Network gremlins

You may remember that when we ran the external network cable out to the cabin, Dave had a small mishap or two with the stapler. Well, all had been OK for quite a while, then we started noticing some network failures on the hard wired sections of the network.

 Symptoms improved for a while after we switched out the Netgear 24 port switch in the living room (as in the Hue lights hub and the Hive central heating controller started working again), but we were still having issues with some devices attached to the hub in what was originally the study - mainly the Foscam security camera at the front of the house, and the Cabin kept going intermittent, along with the wired connection to a couple of the bedrooms (the study was the original distribution hub when we first wired the house). We also replaced the hub down there, but the camera kept going down and I'd switched to wireless in the Cabin, so was unaware if that segment was up or not (side note, wireless network is really not up to Teams all day...). So having thought we'd fixed the network, we decided the (fairly old) camera must be the problem.
After Dave bought a replacement camera, he had a bit of a genius thought that maybe the damaged cable was shorting out that network segment somehow. We unplugged the Cabin and the wired network (as indicated by the status of the Foscam) became stable. So that meant replacing the cable from our bedroom, outside through the buried conduits and back in to the cabin again (and we now have a spare hard wired security camera, fate tbd...).
The spare cable had a plug on the end which I knew worked, so I asked him to feed the rest of the reel through the wall, leaving the plug in tact. We had a bit of a discussion about that and I relinquished my request, but because he's a hero, he did it anyway. He was originally going to wind the replacement cable along the old one, but decided to go the UV resistant cable tie route instead. He ran the cable out and along the fence to the back of the cabin mid-week, then went out in the freezing fog this afternoon to pull the remaining slack through the final conduit and in to the patress box in the Cabin (I'd removed the face plate and detached the existing socket on Friday).
Having refreshed my memory as to what stripes and solid colours go where, I attached the flying end of the cable to the Cat 5 module (properly - despite the module saying it was a 528A, it was definitely a 528B). I then realised that my own quirky brand of cabling swapped the brown and orange cables on a 528B so I was going to have to change the plug at the bedroom end anyway - sorry Dave!
I attached the master end of the cable tester to the socket in the cabin via a patch lead and took the relevant bits and pieces into the house to sort out the indoor end. I put on a new plug (classic 528B configuration), popped on the tester and got... randomly 2, unplugged and replugged - 7, then 6 - basically one light and pants. Went outside to check and got the same. Came back in and put on a new plug... and got 6 only again. At this point, I was getting a bit pissed off and decided to change the battery on the tester. Hey presto - 5, 6, 7 and 8 this time. Better, but no cigar. Another plug - everything but 3 this time, which I need (you only need 1, 2, 3 and 6 for a working connection). At this point, I got suspicious of the trimming depth on my crimping tool. I had a good look at the current cable (that lit magnifying glass finally got used in anger) and there were small nicks in the green stripey cable (3). I then spent a fair few minutes trying to gently strip the next chunk of cable (wondering how much slack I was going to end up with) organizing the little beasties, evening up the ends, offering it up, trimming them flat, and realised I needed to take off another mm of sheath. A bit of very gentle cable stripper squeezing and the use of nature's cable strippers (teeth) later, I had enough clean cable to offer in to the plug - had a good look and realised 7 and 8 had swapped themselves over, removed, reseated, checked, checked again then crimped. Finally - all 8 cables went through, hurrah.
Connected everything at the Cabin end and checked that the laptop was connecting to a wired connection (it was) and Dave reported the Foscam was happy, so fingers crossed, we have an in-tact cable and no more network shorts. Only remaining task is to cable tie the new cable to the old one, which can wait for warmer weather when the cable is more flexible. Job done.