 connector because VoIP phones require telephone-style connectors for network access
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
A crimper is used to terminate cables by securing the appropriate modular connector, such as an RJ-45 plug for Ethernet twisted-pair cabling. In this scenario, the technician is making the device-end termination for a Cat 6 UTP cable, so the correct process is to prepare the conductors in the proper T568A or T568B order, insert them fully into the RJ-45 connector, and then crimp. CompTIA A+ Core 1 expects candidates to recognize common networking tools and their practical uses, including crimpers, cable strippers, and cable testers. Best practice from structured cabling guidance is to maintain pair twists as close to the termination point as possible to preserve signal integrity and reduce crosstalk. After crimping, the technician should also verify the cable with a tester to confirm correct pinout and continuity.
- A. Correct.
Correct. When terminating Ethernet cable with a crimper, the technician should first arrange the wires according to the selected standard, typically T568A or T568B, keep the untwisted section as short as practical, trim the conductors evenly, insert them fully into the RJ-45 plug, and then use the crimper to secure the connector. This is the standard real-world process for making a functional twisted-pair cable end.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Twisted-pair cable pairs should remain twisted as close to the connector as possible, but not twisted together all the way to the front as a bundle. Over-manipulating or incorrectly combining conductors can increase crosstalk and lead to improper termination. A candidate might choose this if they know twists matter, but the key is preserving pair twists correctly, not tightening them together at the plug face.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. The cable jacket must be stripped and the conductors prepared before the RJ-45 connector is crimped. Once a connector has been crimped, it is not practical or correct to then remove jacket material from the same end. This reflects a misunderstanding of the cable termination sequence.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. VoIP phones that connect to an Ethernet LAN use RJ-45 Ethernet connections, not RJ-11 telephone connectors, for network access. RJ-11 is associated with traditional telephone lines and modems. This distractor targets confusion between voice services and the physical connector type used by IP-based phones.