RJ45 connectors

IOT (The internet of things)
1

I seem to recall that sometime ago better options than the standard RJ45 connectors.available were discussed.

I found something they call EZ RJ45 which allows you to basically push all wires straight though the terminals so you can see if they went into the correct slots, but I’m sure there was something even easier than that. Connectors that can open and be reused?

What do you guys use for lan cables? Even with glasses I find it an extremely cumbersome job to work with the standard version and it is more of a miss than a hit in my case.

2

Get the CAT6 ones with the wire guide thingies and a crimp tool. The “easy” connectors you refer to are stupid expensive - like more than the price of 100 connectors and crimp tool.
https://www.takealot.com/linkbasic-rj45-cat6-utp-modular-plug-50-plugs/PLID69239226

For cable, I use CAT6. It’s hard to find anything that is actually copper these days, though.

3

Thank you.

If look at the picture, it looks like a part of the connector comes out allowing you to sort the wires correctly and then inserting this part that now has the wires in it, into the main housing again? Is this how it works?

4

Something else I’m wondering about. I’m going to install a camera very soon but I need to get power there. The camera can do both lan cable and wifi.

Will this thing work? In other words, will the camera get power if I connect it to the router in the garage? POE (Power over internet?)

The camera requires a 12V 2 amp power supply.

CCTV & CCTV Kits - POE Injector Cable for CCTV Cameras | Female DC & Male RJ45 to Female RJ45 Adapter for sale in Pretoria / Tshwane (ID:592145916) (bobshop.co.za)

5

Yes.

6

Yes there is: Pre assembled LAN cables of various lengths with molded RJ45 connectors on the ends.

7

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :rofl: very true!

Thing is I do not want to drill unnecessary big holes just so the connectors can fit through and I have a lot of Cat6 cable available.

But agreed, definitely the easiest.

8

Here is the camera I’m looking at. See from 1:17 where they also show its power cables.

Just need to know if I will be able to power it through a lan cable with the thingy I mentioned above.

Or will the safest bet be to route power to the camera?

Thinking of this one because it is the same range as the wifi controller I used for the gate, and I will be able to add this to the app.

9

My take ( and I may be wrong) on this doodad is this:
These cameras can be powered by 12v or POE, POE is not 12V.

That thing you link to, is a way to add externally supplied 12V onto an unused pair in the cable. So it would have to be matched to a Male DC & Male RJ45 to Female RJ45 Adapter on the remote end of the cable to tap off the 12V and feed it to the camera’s 12 V input.
And you would need a 12V power supply. So, all in all, a pretty messy solution.

POE is a different voltage. Adding POE is simpler, I would just get a POE capable unmanaged switch. Then the switch will just supply POE to devices that need it and just behave as a straightforward switch to devices on other ports.
Then you just plug the RJ45 cable into the camera, and it will work. No fiddling with 12V.

POE-capable switches are cheap and easy to find secondhand (even given away), as people replace their older 100Mbps switches with gigabit ones. 100Mbps is far more bandwidth than a camera requires.
So the setup is router > patch cable> poe-capable switch> copper long RJ45 cable>camera.
Any extra ports on the switch are a bonus if you want a second or third camera. They are essentially just like extra ports on your router.

Wifi is not a good option for cameras, and you should use a copper cable, not CCA (copper-clad aluminium), as that can cause issues with security cameras. There are also two thicknesses of the cores ( 24AWG & 22AWG, I think). You want to get the thicker cored cable.

Edit: Those types of cameras you link to are crap, and you will be disappointed. Look for Dahua or Hikvision cameras.

Edit,Edit:
I can’t take credit for this table, but don’t be fooled by megapixel marketing, you will get a world of difference in camera performance if you follow this table. And Yes a 2MP camera on the correct sensor size will outperform a 4MP camera on the same sensor.
Sure, a static image in good light will look better on a 4MP camera, and that’s how they’ll sell it.
But this is achieved by having a shutter speed that is too long. So as soon as a moving object appears it is just a blur without detail.
A 2MP camera has double the pixel size and captures more light, so the shutter speed can lowered and the noise is less. Really, you always want a shutter speed faster than 1/50 secs even at night.
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10

I know these are cheapies and not the best there is, but I’ve seen so many of these in action from friends and they suit my needs perfectly. I specifically want this one because it comes with a 15W flood light.

