SMAKNIp67 M25 Waterproof Rj45 Coupler, Female to Female, Shielded, Field Installable

I bought this coupler because water kept leaking into an inexpensive coupler that I was using in an outdoor camera, thereby causing it to shut down. I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a truly waterproof coupler, instead of trying to waterproof a standard coupler that was not intended for outdoor use.So far, the SMAKN coupler is working fine. We've had several heavy rainstorms since I installed it, and the camera has worked without a hitch. My only complaint is that the coupler may or may not fit your Ethernet cable, depending on the length and thickness of the boot over the connector. The product description implies that you can just plug your Ethernet patch cables right into the coupler, but that may or may not be true. Don't hesitate to trim or cut off the boot the cable if necessary. Don't worry, the coupler will work just find with unbooted connectors, and in fact they will fit much more easily into the coupler.

As others have noted, though this coupler will fit over pre-terminated RJ45 connectors, the housing on this item is too small to fit cables with molded strain relief "fins", i.e. virtually every premade Ethernet cable available. You might be able to carefully trim away the strain relief, but then you run the risk of the sealing gland not seating properly.Thus this product is really only suitable for RJ45 "ice cubes" you attach yourself, in which case you may as well use one of the similar couplers that requires the connector to be installed after the cable is threaded, since they use more reliable continuous (not split-ring) gland gaskets.There are two other alternatives for cables with molded strain relief:1. Axis makes an IP66 rated coupler with enough room for strain relief, but it is expensive: https://www.amazon.com/Axis-Communications-Network-Coupler-5503-431/dp/B008EXLT7S2. Use an outdoor junction box with gasket and cable glands, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Outdoor-Gland-Electrical-Junction/dp/B016PO1CWE

Had to replace an outdoor security camera that failed. The cat5e wire than ran up the tree, through conduit and into a junction box had become filled with ants and had to go. I cut the old rj45 connector and reterminated the cat5e. The new security camera had an rj45 connector already connected and so I was able to add the bushing, which had a linear cut in the same direction as the cat5e wire so I didn't have to add the coupler parts prior to rj45 termination, this was very helpful. The fit was a bit tight, so I trimmed the rj45 clip a bit and was able to get a decent seal. However, I did not just screw the coupler tight and leave it, I added two layers of electrical tape from end to end with plenty of overlap. Mind you, this is in Hawaii and right by Kaneohe bay on Oahu. It's been solid for a week now, hopefully it will last a few years like the previous setup.

These work OK, but with a couple of caveats that might or might not be important, depending on the situation:1) The rubber grommet that seals around the RJ45 cable interferes with the strain relief on my pre-made cables. If you make your own cables and just have the end connector (without strain relief) then no problem.2) Some of the photos on the product page show this being used as a bulkhead connector into a box. That's how I had intended to use it. But those photos either show a part that I didn't get (a nut perhaps) or show a slightly different product. I got it to work but I had to jump through some hoops to get there.

I'm using this to replace a previous $2 RJ45 connector that corroded outside (it was covered, but humidity got to it).To be clear: this allows two standard patch cables, **with their RJ45 jack already installed** (no need to add the RJ45 after the fact, as you would have to with some security camera connectors that are similar) to be connected inline. Is functionally similar to the ubiquitous beige $2 RJ45 connectors, but is waterproof. I've no idea if it's shielded as the ad claims.Let's be honest, though: these are way cheaper on that auction site you're familiar with, but if you don't want to wait for who knows how long, this is a good stateside option. I'm happy with mine and I think it will tolerate life better than wrapping the heck out of the connection with electrical tape.

This product would be substantially improved by simply making the housing long enough to accommodate booted Ethernet cables with strain reliefs. This would add maybe fifty cents to the cost and provide a substantial benefit.If it has that feature, it would be a 5-star product.If you only work with un-booted Ethernet cables, it looks like a 5-star product.

For the record, it is a nice IP67 RJ45 coupler, however this is listed and Marketed as a "Shielded" Coupler. The coupler on the inside of this might be "shielded" from rain, but this is not by industry definition of what "Shielded" is in reference to. A Shielded CAT5e or CAT6 has an aluminum foil, drain wire or screened twisted-pair and foil twisted-pair cables that is terminated to a metal bodied RJ45 Connector. The metal body of the RJ45 must plug into a metal body coupler, which this product does not have. Therefore your shielded CAT5e/CAT6/CAT6a can not take advantage of the shielding which can provide additional protection for various applications when passed through the coupler to your equipment.

Solved a water penetration problem to an exterior Cat 5 cable connection to an exterior security camera. With 25 mm diameter the Cat 5 connectors passed easily through the twist lock connections without having to remake the cable ends. Very pleased.