S-4000 Digital Snake Owner’s Manual 35
5—S-4000 System Overview
• Straight-through cables should be used when an Ethernet switching hub is integrated into the
system for cable length extension or split applications. (We’ll discuss switching hubs a little
later.)
Ethernet connection standards recommend using straight-through cables to connect devices
to the ports on a switching hub, and crossover cables when connecting hub-to-hub. However,
some switching hubs provide ports that allow the use of either crossover or straight-through
cables—the port will detect the type of cable that’s connected and adjust the signal transfer
accordingly. Consult the switching hub’s documentation to determine which type of cables you
should use with it.
See Appendix B: Connector Information for Cat5e crossover and straight-through cable wiring
diagrams.
Ethernet Connectors
As mentioned previously, Cat5e Ethernet cables use RJ45 plugs. Each REAC device provides an RJ45
receptacle for each of its REAC ports (MAIN and BACKUP).
Though the standard RJ45 connection is very reliable, in high-traffic installations you may want to
protect the connection between the RJ45 plug and its receptacle. To this end, REAC RJ45 receptacles
utilize rugged Neutrik® EtherCon® connectors. When used with RJ45 plugs housed in EtherCon
connectors, this provides a robust latching connection similar to that provided by an XLR connector.
Neutrik offers EtherCon connectors for the fabrication of new cables (models NE8MC-1 and NE8MC-
1-B), and EtherCon connectors that can be added to a pre-made Ethernet cable (models NE8MC and
NE8MC-B).
A REAC port’s RJ45 receptacle can accept either a regular RJ45 plug or one housed in an
EtherCon connector.
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