Crossover cables are a bang out of ethernet cable that is used to connect two computers together directly.
For modern computers (ones from the year 2000 and on), crossover cables arent really needed anymore.
It also helped avoid signalling conflicts, which were an issue in early connections.
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What makes crossover cables different from normal Ethernet cables?
As both are used to establish connections, you may struggle to tell them apart.
They are very similar, with one key difference.
The wires are arranged in the pattern 1-2-3-4-5-6.
In a crossover, the wire arrangement looks more like this: 3-6-1-4-5-2.
Externally, the two can look much the same they both have the exact same connectors.
What are crossover cables used for?
Crossover cables are still needed in one specific scenario to connect devices that arent outfitted with Gigabit Ethernet functionality.
This is a high-quality, high-speed standard found in most but not all modern devices that support Ethernet.
What are crossover cables NOT used for?
Use a normal Ethernet cable for this purpose.