And because I’ll connect mine with a cable, it should perform better/give less problems than the friend’s cameras. I really only need to see what’s going on at the gate at times when delivery guys honk there.

So its lan cable from the router to the POE switch, and lan cable again from the POE to the camera?

11

I bought some from Geewiz a while ago. Pretty decent, and not too expensive. It’s only CAT5e (not CAT6), but I have no trouble stuffing this into the standard connector and crimp tool.

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12

Have they actually been in action though?
A moving person in poor light?
Yes, you can recognise a person you know, because your brain kicks in with unconscious cues like their gait and mannerisms etc.
I suggest you repeat the test with a person you don’t know in poor light, and ask yourself if it would stand up in court.

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13

I hear what you say and will take it to heart. This weekend is set aside just to route power cables.

Once that is done I will revisit the cameras and do a little more research. I need power there at the gate either way cause I want a flood light there, which I already have.

Heard very good things about Hikvision. Just hope they’re just as user friendly to setup and stand alone (not requiring hubs and stuff).

The 2-way communication thing I also like alot.

14

Run the length of bloudraad in the same trench as the power cable and bond it to the gate & fence (both sides preferably) and the main house earth at the other end. Otherwise, lightning will get into your cabling.
That insurance won’t cost much.
However, I wouldn’t even use an ethernet cable between external structures and buildings. I’d go for fibre with a media converter at each end. Too much lightning where I live.

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15

This cable is solid copper and has served me very well:
https://www.takealot.com/linkbasic-cat6a-100m-drum-solid-utp-network-ethernet-cable-utp-6/PLID73822523

Since it is Cat6A the conductors are a bit thicker, so you need these plugs:
https://www.takealot.com/linkbasic-rj45-cat6a-utp-modular-plug-50-modular-plugs/PLID69239227

16

We supply both regular CAT5/CAT6 RJ45 connectors as well as the EZ connectors and they aren’t that much more expensive but if you consider the fact they its literally impossible (unless you are seriously challenged) to incorrectly crimp the EZ connectors in the long run they actually save you money.

In 99% of cases where we have customers try the EZ connectors they change over and never go back to regular crimp connectors.

for reference:

EDIT, looking at that I see the EZ crimp connectors are now actually cheaper than the regular connectors so it is kind of a no brainer, the crimpers are a little more expensive but not prohibitively so.

Also, we stock both CCA cable (Copper Clad Aluminium) as well as BC (Bare Copper), depending on the application both have their place.

17

Yes, but you’ll need 2, one on the PSU side by the switch / router and then another one on the camera side.

18

So at this topic again. Whilst waiting for my new fancy RJ45 connectors, I one again spent an hour to try and fit 2 of the standard ones to a cable meticulously checking each wire on both sides.

And I got it wrong.

Then I stumbled onto this at Bob Shop

What do you guys use and will this be a good item to have? There are cheaper versions but they only test RJ45.

I got gifted a Takealot voucher of similar value, so itching to spend it.

19

You should be able to get away with the cheap models.
You plug both ends of the cable in and it lights up to show you which wires are fine and which are not. If they are not fine you cut it off and do it again. It’s a very simple device. There are 4 pairs in RJ45.
My cheap version also have a extra module that you can plug in on the other end if both cable ends can not be in the same place (you pulled them through a pipe or wall) which makes that a bit easier.

20

I bought a cheaper RJ45 only tester a while ago, from Geewiz. It simply tests each pair and the lights light up in succession, repeatedly. No buttons or anything weird. Runs from a PP3 battery (those are becoming rare now).

These can be had for as little as R75 now.