[Trae Johnson]

In IT, two very common types of connectors are the USB, or Universal Serial Bus, and the RJ45 Ethernet connector.

USB Connector
The USB connector is one of the most common connectors existing in IT. It connects a wide range of devices, such as keyboards, mice, printers, and external storage devices, to computers or other hardware. The most common types of USB connectors are: USB-A, USB-B, USB-C, and Micro-USB. USB-C is the newest model, going to be the standard of modern devices due to its ability to handle high speeds, power supply, and video output through one connection. To put it differently, Johnson says that USB-C connectors can attain the transfer speeds of 10 Gbps and can deliver power rates of up to 100 watts, hence suitable for devices that need fast charging and high-speed data transfers. The USB-C has an added advantage of being reversible, users can connect the cables either way out unlike the older types of USBs.

RJ45 Ethernet Connector
The RJ45 Ethernet connector’s primary function is to connect computers, servers, and other networking devices to a wired network. Together with twisted-pair cables, in general Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6, or Cat6a, it supports data carriage over local area networks. As a type of connector, RJ45 has eight pins that link to the individual wires inside the Ethernet cable. This provides very fast data transfer rates, especially in instances where higher-grade cables have been used such as Cat6 or Cat6a. According to O’Reilly, 2019, the RJ45 connector is capable of supporting data transmission rates up to 10 Gbps when used with compatible Ethernet standards such as the 10GBASE-T. This actually makes the gadget highly essential in high-speed networking environments.

Conclusion
In the meantime, both USB and RJ45 connectors play an essential role in IT infrastructure-to provide support for communication both between devices and across the network. Similarly, in the same way that USB connectivity is a necessity for peripheral devices, RJ45 is a requirement for wired network connections; this enables fast and reliable data transmissions across the networks.

References
Johnson, P., 2020. USB-C and the future of connectivity. Tech Insights Press.

O’Reilly, T., 2019. Networking essentials: Understanding RJ45 connectors and Ethernet standards. IT World Publishing.