Talking Through An RJ11 Cable

By Jason Smythson

It is easy to dismiss an RJ11 cable as simply a phone cable and be done with it. But it is important to remember that if you want to maximize your home Internet experience, then you need to pay attention to every single aspect of it. If you use the Internet service offered by your phone company, then you probably have DSL or ADSL Internet service. This is a service that is provided through the same jack that is also used for your phone service. The phone company will provide you with a splitter and adapter that will allow you to have your phone and DSL service through the same jack. One of the cables will be an RJ11 ADSL modem cable.

The thing that most people neglect is the connection that runs from the phone jack to the Internet modem or router. The signal that is not filtered is the one the runs to your Internet router, and that signal needs to be clear and consistent if you want to have a strong Internet connection. If the connection from the splitter is loose or the cable you are using is unable to maintain the bandwidth you are supposed to get, then you will not be able to get the most out of your Internet service.

The best solution is to invest in a high quality splitter that has good contacts and a solid case. This will insure that the RJ11 cables you have plugged into the splitter remain in place, and it also insures that all of the connections in the splitter and to the phone jack are clear as well. The other piece you need to invest in is a quality RJ11 cable that is specifically designed to carry a DSL or ADSL signal. This is especially important if your router is more than 10 feet from your device. The longer that the signal has to travel, the more important it is to have a quality cable.

Most people are extremely familiar with an RJ11 cable connection as they see them every day on telephones and modems. Most people confuse the RJ45 networking connection with the RJ11 connection, but the RJ45 plug is larger and serves a much different purpose.

Your Internet connection begins at the wall jack and not the router. The connection from the wall jack to the router must be a high quality cable if you want to get the most from your modem. That is why it is extremely important to invest in a high quality RJ11 cable for your Internet modem or router.