Put a plug on a cut Ethernet cable from photos with ChatGPT

WorkedEvidence: Article or interviewPosted Oct 26, 2026Last checked Oct 31, 2026

ChatGPT checked Alistair Barr's photos, caught two bad wires with a cable tester and got a home office's Zoom calls on a wired line.

Source checked Oct 31, 2026
Results shared

Beginner-friendlyNo logins, payments or coding needed. Low risk: paste the prompt and you should get something useful.

How to use this

Tap Copy prompt.
Open ChatGPT.
Paste it into the message box.
Send it, then read the answer before acting on it.

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A prompt is the message you send to the AI tool. Copy the one on this page, put your own details where it asks, and read the answer before you act on it.

Prompt

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What the prompt labels mean

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I need to put an Ethernet plug on the cut end of an old Cat 6 cable so I can hardwire a laptop. I've never done this. Tell me which tools to buy, then walk me through stripping the cable and putting the eight wires in the right order. I'll send you a photo at each step so you can check my work.

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ChatGPT Used in source Gemini Grok Claude

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Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Walk me through a small home repair one step at a time, checking my progress from photos.

Questions to ask me first:
- What are you trying to fix or install, and what do you have now?
- What tools and parts do you already have?
- How will you know it worked (speed, light, sound)?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- What I'm working on: [JOB, e.g., put a plug on a Cat 6 cable]
- Tools and parts I have: [TOOLS / PARTS]
- Photos of where I'm starting: [PHOTOS]
- What 'working' should look like: [TARGET, e.g., 1 Gbps]

Rules:
- Give me one step at a time and wait for my photo before the next step.
- Use the simplest method and parts that will work; skip advanced options unless I ask.
- Draw a simple diagram or list when the order of parts matters.
- If the result isn't right, help me test before redoing anything, and tell me the cheapest tool for testing.

Checkpoint: After the shopping list, wait for me to confirm I have everything before starting.

If you get stuck: If a photo isn't clear enough to check, tell me exactly what angle or close-up you need.

Verify before you finish: Check my final photo and test result against the target and tell me plainly whether it passed.

Output: A short shopping list, numbered steps with diagrams, and a pass/fail check at the end.

Done when: The repair passes the test, or we know exactly which step to redo.

AI tool

ChatGPT

Outcome

Before leaving on a business trip, Alistair Barr's wife gave one instruction: fix the Wi-Fi, because Zoom calls kept dropping during important meetings. Barr traced an old Cat 6 cable from the data closet to hardwire the laptop, but it ended in a raw, cut end, and Barr had never put a plug on one. Barr sent ChatGPT photos at every stage. It said which tools to buy, how to strip the cable and how to arrange the eight tiny wires, drawing small diagrams when words weren't enough. The first attempt delivered only about 100 Mbps instead of the home's 1 Gbps. ChatGPT guessed two wires were faulty, suggested an inexpensive cable tester, read the tester's flashing lights from a photo and confirmed it. Barr cut the plug off and redid it with a simpler plug ChatGPT recommended. So far, the video calls have been perfect.

Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.

Source

Posted: Oct 26, 2026 by Alistair Barr (Business Insider)
Last checked: Oct 31, 2026
Method:: How we verify

https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-helped-fix-home-internet-ethernet-cable-zoom

Context: The first attempt failed and had to be redone. Barr says ChatGPT sometimes gave advice far more complicated than needed and had to be steered back.