I have crimped many an RJ45 connection in my home. In attempting to patch a new cat5 wire, I tried four times with these Belkin connectors, two on each end, then gave up. I went to Radio Shack and bought new connectors (paying $8 for five). The Radio Shack connectors worked perfectly the first time. I noticed that the wires seemed to slide home more securely in the Radio Shack connectors. They were well worth the extra money to me. Wish I'd just gone to Radio Shack in the first place (no, I'm not connected in any way to Radio Shack!)