Is crossover cable still needed?

Question

Do I still need a crossover cable to connect two PC's directly? (NIC <-> NIC)?

If not, then why was this needed in the past, and when was it used for this? Specifically, when did crossover cables stop being needed to directly connect 2 PCs?

Note: Cross-over cables only applied to 10 and 100Mb Ethernet. Gigabit sends and receives on all 4 pairs at the same time. — Chris S, Mar 05 '14 at 14:36
@ChrisS, what you describe only applies to UTP cabling. Ethernet on fiber-optic cabling still requires a crossover cable between two like devices, even at gigabit speeds. — Ron Maupin, Oct 11 '17 at 14:44

score 14 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 11 '17 at 14:39

14

Most (all?) current devices have implemented ethernet auto mdix. The answer is simple: You don't need such cable.

edited Oct 11 '17 at 14:39

Arno van Wyk

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answered Mar 05 '14 at 11:05

neutrinus

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but from when? from 10 years ago? – evachristine Mar 05 '14 at 11:22
@evachristine there is probably no border date.. – neutrinus Mar 05 '14 at 11:24
Then I will say about ~2005... according to google searches.. – evachristine Mar 05 '14 at 11:25
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@evachristine I remember having to use on in the 90s. I think by the early 2000s most devices were Auto MDI-X. Then 1GbE took over and made the whole thing moot. – Chris S Mar 05 '14 at 14:44

Is crossover cable still needed?

1 Answers1