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RJ-45 connectorsRJ45 is a type of registered jack. The registered jack specifies the physical male and female connectors as well as the pin assignments. RJ45 features 8 pins and is the standard connector for Ethernet based networks. We can also find it on ISDN, and T1 connections. Ethernet is the standard media for the VOIP phones so we can find it used with modern digital phone systems. The RJ11 male connector, (standard telephone connector), fits perfectly into an RJ45 female connector being a little narrower, which is why many companies have deployed data networks only. The middle pair only is used for the telephone connection. There are different RJ45 male connectors for various cables. |
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| The male RJ45 are very cheap but they are prone to various problems. | |||||
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The locking tab is prone to breaking. Here are some tricks to avoid this: buy the connectors with the locking tab curved down so it avoids the snagging. If you can’t find the cleverly designed connectors use boots to avoid snapping the tabs. | ||||
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| There are RJ45 specially designed for solid cable, for stranded cable, for STP cable. | |||||
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Use only the appropriate connector for the cable you install. Using an RJ45 for solid wire with stranded wires, or the other way around, will cause poor contacts, hence a bad connection. | |||
| Use a good quality crimper that doesn’t press on the tab when you crimp the connector. | |||||
| Crimping a male RJ45 is not easy. The operation requires dexterity attention and training. If you want to make your life easier, you can use wire guides that come with some packages. Practice a lot and you won’t need the guides. | |||||
| Check the “How to make a patch cord” post, for a detailed, step by step article with pictures. (coming soon) | |||||
