--- title: Reverse Polarity (RP) SMA vs. Standard SMA. What is the difference? description: How to choose between SMA and RP-SMA coaxial cable connectors and which to use for WiFi, cellular LTE, 900 MHz modems, gateways, routers, radios image: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/RPSMA_vs_SMA_Male_480x480.png?v=1623694623 --- [Skip to content](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/reverse-polarity-rp-sma-vs.-standard-sma.-what-is-the-difference#main-content) [![Arcadian](https://blog.arcantenna.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/Arcadian-Logo.png?width=300&height=70&name=Arcadian-Logo.png)](https://www.arcantenna.com/) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact us](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/contact-us) [Contact us](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/contact-us) 1. [Home](https://www.arcantenna.com/) 2. / 3. [Blog](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog) 4. / 5. Reverse Polarity (RP) SMA vs. Standard SMA. What i... # Reverse Polarity (RP) SMA vs. Standard SMA. What is the difference? [Michael Crudele](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/author/michael-crudele) · Mar 31, 2026, 5:06:59 PM · 4 min read · [RFMAX](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/rfmax) [RP SMA-Female](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/rp-sma-female) [SMA-Female](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/sma-female) [Cables](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/cables) [RP SMA-Male](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/rp-sma-male) [SMA-Male](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/sma-male) ![Reverse Polarity (RP) SMA vs. Standard SMA. What is the difference?](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/RPSMA_vs_SMA_Male_480x480.png?v=1623694623) I get many inquiries each month from customers looking for 50 ohm Coaxial cable assemblies for WiFi, cellular LTE, and 900 MHz modems, gateways, routers and radios with SMA connectors. The problem is that there is often confusion concerning the terminology used to describe SMA vs. RP-SMA (reverse polarity SMA) RF coaxial connectors. The most common question that I get on this topic is: ***How do I tell the difference between SMA and RP-SMA connectors???*** So, I thought that our blog would be a good place to clear up any confusion once and for all. Here are the facts... - Standard SMA Male has a **center pin** and Standard SMA Female has a **hole** Vs Reverse Polarity (RP) SMA Male has a **hole** and Reverse Polarity (RP) SMA Female has a **center pin** - Standard SMA connectors are commonly used on Cellular 3G 4G LTE devices. - RP SMA is normally reserved for 802.11 WiFi or WLAN devices. - 99% of the time, your device will have the "female" connector, and you'll need a "male" connector on your cable. When purchasing bulk [RF connectors, coaxial adapters, and coax cable assemblies and jumpers](https://www.arcantenna.com/collections/coax-cables) it is VERY IMPORTANT that you choose the correct connectors so you don't damage your wireless communication gear. I'm using the infographic below to try to give you a simple way to identify the SMA connectors on your gear.   Here goes... - If your gear has a Standard SMA-Female (SSF) connector on it, then your cable needs to have Standard-SMA-Male. - If your gear has a Reverse Polarity SMA-Female (RSF) connector on it, then your cable needs to have RP-SMA-Male. - If you are looking to purchase customized RF coax cables (PT195, PT240, PT400) they can be purchased through our website or can be custom configured on our vendor's ["Build Your Own Coax Cable" tool](https://rfmax.us/collections/custom-rf-coax-cable-assemblies-build-your-own-pt195-pt240-pt400-etc). ![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/RPSMA_vs_SMA_Male_480x480.png?v=1623694623) Have any other questions? Email us at any time! Tech Help at [Arcadian Inc. / arcantenna.com](https://www.arcantenna.com/) can be reached by email at [techsupport@arcadianinc.com](mailto:techsupport@arcadianinc.com)   **[Click here to view our collection or connectors and adapters](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/cable-collections)** Share this post [mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EReverse+Polarity+%28RP%29+SMA+vs.+Standard+SMA.+What+is+the+difference%3F%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.arcantenna.com%2Fblog%2Freverse-polarity-rp-sma-vs.-standard-sma.-what-is-the-difference](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3EReverse+Polarity+%28RP%29+SMA+vs.+Standard+SMA.+What+is+the+difference%3F%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.arcantenna.com%2Fblog%2Freverse-polarity-rp-sma-vs.-standard-sma.-what-is-the-difference) ### Subscribe Get the latest antenna and RF insights delivered to your inbox. ### Recent Posts - #### [![RFID Reader Antenna Basics - Overcoming Fading with Antenna Diversity with Antenna Diversity](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/uhf_rfid_system_480x480.png?v=1623767287) RFID Reader Antenna Basics - Overcoming Fadin... Apr 01, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/rfid-reader-antenna-basics-overcoming-fading-with-antenna-diversity-with-antenna-diversity) - #### [![How to Improve Cellular Connection on Cuddeback/Cuddelink Trail Camera System](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/SBA1001_collage_480x480.png?v=1634154936) How to Improve Cellular Connection on Cuddeba... Apr 01, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/how-to-improve-cellular-connection-on-cuddeback/cuddelink-trail-camera-system) - #### [![High-Tech Antennas for Trail Cameras like Cuddeback, Spypoint Cellular, and More!!](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/70086810005_480x480.jpg?v=1679948178) High-Tech Antennas for Trail Cameras like Cud... Apr 01, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/high-tech-antennas-for-trail-cameras-like-cuddeback-spypoint-cellular-and-more) - #### [![What is a QMA Connector?](https://blog.arcantenna.