Patch Cable vs. Crossover Cable: What Is the Difference?


Despite advances in wireless technologies, many computer networks still rely on cables as a physical medium for devices to transfer data. Several standard types of network cable exist, including coaxial cable, twisted pair cable, USB cable, crossover cable, patch cable, fiber optic cable, etc. Among these different types of network cable, many people may be unfamiliar with patch cable and crossover cable. In fact, patch cable and crossover cable are two types of Ethernet cable, and they have the same physical characteristics. But what on earth is the difference between patch cable and crossover cable new product?
Before talking about patch cable and crossover cable, it’s very necessary to learn about the T-568A and T-568B standard. With regard to these two network cable wiring schemes, there are two different connectivity forms. The T-568B wiring scheme is by far the most common, though many devices support the T-568A wiring scheme as well. If both ends of the patch cords are wired on the basis of one standard, it is a straight through connection. Both the standards can be used for straight through cable. If not, it is a crossover connection. Some networking applications require a Ethernet crossover cable, which has a T-568A connector on one end and a T-568B connector on the other. This type of cable is typically used for direct computer-to-computer connections. The following section will introduce the straight through cable (or patch cable) and crossover cable in details.Many networking professionals use the term patch cable to refer to any kind of straight through cable. So a patch cable is often called a straight through cable. In other words, patch cable does not change or swap along its way. Both ends use the same wiring standard: T-568A or T-568B. So both side (connector A and connector B) of patch cable have wire arrangement with same color (as shown in the following picture). Specifically, Pin 1 on connector A goes to Pin 1 on connector B, Pin 2 to Pin 2, etc. These patch cables are widely used for connecting the computer to the switches, hubs, or routers.
Crossover cable, as the name suggests, cross over or swap on its way when coming from one end to the other. Unlike patch cable, crossover cable uses two different wiring standards on both end: one end uses the T568A wiring standard, and the other end uses the T568B wiring standard. Both side (connector A and connector B) of crossover cable have wire arrangement with different color, and the wires that come out of the connector A should match the correct pin at the connector B. As shown in the following wiring scheme, you can see that Pin 1 on connector A goes to Pin 3 on connector B, pin 2 to pin 6, pin 3 to pin 1 and pin 6 to pin 2, etc. The crossover cables are mainly used for connecting two routers, computers, or hubs.