I am attempting to control a device with RS232 commands.

The device has a control box that accepts RJ45 cable.

I am sending my commands via a Global Cache iTach WF2SL device which has a DB9 serial port.

I am attempting to connect the two devices using a Cat-6 T-568B cable, and a RJ45 to DB9 adapter.

The WF2SL pinout uses 2 - RX, 3 - TX, and 5 - Ground.

The control box expects what is in the image below:

Screen-Pinout462×336 35.3 KB

The adapter has the following pinout definitions:

Adapter Diagram831×771 47.9 KB

I’ve been trying to research this to determine the correct pinout but have become pretty much completely confused at this point.

I have ensured that the WF2SL is configured with the correct baud rate and additional settings.

I have tried quite a few different combinations of pinouts with no success.

Would anyone be able to dumb this down for me, and help me get the right pinout on the adapter, using the Cat-6 cable I have, to work with what the device is expecting?

Thanks in advance.

Answer from kevinicus on community.spiceworks.com
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Juniper Networks
juniper.net › documentation › us › en › hardware › mx2020 › srx4600 › topics › concept › port-rj45-db9-adapter-pinout.html
RJ-45 to DB-9 Serial Port Adapter Pinout Information | Juniper Networks
The console port on a Juniper Networks device is an RS-232 serial interface that uses an RJ-45 connector to connect to a management device such as a laptop or a desktop PC. If your laptop or desktop PC does not have a DB-9 plug connector pin and you want to connect your laptop or desktop PC to the device, use a combination of the RJ-45 to DB-9 socket adapter along with a USB to DB-9 plug adapter. Table 1 provides the pinout information for the RJ-45 to DB-9 serial port adapter.
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Juniper Networks
juniper.net › documentation › us › en › hardware › ctp151 › topics › concept › port-ctp151-devices-rj45-db9-adapter-pinout.html
RJ-45 to DB-9 Serial Port Adapter Pinout Information for a CTP151 Device | Juniper Networks
If your PC or laptop has a DB-9 plug connector pin, you can use a combination of the RJ-45 cable and RJ-45 to DB-9 adapter (p/n 720-014126) supplied with the device to connect your PC to the CTP151 device. If your laptop or PC does not have a DB-9 plug connector pin, you must use the Mini-USB console port on the front panel of the CTP151 to connect your laptop or PC directly to the CTP151 device. Table 1 provides the pinout information for the RJ-45 to DB-9 serial port adapter.
Discussions

Confused about proper pinout with an RJ45 to DB9 adapter
I am attempting to control a device with RS232 commands. The device has a control box that accepts RJ45 cable. I am sending my commands via a Global Cache iTach WF2SL device which has a DB9 serial port. I am attempting to connect the two devices using a Cat-6 T-568B cable, and a RJ45 to DB9 adapter. More on community.spiceworks.com
🌐 community.spiceworks.com
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March 18, 2025
DB9 to RJ45 serial connect to switch - correct pinout?
This pinout worked for me: RJ45 -> DB9 RTS 1 -> 8 CTS DTR 2 -> 6 DSR TXD 3 -> 2 RXD GND 4 -> 5 GND GND 5 -> 5 GND RXD 6 -> 3 TXD DSR 7 -> 4 DTR CTS 8 -> 7 RTS IIRC, I had to leave one of the ground pins unplugged. http://i.imgur.com/O3RRKQC.jpg *Edit: Here's another picture for clarity. Also, you can push the pins back out with something like a small flathead screwdriver (~1mm). http://i.imgur.com/7hWniXb.jpg More on reddit.com
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usconverters.com › downloads › support › db9_rj45_assembeling_guide.pdf pdf
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Adaptor and Dongles to convert RJ45 Serial to DB9 Serial
RJ45 (female) to DB9 (female) adaptor block for use with the Redpark C2-RJ45 cable to convert it for use with DB-9 console ports. Use this adaptor for connecting to Cisco, Juniper, HP or other serial console ports that require a DB9 connection. Please see this document for the pinouts http://support.get-console.com/support/solutions/articles/5000773902-airconsole-serial-port-pinout-diagram
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digi.com › support › knowledge-base › using-an-rj45-adapter-to-connect-to-a-db9-connecto
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January 1, 2024 - Select your product for firmware, drivers, software, knowledge base articles and manuals · An example application for these adapters would be to extend the RS232 serial connection so that the radio modem might be located closer to the antenna location so that the antenna cable will be as short ...
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September 22, 2015 - K587: Pinouts for serial terminal cables used to connect the 9-pin serial port on F5 products · For other F5 products including VELOS and rSeries, also refer to Cable and Adapter Pinouts. This article provides the pinouts for the RJ-45-based console cables and adapters used for F5 platforms that have an RJ-45 console port. The pinouts listed in the RJ45/DE-9 console cable and RJ45M/RJ45F rolled adapter sections that follow, are applicable to the following F5 platforms:
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DB-9 to RJ-45 console adapter pin connections
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scribd.com › document › 657128266 › Pinout-Rs232-Db9-a-Rj45-v3
DB9 to RJ45 Pinout Guide | PDF | Computer Science | Electrical Components
The document describes the pinout configurations for connecting various ports, including: - DB9, RJ45, and DB25 male and female ports - The pin assignments for crossover and direct connections between DB9 and RJ45 - The loopback pinout configurations between DB9 male and female ports which remain the same except for orientationRead more
Top answer
1 of 2
3

