What are Industrial RJ45 connectors?
Meet the Connector: Industrial RJ45 connectors
Industrial RJ45 connectors are essentially an RJ45 Ethernet connector in a protective housing. The standard RJ45 is the most common twisted-pair connector. It is an 8-position, 8-contact (8P8C) modular plug and jack. RJ, or registered jack, is a standardized telecommunication network interface designed to connect telecommunications and data equipment to service provided by a carrier. Invented by Bell Labs in 1973, registered jacks are specified by physical construction, wiring, and signal semantics. The wiring schemes used to terminate the twisted-pair cable onto the RJ45 connector interface are T568A and T568B.
As the use of connected devices expanded to harsh environment applications, the need arose to protect those connections from a variety of conditions. Ruggedized RJ45s are used where system components are subjected to temperature extremes or sudden temperature changes, moisture, dust, shock and vibration, chemicals, mechanical stress, and more. Boots or strain relief features can improve performance and longevity in these environments.
High-reliability factors addressed by industrial RJ45s include improved EMI noise shielding with the use of magnetics integrated into the jack, improved corrosion resistance, wide temperature range, and long product life.
Design Notes
Standards
The Industrial RJ45 meets a number of industry standards:
- ANSI/TIA 1096-A – physical dimensions, mechanical characteristics, and contact requirements.
- T-568A and T-568B wiring standards for wiring and pinouts.
- IEEE standards 802.3at, 802.3af and 802.3bt – Ethernet specifics and details for power over Ethernet (PoE) devices where the connector supplies electrical current to the end device.
- IEEE 1394 – Data interface bus structure used with RJ45 devices.
Markets, Sectors, and Applications
Industrial, military, aerospace, automotive, marine, robotics
Suppliers
Bulgin, HARTING, Molex, Mouser Electronics , Phoenix Contact, TE Connectivity, TTI Inc., Weidmüller, Amphenol Socapex, Belden, Conec, L-Com
Related products:
CAT 6A cable assemblies
D-Sub Bus connectors
Data connectors
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