8P8C Shielded Jack for Cat3 Installations
It carries a Cat3 rating, meaning the connector is specified for 16 MHz signaling — appropriate for 10BASE-T and voice applications, but not for 100BASE-TX or higher-speed Ethernet that requires Cat5e or better. The green/yellow LED provides integrated link/activity status indication for front-panel ports.
Shielded vs. Unshielded — Grounding Matters
An unshielded RJ45 jack omits the shell and the grounding requirement, but also offers no common-mode noise rejection. For installations inside a metal enclosure with good cable shielding, this shielded jack provides a continuous ground path through the connector body.
Board Lock and Vertical Orientation
The board lock is a pair of metal tabs that solder into plated through-holes, anchoring the jack against the shear force from repeated cable insertion and removal. The vertical orientation places the RJ45 port perpendicular to the PCB, which suits panel-mount applications where the jack face aligns with the enclosure cutout. The through-hole termination provides a stronger mechanical bond than an SMT variant, at the cost of requiring a wave-solder step.