a punch down tool
A Punch Down Tool
is a tool use to crimp or connect a connector to the end of a cable..
Crimping tools are designed to connect a connector to a cable. It is used on phone cables as well as network cables. All you do is place the connector with wires into the tool and squeeze the handle.
To cut a heavy duty cable you can use a tool made by Klein tools called a Ratchet Cable Cutter (10 inch). This tool is sold at Graingers and cost about 326.00.
cable tester
Cable tester
A cable tie tool is used for fastening electric cables and wires and helps organize. They are used to keep them together in bulk to prevent messy wires and cables.
You can't tell from just looking at it. You will have to use a special tool or a volt meter. Connect terminals of multimeter to the first pin on both sides in resistance mode. If you get reasonable reading then you have straight through otherwise it is cross-over.
The specialized tool for this is usually called a "crimper" or "crimping tool". A knife or cable stripper may also be helpful to remove the outer jacket of the cable; a lot of crimpers have a built-in piece to do this (though the knife or cable stripper generally works better).
What are my choices?
If it's the common "CAT5", "CAT5e" or "CAT6", it's around 1/4 inch thick, blue, grey or purple jacket, and slightly bumpy due to the four pairs of twisted wires inside the jacket. The connectors are most likely the rectangular clear plastic plugs known (incorrectly) as RJ45, and correctly as 8P8C, fitted to the cable with a special crimping tool, die tool. The cable can be solid-core (cheaper, only suitable for wired-in cabling) or stranded (more expensive, suitable for patch cables and panel-to-computer cables). When fitting connectors, be sure to use the correct ones (for solid core or stranded core).
To strip a cable terminal, use wire strippers to remove insulation, exposing the wire. Then, insert the wire into the appropriate slot on the strip connector and use crimping tool to secure it in place. Finally, ensure a strong connection by testing the terminal with a multimeter.