Cable Matters 20-Pack Shielded Cat8 RJ45 Connectors
Cable Matters 20-Pack Shielded Cat8 RJ45 Connectors with Strain Relief Boots for Solid or Stranded Ethernet Cable (Cat8 Connector/Cat 8 Connector / Cat8 RJ45 Connector/Cat 8 Network Connector)
From the brand
| Weight: | 160 g |
| Dimensions: | 18 x 13.3 x 1.7 cm; 160 Grams |
| Model: | 180129×20 |
| Part: | 180129×20 |
| Colour: | Blue |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | Cable Matters |
| Dimensions: | 18 x 13.3 x 1.7 cm; 160 Grams |
I doubt anybody enjoys assembling RJ45 cables, and so I thought I would give these a go.
The quality of the connectors are very good, and once assembled, the strain relief does mean they feel very solid and will withstand the rigours of an office network.
These differ from others, in that they have a small ‘load bar’. The idea is sound: You can use this to load up the cables before passing it through the main plug….the problem is, it just makes the job fiddlier in my oppinion. However, it might be good for a novice to networking.
As the quality is very good, these get 4 stars, but it’s not a product i will want to re-order.
These Cat8 connectors have simplified my networking projects like never before. Installation is a breeze thanks to their pass-through design, allowing for swift and hassle-free termination of cables.
What truly impresses me is their durability and reliability. The shielded design ensures minimal interference, guaranteeing a stable and consistent connection. Additionally, the strain relief boots offer extra protection against cable damage, ensuring longevity for both the connectors and the cables.
Whether you’re dealing with solid or stranded cables, these connectors provide a secure fit, eliminating concerns about loose connections or signal degradation. With a generous 20-pack, I have more than enough for various projects, making them a cost-effective solution for my networking needs.
These are good value for money, especially as they include the strain relief boots.
As you can see, though, an RJ45 crimp tool for Cat.5e may have the additional punch to crimp the plastic conductor strain relief catch in the plug. These plugs, for thicker Cat.6 cable, don’t have that catch, and no gap for one, so can’t be crimped directly with one of those crimp tools. If your crimp tool doesn’t have the option to remove this extra punch, a workaround may be to put the plug partway in on the “wrong side” of the crimp tool and crimp the terminals there instead, as shown in one of the photos.
Unlike some of the other shielded connectors, these are pretty easy to fit. The newer strand-through type fittings are SO much easier than the old way of lining-up and cutting exactly, before crimping. Makes life a lot easier and the job a lot faster. The boots are also the easy to push type, not the booted ones that take a pair of pliers to open!
There is an included quick-reference guide and the box is a handy addition for storage. Considering how expensive the normal big-brands are, these are a steal. Would certainly recommend.
In my experience, you probably don’t need “Cat8 rated” gear for a home/small office network, but if you do these are decently priced. They come with everything you need (apart from a crimping tool).
Price wise, they are a bit pricey at 50p per connector, but if you need the Cat8 speeds they are not so bad. If you are looking for connectors for your home/small office there are more affordable connectors on the market.
But if you are looking for some easy to use high quality Cat8 rated connectors. Pass-Through connectors have been the “game charger” imo, every since trying them I refuse to go back to the older style because it makes sizing up how much outer sheathing to strip off and after thought.
These metal shielded RJ45 Connectors come in a decent handy Plastic storage box – not loose in a bag like some offerings.
The plugs are metal clad with an integrated wrap around metal clamp for clamping to the cable’s outer sheath. A step towards better EMI S/FTP shielding.
The strain relief boots are perfectly serviceable, though I’d prefer the strain relief end to be a bit longer.
The load bars were provided in a small self-seal bag to prevent loss of the fiddly little things. On that note, I got 23 – so 3 spares 🙂
There’s an excellent guidance leaflet provided, covering both T568A and T568B.
When wiring, I found that the load bars can be fiddly to get loaded, so I used a Rolson Helping hand magnifier/clamp tool to hold the load bar (see pics), freeing up both hands to feed in the wires. Such a tool is only about 7.50 on Amazon and so useful..
I can’t vouch for the Cat8 performance claims for these plugs as I only have Domestic Cat 6 (for now…). However, the metal cladding will help towards the Cat 8 rating. At Cat 6, they perform well.
Pros :
Good quality connectors
Metal clad and clamped
Useful storage box
Passthrough
A few Spare load bars included.
Competitive price
Cons:
Longer strain relief boots would have been nice
In summary, a good set of quality RJ45 connectors, useful leaflet.
I think the quality of these connectors is pretty good overall.
Value is also good for so many at this price.
I like the neat boxed pack the parts come in.
Strain relief is good.
Some of my uses are transmitting video over Cat.6 which runs at higher power levels than ethernet so screening is important, more to keep signals in than out, so these will be useful.
I did find the load bar system fiddly though, maybe I have been spoilt by some other types I have that are pass through but easier to load as long as you strip a good length.
I will use them, but at my more patient moments!
I am no expert when it comes to making networking cables and have only made a few in my lifetime! The RJ45 pass through connectors are exactly what I was looking for to help with completing my cable setup at home. Installation time was quick for me because of the included instructions and the included load bars that make feeding cables through more precise and less chance of errors. I did not have to look anything up, the kit comes with everything I needed except the modular crimping tool which I already owned. You can buy them, they do not have to be expensive but there are some advanced tools that take the fun or hassle out of the process of stripping cables too! FatMax is a brand that I have seen on Amazon!
The kit comprises of 20 Cat 8 Shielded RJ45 Pass-Through Modular Plugs with Strain-relief Boots which are to prevent damage or atleast provide as much protection as is possible. The metal grounded housing come with a metal collar attached to keep the connector secure as well as gold plated contacts which help to maintain a consistent signal path and less risk to damage or corrosion. For that reason I highly recommend this kit, it certainly is good value for money.
I did look up video tutorials on YouTube so you can see how modular pass-through connectors with load bar support are an alternative to regular module pass-through connectors.
Since this product is from Cable Matters, I searched on YouTube for – cable matters rj45 pass through connector and came across a useful tutorial from Switched On Network.
Thanks for reading my review and I hope you have fun making your Cat 8 cables.
This item is for a pack of 20 shielded RJ45 plugs, rated to Cat 8. This review is for the “pass thru” type, so you have to trim the ends after crimping the plug on.
Unusually, the plugs have an insert that your wires go into first, and then this is inserted into the plug, making it doubly fiddly. Not quite sure of the reasoning for this, other than to make a relatively straightforward task more fiddly.
I do like the fact it has an easy to crimp shielding tag on it, which is far better than a lot of the ones I’d previously used which have an eyelet. Depending on the cable type, you will still have to wrap one of the wires around the shielding and ensure the shield tag crimps it nicely.
I used these on some external shielded Cat5, and no issues running at 1Gbps over a 30m run.
If you need shielded, whilst a bit fiddly in some areas, these are as good as any. If you don’t need shielded, use normal plugs.
The short version is: What you gain from having a pass through connector, you lose in fiddly installation.
I’d seen these around but this is the first time I’ve used one, I do like the idea that you don’t have to worry about a conductor coming up short. I also like the idea that you can be less than exact on your length when stripping the cable.
However in reality because these are intended for shielded cables you still need to be accurate up front with your stripping, you also spend at least three times longer actually getting the conductors into the plug because of the weird “loading bar”.
There are some basic instructions included with the kit but it neglects to mention that if you really want the shield in the cable to work correctly it has to be connected to the plug shield at one end of the cable.