TL;DR: 8P8C and RJ45 are the same connector. 8P8C is the correct name; RJ45 is the nickname. Neither tells you the category, shielding, or magnetics — so spec those separately.
The details:
- 8P8C = "8 Position, 8 Contact" — the actual modular jack, standardized in IEC 60603-7 (also ANSI/TIA-1096-A, ISO/IEC 8877).
- RJ45 = a US telephone Registered Jack wiring code. The original RJ45S was a keyed single-line phone jack — not the Ethernet connector. The name just stuck.
- For Ethernet there's no electrical or mechanical difference between "an 8P8C jack" and "an RJ45 jack." Same 8-position socket.
- What actually varies jack-to-jack: category/bandwidth (Cat5e to Cat8), shielding (UTP/FTP/STP), plating (gold over nickel, up to 50 µin), mount (THT/SMT), and integrated vs discrete magnetics.
- Durability: IEC 60603-7 minimum is 750 mating cycles.
Full jack-focused write-up (spec table, RJ45S history, FAQ): https://voohuelectronic-ux.github.io/voohu-rj45-guide/resources/8p8c-vs-rj45-connector-explained.html
Context: VOOHU Electronics makes 8P8C RJ45 jacks (female sockets — standard, low-profile, offset, waterproof, integrated magjack), not plugs/cables. Handy if you're sourcing the jack side of a design.
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