Update

As I originally predicted, the wiring is proprietary and the flow control signals are a mess. @SofaKng has reversed engineered the official cable and produced this table (reproduced here):

RJ45 pin,   DB9 pin (female)
----------------------------
  1           1
  2           6 + 8
  3           2
  4           5
  5           5
  6           3
  7           4
  8           7

Original

You missed a key detail. Their RJ-45 patch cable is null modem wired. That means it is reversed. You got all of your pairs backwards (you connected TX to TX, RX to RX, etc...)

Assuming you are using a straight-through patch cable...

  • as you indicated that you are with your comment "standard TIA-568B"
  • you must use TIA-568B ordering on both ends of your patch cable

...it goes this way:

Device Signal, RJ-45 Pin#, DB9 Pin#, PC Signal
----------------------------------------------
> DTR 1 --- 6 DSR   
> GND 2 --- 5 GND
> RTS 3 --- 8 CTS
> TxD 4 --- 2 RXD
> RxD 5 --- 3 TXD
> DSR 6 --- 4 DTR
> GND 7 --- 5 GND <-- note: repeats, bussed to device #2
> CTS 8 --- 7 RTS
> RI  9 --- 9 RI  <-- doesn't actually fit in an RJ-45 (only 8 signals), probably safe to ignore if I read their diagram correctly

The DB9 on a PC is pinned out this way (see figure). Note how it is null-modem reversed from the table listing you provided. That's because their RJ-45 cable is null-modem reversed to cancel it out. Tricky and silly, but that's how they chose to implement it.

Some other thoughts...

Actually, I noticed from tracing in the diagram that they do some very strange stuff with the flow-control signals. For example, they short CTS and DSR on the PC side, but not on the other side. They route RTS on the PC side to DSR on the device side. And other weirdness.

This may be bad documentation, but I suspect they have implemented custom firmware/software that makes use of the flow-control signals in non-standard ways as a means of ensuring that you only buy and use their cables and adapters.

I would suggest that you make two half cables. On one end go RJ-45 to unterminated wire and the other go DB9F to unterminated wire. Then you can twist your way through all of these weird configurations until you get it right. I would start with my suggested mapping. If that doesn't work, report back and I'll give you my mapping for all of their weirdness in the flow-control lines.

Good luck! =)

2 of 2
2

I ended up ordering a premade cable and adapter from Pacific Custom Cables and they worked so I checked the pin-out of the RJ45 (null-modem) to DB9.

Based on their pin-out, I made a new cable (crimped RJ45 on one end, soldered DB9 female on the other end) and here is the working pin-out:

RJ45 pin,   DB9 pin (female)
----------------------------
  1           1
  2           6 + 8
  3           2
  4           5
  5           5
  6           3
  7           4
  8           7

I don't understand why that is the pin-out but that's what works and the pin-out from "official" cables and adapter.

🌐
Aggsoft
aggsoft.com › rs232-pinout-cable › serial-cable-connections.htm
Most Popular RS232 or Computer Serial Port Connectors
Discover the essential pinouts and signal details for common RS232 connectors including DB9, DB15, DB25, RJ45 for seamless serial cable connections.
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amazon.com › Adapter-Ethernet-Converter-Compatible-Standard › dp › B08JLX4N6K
Amazon.com: DTECH DB9 to RJ45 Serial Adapter RS232 Male to RJ-45 Female Ethernet Converter Compatible with Standard 9 Pin RS-232 Devices : Electronics
Connector A: DB9 9 Pin Male Connector B: RJ45 8 Pin Female Data cabling transmission signal up to 20M Compatible with Standard 9 Pin D-sub RS-232 Devices e.g. computer laptop, printer, modem, router, PDA, POS device, digital CNC machine tool, ...