All pass-through RJ45 modular plugs available on the market today are not created equal. There is a wide range of quality, performance, and price between the various brands. Unfortunately, there continues to be a “race to the bottom” between many brands on who can offer the lowest possible RJ45 pricing. This results in a continual decline in quality and performance… all at a time when twisted-pair LAN cables are expected to perform at higher levels.

Our Simply45® founders have many years of LAN cable development and manufacturing. For many years industry, people thought of all Cat5e or Cat6 cables as being the same among the various brands. This belief was somewhat justified when these cables were being only used for simple data applications run over short distances. However, with the introduction of HDBaseT, 4K, and other distributed signals over twisted pair cabling, these same Cat5e, and Cat6 cables are now expected to handle additional bandwidth requirements over longer distances. To support these new applications, the best LAN cable manufacturers re-engineered their cables to support these higher performance requirements.

The relationship between LAN cables and the RJ45 termination is critical to system performance. The RJ45 is typically ignored by integrators because of the incorrect belief that all RJ45 is the same. Simply45® has tested and analyzed dozens of RJ45 brands to confirm that there is a wide range in quality and plug performance.

Most RJ45 manufacturers have little experience with LAN cable construction and their quality differences. Even previous pass-through RJ45 manufacturers did not understand the manufacturing variances that exist amongst the various Category cable brands for the same cable. This is one of the reasons why the previous pass-through RJ45’s used wrong pin designs, materials, and less-than-ideal internal RJ45 modular plug designs.

Simply45® understands the importance that both LAN cable and RJ45 modular plug must work together at the highest levels to support the performance requirements for today’s installations. This understanding has allowed Simply45® to develop various RJ45 modular plugs that are correctly matched to work with the various LAN cable types and designs. This way the installer can select the correct RJ45 to pair with their Cat5e, Cat6, or Cat6a LAN cable.

As an example, our Simply45® Pass-Through RJ45 modular plug for Cat6 UTP (part: S45-1600) is designed to work with a wide range of Cat6 manufacturer brands. However, some of the highest performing Cat6 UTP cables such as the Structured Cable Products Inc (“SCP”) HDBaseT® Category Cable Series  – HNCPROPLUS+® have slightly larger wire diameters. Many installers prefer to use the Hi/Lo Stagger design of the Simply45® part S45-1700 or the new Simply45® ProSeries part S45-1700P. This pass-through RJ45 mod plug better accommodates both the larger wire conductors and has more internal room for the HNCPROPLUS® cable to be inserted further into the RJ45 plug.

Both the S45-1600 and the S45-1700/1700P are designed to work with Cat6 UTP cables or other LAN cables with comparable wire diameters and cable diameters. To learn more on How to Select the Right Pass-Through RJ45 Modular Plug, please click here.

Each Simply45® RJ45 modular plug is designed to work with different wire conductor diameters and the overall diameter of the LAN cable. Pairing the right RJ45 with the LAN cable can significantly improve signal integrity and terminated cable performance.