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Gemini_Generated_Image_dxyaqsdxyaqsdxya.png?width=64&height=64&name=Gemini_Generated_Image_dxyaqsdxyaqsdxya.png) What is a QMA Connector? Apr 01, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/what-is-a-qma-connector) - #### [![Helium Miner Antennas: Everything You Need to Know](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/helium_miner_image_240x240.png?v=1628261039) Helium Miner Antennas: Everything You Need to... Apr 01, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/helium-miner-antennas-everything-you-need-to-know) ### Popular Posts - #### [![How a CB Radio Antenna Works and Why You Must Select Carefully!](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/tyy_480x480.png?v=1698955045) How a CB Radio Antenna Works and Why You Must... Mar 05, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/how-a-cb-radio-antenna-works-and-why-you-must-select-carefully) - #### [![Introducing the RBDM-155 Series: Low profile Tri-Band Antenna Magic!](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/rbdm_480x480.png?v=1709745313) Introducing the RBDM-155 Series: Low profile ... Mar 04, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/introducing-the-rbdm-155-series-low-profile-tri-band-antenna-magic) - #### [![RFMAX Antennas for Public Safety - Industry-Wide Solutions](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/roof_480x480.png?v=1710360535) RFMAX Antennas for Public Safety - Industry-W... Mar 04, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/rfmax-antennas-for-public-safety-industry-wide-solutions) - #### [![RFID Reader Antenna Basics - Overcoming Fading with Antenna Diversity with Antenna Diversity](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/uhf_rfid_system_480x480.png?v=1623767287) RFID Reader Antenna Basics - Overcoming Fadin... Apr 01, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/rfid-reader-antenna-basics-overcoming-fading-with-antenna-diversity-with-antenna-diversity) - #### [![Introducing the R2BDM 7-in-1 Antenna Series](https://blog.arcantenna.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Social/social-R902-A9044-V6.png?width=64&height=64&name=social-R902-A9044-V6.png) Introducing the R2BDM 7-in-1 Antenna Series Mar 04, 2026](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/introducing-the-r2bdm-7-in-1-antenna-series) ### Topics - [UHF](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/uhf) - [Antenna](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/antenna) - [RFID](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/rfid) - [PL259](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/pl259) - [RFMAX](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/rfmax) - [3G/4G/LTE](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/3g-4g-lte) - [Cuddeback](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/cuddeback) - [Cuddelink](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/cuddelink) - [Polarity](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/polarity) - [SMA-Female](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/sma-female) - [Trailcam](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/trailcam) - [Cables](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/cables) - [Cellular](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/cellular) - [Circularly Polarized](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/circularly-polarized) - [Connectors](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/tag/connectors) ## Keep reading ![Antennas for Cuddeback Cuddelink Trail Cameras (Verizon, AT&T, etc.)](https://blog.arcantenna.com/hs-fs/hubfs/tc2-2.png?width=600&height=338&name=tc2-2.png) 3G/4G/LTE ### [Antennas for Cuddeback Cuddelink Trail Camera...](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/antennas-for-cuddeback-cuddelink-trail-cameras-verizon-att-etc) Recently, we have had several customer come to us looking for advice on how to replace their Cuddeba... Michael Crudele · Apr 01, 2026 · 3 min read ![Introducing RFMAX's NMO Mount Series - What's an NMO?](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/Chrome_NMO_RFMAX_480x480.png?v=1654708943) RFMAX ### [Introducing RFMAX's NMO Mount Series - What's...](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/introducing-rfmaxs-nmo-mount-series-whats-an-nmo) What is an NMO Mount? How is it used? Do you need it? Michael Crudele · Apr 01, 2026 · 4 min read [![Arcadian-Arc-logo-white](https://blog.arcantenna.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Arcadian-Arc-logo-white.png?width=325&height=85&name=Arcadian-Arc-logo-white.png "Arcadian-Arc-logo-white")](https://www.arcantenna.com/) [linkedin-in icon](https://www.linkedin.com/company/arcadian-inc) [Search](https://www.arcantenna.com/search) [About Us](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/contact-us) [Terms and Conditions](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/arcadian-incs-terms-and-conditions) [Reviews](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/arcadian-reviews) [Sales Tax Exemption](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/tax-exemptions) [Shipping Policy](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/shipping-and-delivery) [Blogs](https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog) [FAQs](https://www.arcantenna.com/pages/faq) [Terms of Service](https://www.arcantenna.com/policies/terms-of-service) [Refund Policy](https://www.arcantenna.com/policies/refund-policy) [Privacy Policy](https://www.arcantenna.com/policies/privacy-policy) --- © 2026 Arcadian • All rights reserved. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Michael Crudele", "url" : "https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/author/michael-crudele" }, "dateModified" : "2026-03-31T21:06:59.989Z", "datePublished" : "2026-03-31T21:06:59.000Z", "headline" : "Reverse Polarity (RP) SMA vs. Standard SMA. What is the difference?", "image" : [ "https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0345/4055/2323/files/RPSMA_vs_SMA_Male_480x480.png?v=1623694623" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.arcantenna.com/blog/reverse-polarity-rp-sma-vs.-standard-sma.-what-is-the-difference", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.arcantenna.com/hubfs/Logos/Arcadian-Logo.png" }, "name" : "Arcadian Inc. " } } ```