RJ45/8P8C alternatives

We've used M12 6 and 8 pin water tight connectors for that. They work just fine from what we've found and much cheaper than getting the ones already out here.

Jamie

I'd add M12 4 pin to the list, in the off chance that that is somehow an improvement. There are only 4 pins connected for 100BaseT.

I find plugging the 4 pin version in a bit easier.

Modern PHYs are so much better than pulling the signal out of the crap. As a point of reference, we have a product that has to switch between a front RJ45 and a back plane connector. There is a RJ45 on a backplane that feeds to a .156 Sullins edge connector. A board plugs into that and has about 10" of diff pair to a TI ethernet mux chip to a SMC LAN8720 phy and 100Mb is no problem. So we go cable->RJ45->edge connector->lan mux->phy

Can you do some type of a pigtail coming out of the box to a weather tight connector? Maybe: RJ45-5EWTP-CS-CBL-8I and RJ45-5EWTP-CB

Those price are not nearly as extortionate as some..

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

There are systems with weather-resistant caps (and threaded shrouds) that will take rain. You won't like the prices.

At 10baseT speed, you might consider falling back to 10base200 (i.e. thinwire) and use a BNC connector! There can be a media converter in some sheltered location at the other end of the link, I hope.

Weather-sealing a WiFi connection might be easiest.

No, really, M12 is a pretty good outdoor solution:

They work fine for 100BaseTX.

I know where you can get plastic enclosures that will do the job. I have one on the outside of my house and another on the inside. They have RJ-11 jacks in them though rather than RJ45. I expect it wouldn't be too hard to make up a cable that will adapt the two connector styles.

Look for industrial ethernet solutions from such as Black Box. One way to search is to require DIN rails, even if you don't need them.

Joe Gwinn

Optical maybe?

What shape and size hole do you currently have in the odd shaped chassis? Can it be enlarged or re-punched?

What degree of environmental protection do you need?

If you can enlarge the hole, this might work: I used similar connectors for outdoor wi-fi access points. Plenty of other options available:

Before such made-for-purpose RJ-45 connectors were available, I just used a pigtail with a plug or jack at the end and protected it with a spark plug boot. Ugly, but functional. This should be better:

If you already have a rectangular hole punched in the chassis, and need to reduce it to a 1/4" dia round hole for CAT5e (or larger for a grommet), one of these and some RTV might work:

I suggest you bring out all 8 wires as you might later find PoE and

possibly overkill, but those sort of things are available from several vendors,

be sure to use UV resistant cable,

St 10Mbps, the signals are 10m long (manchester coding: 2 signals per bit) you can untwist quite a bit before it hurts enough to stop working.

Do you think that true even on the deeply embedded devices? E.g., SoC's with MAC & PHY on the same die as the processor?

So, *through* the edge connector is your "least controlled" point of transmission? I.e., you still try to maintain signal integrity on either side of that connection -- you're not *casually* treating the signals past the connector(s)?

I've thought of the pigtail approach, etc. I'm just questioning whether the RJ45 is "appropriate" in any form in this sort of environment. I.e., I can see using a weatherproof/resistant RJ45 to allow COTS devices to mate with it.

But, given that this connection is dedicated to this device, can I avail myself of other "more effective" means of connection? E.g., "serial ports" started out behind DB25's... then DB9's... but you'll also find them as "three pads on a PCB" in many places. Nothing about a "serial port" (read: 100BaseTX) connection *requires* a particular connector!

That was why I offered the 10Mb speed as a potential consideration. I'd already been thinking about going the BNC route (or any other "2 conductor" approach) and exploiting the sloppiness that the lower data rate afforded.

But, I *really* would like to remain at 100Mb speeds (as I can then use the channel for other operations beyond it's minimum stated requirements).

I'd still have to deal with getting power into the boxes (I've not mentioned this as it can always be addressed via a secondary connector -- its requirements being trivial when contrasted with the data path).

None.

As I said: "Connection must be weather-resistant (sheltered location; not "indoor"). I avoided claiming "weather-PROOF". The locations will be sheltered and

However, no protection from temperature extremes, humidity, indirect sun/wind/precip, etc. (hence my "not 'indoor'" claim)

There is no *need* to stick to the RJ45 form factor. I think that severely limits the choices and complicates the fitting of the connector to the enclosure.

E.g., why are there mini-USB connectors instead of forcing ALL such connections to adopt the standard A/B connectors? (Ans: because the mini connectors can be deployed in locations that the standard ones can't!)

That;s why I mentioned 8P8C and not just "RJ45".

But, if that requirement complicates the connector choice, I can move the power off the connector and handle it in other ways (power is relatively easy and tolerant of a wide variety of connection methodologies)

One can put a split-rubber grommet facing downward, route a cable up through, and into a sheltered RJ-45 socket, but there's still the weather-tolerance of the cable to consider. I'm not clear on the availability of exterior grade CAT-5/6 cables (sunlight, possum, raccoon, and in some locations rabbit and deer tolerant).

I've seen rugged-duty (seismometer) connectors that wouldn't have any trouble with weather, but there were oddball cables involved, I wouldn't know where to get controlled-impedance outdoorsy versions for Ethernet.

My WISP unit is designed for outdoor use. They use an RJ-45 connector. Looks like they do it like the phone company. The connector is behind a cover which seals around the cable coming in. Doesn't look like the connector is anything special.

My WISP guy should be here in the next week or so to actually put my WISP unit outside. I will ask him what cable they use. When he gave me my unit with a PoE cable to the power head he said not to mix the cable with others. But he seemed to be saying it was about the shielding more than the weatherproofing.

Cable isn't a problem. My microwave link has a length of CAT5 cable across the roof to the dish.

Critters shouldn't be a problem, either. And, I could always slip the cable through an armored jacket if that were the case.

But, any sort of connector would have to be mounted on the skin of the enclosure. There's no room to extend inside (and globbing something on the exterior into which a connector could hide would alter the cosmetics).

Either some small, compact connector on the skin or a cord dangling from it (which means I need a place to which to connect THAT)

The connector is the bigger issue. E.g., ensuring it doesn't become a home for insects or their egg caches (spiders, leaf cutting wasps, etc.) if "unconnected" (while the equipment is still deployed -- can't count on folks to "button up" any "exposed" connector while not in use).

Yes, another possibility. Handle power with a "traditional" connector and then run fiber through the skin. But, that either means a media converter nearby *or* run the whole drop as fiber (I think it may be too late for that sort of change)