Ethernet Cat 5 Wall Plates
Ethernet cat 5 wall plates are designed to accommodate one or more cat 5 or cat 5e plugs. Whether you're installing a new outlet or changing the configuration of an existing one, these wall plates will be needed to complete the job. You can explore the variety of wall plates that are available and learn more about them here.
What is an Ethernet Cat 5 cable?Cat 5 is the abbreviation for a category 5 standard of Ethernet cable. It’s used in computer networks, such as Ethernet ones, as the cabling that connects computers and networking devices together, but it can also be used to carry telephony and video signals via the internet. Category 5 cables contain four twisted pairs of copper wire to carry data transmissions. The category 5 specification requires the cable to perform at up to 100 megabits per second of data throughput speed.
What is an Ethernet wall plate?An Ethernet wall plate is simply a piece of molded plastic or metal used to cover the hole cut into a wall for an outlet. These plates come in a wide variety of sizes and configurations for the many kinds of jacks that are possible, from power plugs to Ethernet cable plugs.
What types of cat 5 wall plates are available?Generally speaking, faceplates with cat 5 ports come in three general categories.
- Dedicated Ethernet wall plates: Ethernet wall plates have one or more cat 5 ports but lack pre-installed cable connectors.
- Multipurpose wall plates: These wall plates are designed for combined outlets that include coaxial, phone, power, or other connectors in addition to a cat 5 Ethernet port.
- Ethernet wall plates with RJ-45 jacks: These wall plates have built-in RJ-45 jacks for cat 5 cables.
When choosing an Ethernet cat 5 wall plate to help setup your network, there are a number of things to consider.
- Size: Plan the size of your wall outlet holes before buying plates if you are installing new ports, or take precise measurements of existing outlets.
- Type of plugs: Be sure to buy wall plates with the type of plug ports that you'll be installing, and consider the type of plugs that future changes to the outlet might require.
- Number of ports: Make sure to get wall plates that can accommodate the number of plugs your outlet will have, and make allowances for future expansion if you know about them in advance.
Most wall plates are installed by screwing one or more screws through them and into the wall. This is to cover the hole in the wall and the wires within the wall. Be sure to use the appropriate length screws when installing wall plates.