Streamline Your Network With the Best Keystone Jacks

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A Buyer’s Guide to Choosing a Premium Keystone Jack

Ethernet connections have become one of the most successful LAN technologies in the world. It’s used everywhere in networking from giant tech firms to online gaming at home — it’s the backbone of the modern internet. But what’s a cable without a connector? This is where keystone jacks come in. They’re super affordable and easy to use and allow you to connect multiple Ethernet cables to perform everyday tasks. But picking the perfect keystone jack can be hard. With so many options out there on the market, you don’t know who’s telling the truth. Well, we’ve curated a list of the top keystone jacks for 2023 along with a buyer’s guide to help you pick the optimal device for your networking needs.

The keystone jack by Cable Matters is one of the premier products on the market right now — both in terms of price and features. It comes with an RJ45, Cat6 heavy-duty modular jack perfect for patch panels, surface mount boxes, or wall plates with standard keystone ports. The 10-Gigabit Ethernet promises a smooth and powerful experience at the price of a Cat5e cable — making it an incredible choice for almost anyone. This option also comes in multi-packs, is super easy to punch down, and its gold-plated contacts provide a secure and corrosion-free experience.

It’s amazing in terms of durability as well with its heavy-duty construction with impact resistance and fire-retardant housing. The outstanding durability of this device helped us judge it as the best overall on this list.

Pros

• Cat6 connectors provide a reliable connection
• Easy to punch down 
• The contacts and retaining clip ensure a secure connection

Cons

• The fit is a little tight in the keystone panel

The UL-listed VCE Keystone Jack is another great option. It uses female to female Cat6 connectors that can be connected with two Cat6 Ethernet ports for a fast and stable connection. The RJ45 contacts can easily fit in all keystone wall plates and patch panels. The contacts themselves are gold-plated and have easy snap-in retaining clips, providing a reliable and corrosion-free connection.

The Cat6 passes through the keystone inline coupler to accomplish tasks like home networking, home office, audio, video, and more. The package includes 25 keystone couplers and comes with an 18-month warranty — so you can use this product without worrying.

Pros

• Transmission speed of 1Gbps for a fast experience
• Fire-retardant, high-impact ABS plastic ensures safe installation

Cons

• Retaining clips are stiff and fragile

The keystone jacks by Verbex Telecom are UL-listed which is a testament to their quality. This product supports and comes with color-coded T568A T568B wiring and Krone dual-type termination. These jacks are incredibly versatile and are compatible with practically all versions — from Cat6 down to Cat5e and Cat5. The contacts are gold-plated too, enabling a secure and fast connection with over 1Gbps of speed. This product even comes with a limited-lifetime warranty from the manufacturer.

This option is available in different packs from 10, all the way to 100 — depending on your needs.

Pros

• Fire-retardant ABS construction makes them super safe
• 1Gbps+ connection provides a fast and stable connection
• Easy compatibility
• Comes in a variety of different packs

Cons

• Can sometimes break during punch down

The Cablecreation keystone jacks are definitely a great product when it comes down to value. This option includes RJ45 Cat6 modular jacks that are easily compatible with any keystone wall plates, patch panels, or surface mount boxes. These heavy-duty jacks support T568A T568B wiring and come with 110 color-coded blocks. They even provide support for 110 or Krone dual-type termination and are compatible with 23 or 24 AWG, solid Ethernet cables.

This device is also TIA/EIA 568-C.2 verified, RoHS compliant, and has gold-plated connectors for a more reliable experience. The package includes 20 keystone modular connectors, and it comes in packs of 10, or even packs of five — so you have a lot of choices in how many connectors you want to get.

Pros

• Heavy-duty, modular jacks offer a secure connection
• Super affordable
• Support T568A T568B wiring
• Has color-coded diagram next to wire clips

Cons

• Side-by-side connection is difficult because of the width

Another VCE keystone jack on our list is the Cat6 RJ45 five-pack version of the product. Much like the one we’ve already listed, this option also includes a double, female-type connector. The Cat6 couplers are also super easy to pair with any Cat6, Cat5e, or Cat5 Ethernet cables as well as keystone wall plates and panels. The gold-plated RJ45 contacts, along with the easy snap-in retaining clips, provide a secure, reliable, and corrosion-free connection.

Another big feature of this product is the Cat6 keystone-inline coupler that can be used for home networking, home office, voice, audio, video and more. The product is UL-listed too and comes with five keystone couplers in a pack — perfect for most small tasks. This product even includes an 18-month warranty, allowing you to use the couplers without worrying about having to replace them.

Pros

• Provides 1Gbps of speed with the Cat6 Ethernet cable
• Easily compatible with wall panels and Ethernet cables
• Safe installation with the fire-retardant, high-impact ABS design

Cons

• The clips are stiff and fragile, and can break off easily

What is a high-density keystone jack?

High-density keystone jacks are basically the same as standard versions. The only real difference is that they’re slimmer and allow you to install more jacks.

Whatu2019s the difference between a CAT5E cable vs a CAT6?

CAT6 are made thicker with copper wires and allow more insulation compared to CAT5E.

Why do keystone jacks use 50-micron gold plating?

This is primarily because of gold’s non-corrosive and highly conductive properties — making it the perfect material for Ethernet connector plugs.