Is there a difference between using a cat 6 wall jack vs using a female-to-female connector?

Question

I am running new cat 6 cable from my router to my office so I can get my computer hardwired instead of using WiFi. When looking at what I need to get to connect the cable to a wall plate, I'm seeing 2 main options:

Option 1, which seems to be more common, is to get what I believe is called a Cat 6 wall jack:

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/ProductImage/12-998-148-02.jpg

Option 2 is to get a female-to-female wall conntector:

http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/A3XT_1_20150906523390131.jpg

Option 2 seems like it would be simpler, as I wouldn't need to actually wire the cable itself to the jack; I simply plug it in. Is there an advantage to using a wall jack and doing my own wiring?

Note that I do already have some RJ45 connectors and a crimping tool for them; so if I need to cut the ethernet cable down to a shorter size; that's not an issue.

Answer 1

A few things to note.

1. Wallports with punchdowns are generally only suitable for solid core cable. Plugs may be suitable for solid, stranded or both. Check the datasheets carefully before buying any plugs (and if the datasheet doesn't say go with a different brand.
2. Criming plugs is a fiddly PITA, punchdowns are much easier.
3. Generally running cable is much easier if it doesn't have plugs on the end.

Generally in most installation work you are using bulk solid core cable off a spool. So punchdowns are the way to go.

OTOH female-female couplers are the way to go if for whatever reason you want to have stranded cables on both sides.

Answer 2

Both will work fine. They're called keystone jacks and snap into a keystone wall plate with one, two, four...openings.

The first option requires a punchdown tool to punch your conductors into place and is more typical because we run cable from a spool and cut it to length. If you're already using a premade cable with male ends then perhaps the F-F option is easier for you.

Answer 3

The issue with the female-to-female wall connector is that you need to be able to run the cat6 cable with the already attached male connector thru the wall/pipe. This might be an issue in some cases.

If you can get away with it, this is probably the better approach since correctly wiring a cat6 jack (to actually pass the test as a cat6 connection with an instrument) can be a bit hard for a novice.

Answer 4

If this is cable that has been run through the walls then you should terminate in an RJ-45 Jack on the wall, not just crimp an end on.

Cables that protrude from apertures in wall openings are going to get damaged. The cables will get crimped, kinked and abraded. Once the cables get kinked near the wall opening, you end up having to rerun the entire length of cable.

If the cable stays in the wall with a bit of slack and is punched down to a wall jack, only the jack is subjected to wear, and it can be easily replaced.

You can then use a patch cable to get from the jack on the wall to the device you are connecting. If the patch cable gets damaged, then it too is easily replaced.

Direct attaching the RJ-45 crimp to the horizontal cabling runs isn't good practice. The only place you see this in industry is inside IP CCTV camera enclosures where there is no room for a jack and a patch cable, but there is also no movement of the cable inside the housing and the cable isn't subjected to motion or wear and tear.

Answer 5

Actually, both two options will provide the connection. Buy technically, the first option is preferable, since Cat 6 wall jack uses solid cable which ensures better signals.