Panel-Mount Cables vs. Panel-Mount Couplers

• What are Panel-Mount Cables?
• What are Panel-Mount Couplers?
• Which choice is right for me?
• What are the available wall plates?
• Installing Plates and Cables

WHAT ARE PANEL-MOUNT CABLES?

DataPro stocks a wide variety of panel-mount cables for each of our wall plate connectors. A panel-mount cable will always have at least one panel-mount female end, which allows you to attach the cable to a wall plate or bulkhead securely and easily.

We always recommend ordering your cable to the exact length of your run whenever possible. This ensures that you have the least likelihood of signal loss due to unnecessary terminations/connections in your run, allowing you to maximize the effective length of the cables.

Our panel-mount cables take up a minimal amount of room behind the plate and allow greater clearance in your wall or surface-mount box when compared to panel-mount couplers. Our wide selection of lengths and connector types allow you to order the cables you need in the lengths that work for you. Or, for those special situations, we can custom-build most any cable to meet your needs.

All of our panel-mount and mountable cables are designed for an easy, no-hassle connection to the plates. Every panel-mount cable attaches securely to our wall plates in a matter of seconds. For a complete list of all available panel-mount cables, please refer to this page: DataPro Panel-Mount Cables

WHAT ARE PANEL-MOUNT COUPLERS?

In addition to our large stock selection of panel-mount cables, DataPro also offers panel-mount couplers as an alternative way to connect your wiring. A panel-mount coupler is essentially a gender changer connector, but with one end being a panel-mountable female jack and the other a standard female jack (see picture). This allows one to attach a standard male-to-male cable to a wall plate or bulkhead mount cleanly and easily.

One drawback of using a panel-mount coupler is that you are adding an additional connection/termination into your run, which contributes to signal loss and decreases the effective length of your cables. Also, when using a coupler and a standard male-to-male cable, it generally takes up a bit more space than a standard panel-mount cable would behind the wall plate. And in most cases, you will end up paying more to buy your cables and panel-mount couplers separately rather than buying panel-mount cables. For a complete list of all available panel-mount couplers, please refer to this page: DataPro Panel-Mount Couplers

WHICH CHOICE IS RIGHT FOR ME?

So you're wondering which choice is right for your application? We suggest that customers utilize our panel-mount cables, except when it is impractical or impossible to do so. Here's why:

• Maximum signal quality & effective range
• Smallest connector profile behind the plate
• More cost-efficient
• Wider selection of connectors and lengths

In certain situations, you may benefit from the use of panel-mount couplers. For example, let's say that you already have cables in the lengths you require, but they are all male-to-male cables. Panel-mount couplers would allow you to make use of those cables and mount them securely to a wall plate or bulkhead mount. However, you are sacrificing signal quality over purchasing a panel-mount cable. Also, you will find the build quality of our panel-mount cables to be superior to many of the standard male-to-male cables on the market today.

If you do decide to use panel-mount couplers, please check to be sure that you have adequate clearance behind your wall plate or bulkhead mount.

If you need help deciding which type of mounting solution is best for you, our helpful and courteous staff would be more than happy to assist you. You can find our contact information here.

WHAT ARE THE AVAILABLE WALL PLATES?

DataPro Stock Wall Plates We also offer custom-built plates to meet your exact needs. Please refer to this page for information on custom wall plates: DataPro Custom Wall Plate Page