Belkin A7J304-250 10/100BT 24 Awg PVC Cat5 250ft Bulk Cable (Stranded)

List Price: $75.99 Discount Price: $34.87

Features:

• For use with 10 Base-T and 100 Base-T Ethernet networks
• Cable consists of 4 unshielded, twisted pair (8) stranded 24AWG wires
• Packaged in a convenient reelex box
• Comes with manufacturer's lifetime guarantee
• Exceeds the performance requirements of the Category 5 standard

Customer Reviews:

Completely Useless For Me [Posted on 2001-07-21]
I wanted to connect a computer to a router, and the computer was going to be pretty far away from the router. So I figured I needed a long cord, and decided to get this one, which is supposed to be cat 5 stranded patch (which was what I needed.) Well, it's long. That's the only good thing about this cord. But the bad thing is so bad that the cord is useless. There is nothing on the ends! It's just a giant wire! There aren't any connectors on the ends that I can use to plug the cord into my computer, or the router. So I have a cord, but no connectors. It's completely useless, unless I buy the connectors separately, and attach them myself. Do I know how to do that? Do I want to do that? No. So I'm returning this. Maybe, if all you need is the cord (it's grey, by the way), and not the connectors, you might be able to use this. Otherwise, it's completely useless. If you can't find any cords this long that have connectors, maybe you should consider trying a shorter cord. ...

Can we say bulk cable [Posted on 2001-12-29]
Typically when you order cat 5 cableing there are connectors already on it up untill you hit about 100 feet, After that they assume that you are setting up a network and are going to attach the wire to plug boxes. As for what this cable was intended for it works like every other network cable and is a pretty average price for cable in my area at about .16 cents a foot. So if you want to run a in line network in a normal house or small business then this should be sufficent for several computers when cut.

Completely useful [Posted on 2004-12-10]
Yes, it is a useful cable, IF you have the tools and knowledge to make the cable yourself. As was pointed out by another reviewer, there are no connectors on it, but if you have the knowledge to do so, it is quite easy to do yourself.
It is extremely useful for those who have no need for and/or cannot afford a 500 foot box or 1000 foot roll of bulk cable. More cable makers should supply cable lengths such as this, because many people only need to network 2 or 3 devices in their home, making 500+ feet absolutely wasteful.
The fact that there are no connectors on it also means that you don't have to waste any (even if only the 3/4 inches in the connectors on each end) of the cable if you need to make a cable for an RJ-45 jack in the wall (called a drop for those in the industry).
It also gives you the freedom to make either a Straight-through, Crossover, OR a Rollover cable without wasting any cable length. This also means that if you are going to be configuring a managed router (such as a Cisco 2500, 2600xt, etc series router) you are able to make one end an RJ-45 connector and the other end a DB-9 connector to attach to the COM ports on your PC.
Thank you, and I hope this has explained the usefulness of this cable.

Patch Cable - Super Long, but did not come with the clamps [Posted on 2008-06-05]
Based on the picture, I thought that this super long cord would have come with the ends that go from one device to the other. It did not. So I now have all of this wire when I should have just gone to Wal-Mart and purchased a 50Ft patch cord with the ends in tact. I did go to Wal-Mart and I'm satisfied. I'm hoping that some network person will express an interest in the useless cable that I now posess.

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