Crestron Announces New DigitalMedia Keystone Patch Panel, Jacks, and Pre-Terminated Cables

Crestron announces it is now shipping its new 24-Port Keystone Patch Panel (DM-RPP-K24), DigitalMedia ULTRA RJ 45 Keystone Jacks (DM-CONN-ULTRA-RECP), and pre-terminated DigitalMedia Cat6A cables in various lengths (DM-CBL-ULTRA-PC). These new products bring AV into the IT world, and make cabling, installing, and servicing systems much cleaner, faster, and easier.

"AV is IT, and now with our new keystone patch panels, jacks, and cables, DM technology is just like standard Ethernet infrastructure and part of the IT network," explains Eric Johnson, Crestron technology manager, integrated solutions.

As AV systems demand higher bandwidths and faster speeds, shielded category cables are required. These cables, however, are more sensitive and difficult to terminate in the field. Inconsistent terminations and sharp cable bends often associated with traditional AV installations impede system performance. With so much more technology installed, directly connecting field cables to the rack is messy and confusing, obstructs accessibility to the rack, and makes testing, servicing, and moving equipment nearly impossible.

"Using these new products, DM installations are now neater, more robust, and meet the TIA/EIA 568 standards that IT has used for decades," adds Johnson.

Now, with color coded (blue for DM) keystone jacks in wall plates in the rooms, and in patch panels in the equipment room, field cables never need to be touched once they're installed. All the field cabling is installed, crimped to the keystone jacks at each end, labeled, and tested in advance. Then, the AV gear in the rack simply plugs into the appropriate keystone jack in the patch panel using the pre-terminated DM ULTRA patch cables. There's no huge bundle of cables dropped from the ceiling and every jack is easily identified, so there's no fumbling through dozens or hundreds of loose wires; and no reaching deep into the AV rack and trying to connect in tight spaces. The rack is clean and easily accessible. The drops in the room are secure and convenient. If hardware needs to change, only the patch cable is unplugged.

No more terminating male connectors in the field, the new pre-terminated RJ45 male patch cables are available in various lengths: 1.5', 3', 5', 7', 10', 15', 20', and 50'. DM ULTRA RJ45 keystone female jacks are available in a box of either 20 or 50 -- each includes one crimping tool. Terminating field cables using the new tool is extremely easy, and is typically done in less than one minute.

The new Crestron DigitalMedia ULTRA cables, connectors, patch panels, and wall plates provide enterprise-grade signal routing and performance that exceed 4K/60 4:4:4 up to 100m. All cables are fully shielded and Cat6A compliant. The DM ULTRA keystone jacks can be used with off-the-shelf wall plates, panels, and back boxes.

Visit the following product pages to learn more:

DigitalMedia 24-Port Keystone Patch Panel at http://plasa.me/ae11k

DigitalMedia ULTRA RJ45 Keystone Jack (in boxes of 20 or 50 with one crimping tool included in each) at http://plasa.me/g2glp

DigitalMedia Ultra Patch Cable (factory terminated with RJ45 male connectors on both ends) at http://plasa.me/gzx2b