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Webinar Recap: Outdoor Connectors

15
July 2020

This month, Radiall hosted another webinar in our #RadiallWebinars series. Business Development Manager Kevin Larsen discussed Radiall's outdoor connectors. Read some of the webinar highlights below.

Outdoor connectors are those that are subject to outdoor-like conditions, including extreme temperatures, rain or water, dust, salt spray, acid rain, wind, sunlight, lightning, etc. Outdoor connectors are not solely found in outdoor applications. Outdoor connectors can also provide a more secure connection to indoor applications. Furthermore, you can use outdoor connectors to standardize an indoor and outdoor design.

Outdoor Connector Applications
There are many applications for outdoor connectors, and the need is growing. The telecom industry is a perfect example of this growing need. Wireless infrastructure equipment (large macro cells, 5G small cells, repeaters, security monitoring, satellite communications, etc.) is often mounted outdoors. Industrial applications such as farming are turning to smart solutions mounted on farming equipment to maximize product output. Many security cameras still require either a power or fiber connection. Some defense applications are subjected to ultra harsh conditions. Even medical imaging scanning equipment and coils require connectors that are more robust to ensure high reliability. These are just a few applications that require outdoor connectors.

Choosing the Best Outdoor Connector
The best outdoor connector depends on the application. When selecting an outdoor connector, consider the different types of mating it offers, as well as the physical shape, materials and guaranteed performance. Another critical factor in choosing the right outdoor connector is the type of connections you will be making. There is no need to choose the same type of connector for multiple types of input/output, but it can be advantageous to do so. 

Radiall's most popular outdoor connectors are R2CT, RXF, OPUS and OCTIS. If you want to weatherproof a standard duplex LC to provide a direct cable connection to an SFP that is mounted just inside the radio, but you want a metal body, R2CT is a good choice. If you have cable-to-cable multiple coax connections, OPUS is likely the best fit. If you want to eliminate a fiber distribution box and make two fiber in-line connections, RXF is a good choice. If you have a super hot casting due to high power dissipation, and you want to move the transceiver into the connector to take advantage of the cooling benefits, OCTIS is a great solution.

Radiall is here to support you in finding the best interconnect solutions for your applications. Use the chat box to the right to talk to a product expert about the outdoor connector that is best for your application.

Listen to the full webinar here, and be sure to follow us on LinkedIn to stay in the loop about future webinars.