[Aric]

i just ordered sbc yahoo dsl and got the package in the mail with all the modem and cables. there's a cable called "data cable" that goes from the phone jack to the dsl modem and I was just wondering if it's just the same as a phone cable that goes into a telephone base station. the data cable they supplied me with is too short to reach my computer desk and right now i have a phone cable that reaches my desk for dial up. can i use my phone cable?

[John Strung]

No. The data cable is a Cat5 Ethernet cable. It has 8 wires, not the four of a telephone cable, and the end connectors are RJ45 connectors which are slightly bigger than a phone cable's RJ11 connectors.

If you need a longer cable, go to a Radio Shack or a computer store and ask for a Cat5 Ethernet Patch Cord (not a cross-over cable).

[turtle777]

Originally posted by Aric:
i just ordered sbc yahoo dsl and got the package in the mail with all the modem and cables. there's a cable called "data cable" that goes from the phone jack to the dsl modem and I was just wondering if it's just the same as a phone cable that goes into a telephone base station. the data cable they supplied me with is too short to reach my computer desk and right now i have a phone cable that reaches my desk for dial up. can i use my phone cable?

Actually, YES, you should be able to.
The line from yout phone jack to the DSL modem is not any different then a telephone line. Up to the telephone jack (inside the walls), it's none different either.

Don't be too confused about the term data cable.

Just give it a try.

-t

[Aric]

thanks for replying, but the data cable plugs are the same size as the phone cable plugs and i count only four wires in it. it also has a ethernet cable that goes from the dsl modem to my computer but this data cable goes from the phone jack to the dsl modem. is there different size ethernet cables?

[Aric]

Originally posted by turtle777:
Actually, YES, you should be able to.
The line from yout phone jack to the DSL modem is not any different then a telephone line. Up to the telephone jack (inside the walls), it's none different either.

Don't be too confused about the term data cable.

Just give it a try.

-t

thanks!

[aaanorton]

It's not an ethernet cable. Just a standard phone extension cable. Make sure the cord you want to use has 4 wires, as a phone only requires 2. Most will have 4 wires, but i've seen some with only 2.

[f1000]

RJ-11 telephone patch cables are usually unshielded twisted pair. A long run using such a cable may introduce excessive noise into your modem, reducing its speed.

Err on the side of caution and use a longer RJ-45 cable instead.

[aaanorton]

Originally posted by f1000:
Err on the side of caution and use a longer RJ-45 cable instead.

How would he/she fit a RJ-45 cable into a RJ-11 plug? We're talking about phone cord here, not ethernet cabling. This is before the modem. The data is still sound.

[f1000]

Originally posted by aaanorton:
How would he/she fit a RJ-45 cable into a RJ-11 plug? We're talking about phone cord here, not ethernet cabling. This is before the modem. The data is still sound.

I'm telling them not to use an extension cable from the wall to the modem at all; instead, they should use a longer RJ-45 extension from the modem to the computer (or router) and forget about putting the modem on the table.


Diagram (Legend: RJ11 -, RJ45 =):

1. WALL----MODEM==========================COMPUTER

2. WALL---------------------------------MODEM===COMPUTER


Maybe the benefits are negligible, but I'm recommending setup 1.

[aaanorton]

Gotcha.
Of course, the signal is already coming through questionable wiring in any house and from pole to house. I doubt another ~10' of phone cord would impact much if any. But I see your point now.

[turtle777]

Originally posted by aaanorton:
Gotcha.
Of course, the signal is already coming through questionable wiring in any house and from pole to house. I doubt another ~10' of phone cord would impact much if any. But I see your point now.

Exactly right.
Like I said before, just give it a try.

You can still go and buy an ethernet cable, but please don't go to RadioShack.

-t

[John Strung]

Originally posted by turtle777:
Actually, YES, you should be able to.

My mistake. I didn't read the original post carefully enough. I thought the poster was referring to the cable between the modem and the computer.

[Aric]

thanks all, got it up and running and it's super fast compared to my dial up that was only 3 bucks cheaper

[turtle777]

Originally posted by Aric:
thanks all, got it up and running and it's super fast compared to my dial up that was only 3 bucks cheaper

Enjoy your broadband.
Once you've been there, you'd never want to go back to dial-crap...

-t

[tooki]

Originally posted by aaanorton:
It's not an ethernet cable. Just a standard phone extension cable. Make sure the cord you want to use has 4 wires, as a phone only requires 2. Most will have 4 wires, but i've seen some with only 2.

DSL uses only one pair of wires -- same as phone. I know this for a fact -- I used to have a dedicated DSL line (not piggybacking on a voice line), and it used one pair. That said, ALL DSL uses just one pair.

tooki

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by turtle777:
Exactly right.
Like I said before, just give it a try.

You can still go and buy an ethernet cable, but please don't go to RadioShack.

-t

I don't get it. Does RadioShack sell bad Ethernet cables or something?