Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) has introduced the new RJ-45 plug with integral circuit board technology.

The plug was developed to ensure that Category 8 adopters will effectively reach data speeds of up to 40Gbps – four times the speeds of many of today’s users.

Category 8 Ethernet cable will play a major role in meeting today’s burgeoning needs for high-speed communications and prior to the introduction of this product cable engineers saw the challenge of transmitting data at rates of up to four times faster over a standard RJ-45 connector as a major concern.

The RJ-45 plug provides advanced control of crosstalk, return loss, and other impediments, ensuring consistent performance at higher frequencies up to 2,000MHz.

“Essentially, the new plug contains technology that provides advanced control of plug performance,” says OCC copper connectivity manager and member of the TIA Engineering subcommittee Derrick Stikeleather.

“In a conventional category style plug, the plug wires must be arranged in specific positions, leading to variations in performance. But when a circuit board is used, it basically eliminates the possibility of plug wire variations. It also means that electrical properties transition from a cable to a terminal in a more controlled fashion.”

The new plug, which is it ideal for direct-attach, high-speed links and data centre server connections, was recently granted a patent for circuit board layout and the advanced materials used in its construction.

Derrick says that the new proprietary technology uses a higher performance type of circuit board material than what is contained in a standard connector.

“Without this, achieving quality data transmission rates of 40Gbps would not be possible,” he explains.

Derrick said the plug provides consistent and reliable terminations that are guaranteed to meet or exceed the recently approved Category 8 standard when paired with compliant Category 8 cable.

It is fully backward compatible with existing RJ-45 infrastructure used by a majority of Ethernet connection ports, including Cat 6A, Cat 6 and Cat 5e cabling. It is also field installable and should be familiar to many cable installers.

The RJ-45 is compatible with OCC’s family of ruggedised RJ-45 connectors, a family of receptacles, plugs, and back shells that enable users to extend their Ethernet platforms into harsh industrial and military operating environments.