Are utp x-over cables safe to use

[Jim Brown]

A colleague is convinced that he's blown a few boards connecting network devices directly with a x-over rather than going thru' a hub- the implication being that a hub provides some electrical safety.

Anyone got any thoughts on that?

[VisionIT]

Hub's / Switches do not add electrical safety to any setup. An RJ45 x-over (568A to 568A) wouldn't cause any modular damage to a board unless the NIC was actually faulty.

As a matter of interest... what exactly do the boards in question do (or not do)?

Cheap NIC's are usually the first item of hardware to blow in a power surge, and can cause major problems with regards to IRQ routing.

You must fit a surge-protector adaptor to ALL systems. This will reduce the risk of damage. IT WILL NOT REMOVE THE RISK... ADAPTORS CAN FAIL ALSO! If it's an important system, consider a UPS (Uninteruptable power supply) unit, which are usually around £50 Inc VAT, depending on the protection & AMPS you need.

I suggest you take the motherboards to a professional, and he/she'll tell you what the problem was.

Kind regards,

Paul.