Abstract:
Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to a connector including a housing with a severing device and a pair of wire taps built into the housing. For example, the severing device may sever the electrical connection along one or more wires placed inside the connector. The pair of wire taps may patch into the severed ends of the wires, intercepting any signal transmitted through the wires, and patching any signal transmitted along the wire tap into the severed wires. The wire taps may further be connected to an intermediate device, placing the intermediate device in series with the ends of the severed wire. The connector may also include a switching device between the first and second wire taps. When the switching device is closed, the switching device may directly connect the wire taps, shorting out the intermediate device and effectively reestablishing the direct electrical connection between the severed wire ends.