An Ethernet connection is a popular choice among Internet users due to its advantages over wireless Internet. Almost all devices that connect to the Internet have Ethernet connectors, allowing for high-speed Internet connections. However, you may find other connectors on these devices that closely resemble the Ethernet connector, making them confusing to identify. Discover What is the difference between Ethernet and telephone connection?
One of these connectors is the phone jack that you might find on modems, routers, or wall panels.
This article on What is the difference between Ethernet and telephone connection? helps you distinguish phone jacks from Ethernet ports.
What is the difference between Ethernet and telephone connection?
Ethernet vs. Phone Jack (What’s the Difference?)
Both are rectangular, with some pins making contact with corresponding pins on the cable head and creating the connection. However, an Ethernet connector is larger and wider than a phone port. You can count the number of pins inside the connector to determine what type it is.
An Ethernet connector has eight pins, while a phone port has four or six pins. Since a phone jack is also smaller than an Ethernet port, you can’t plug an Ethernet cable into a phone jack because it won’t fit.
Where can you find Ethernet connectors?
Anyone who uses the Internet has seen Ethernet ports on different devices.
You can see these ports on the following devices:
- Laptops and desktops.
- game consoles
- Modems and routers.
- Ethernet switches.
- Wi-Fi range extenders,
- Wireless access points.
- printers
- CCTV cameras.
- Servers.
- Smart TVs.
- Media converters.
- transmission devices.
- Fax machines and many more.
Many of these devices don’t have phone lines, so you don’t have to worry about a bad connection. Computers have Ethernet cards on the motherboard, which work like an internal network adapter. The connector is connected to the Ethernet card on the motherboard, which enables a wired connection when you plug in the Ethernet cable.
As soon as you plug the cable into the Ethernet jack, the device configures itself to use the wired connection. You can’t find an Ethernet jack on a MacBook Air, but it does allow you to set up a wired connection through an Ethernet dongle plugged into the port. Mac USB.
Ethernet ports also have different speeds, including 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1000 Mbps, and 10 Gbps. You can also find Ethernet ports in the walls of newer homes.
They run cables internally to reach a central box that houses a router or Ethernet switch. These wall outlets allow for higher internet speeds and less signal interference. Despite all the advantages of Ethernet connectivity, it does have one significant drawback.
Ethernet connectors are subject to failure due to wear. You may break the connector if you are not careful when connecting the Ethernet cable. In such cases, you need to replace the connector or the entire motherboard.
That’s why you can find multiple Ethernet ports on a single motherboard, each with different transfer speeds. In this way, you don’t need to worry about compatibility issues and you can connect many devices to your computer at different speeds. Also, if one port fails, you can use another.
This feature is essential because you cannot connect to the Internet without a working Ethernet jack.
How does Ethernet work?
When you connect your devices to the Internet, you can use wired or wireless connections depending on your preferences and conditions. For example, if you move your device to different parts of your home or office, you must use a wireless connection, such as Wi-Fi.
However, if you don’t move the device and want a more stable connection, an Ethernet cable is the way to go. That said, Ethernet cables and ports aren’t just for Internet connections.
You can connect multiple computers via an Ethernet cable to create a local area network (LAN) and share data. It offers a faster and more reliable connection and data transfer, making it the preferred choice over wireless connections in many cases.
Although the technology is over 50 years old, it is still popular with Internet and network users as it works seamlessly with modern technologies. You can connect different devices including wired and wireless, routers, hubs, switches, etc. to transfer data. Its most common use is in Internet connections, connecting a router or modem to another device that receives the Internet connection.
Its flexibility and ease of use have made it a ubiquitous option in most organizations, private venues, and even applications that require high bandwidth usage, such as streaming video. That’s why you see Ethernet connectors on many devices, including laptops and routers, and many buildings have Ethernet connectors built into their walls.
Ethernet vs. Wi-Fi
Ethernet has many advantages over Wi-Fi connections, the most significant of which is increased speed. When you use a Wi-Fi connection, you must share it between different devices, dividing the bandwidth between all these devices. However, that is not the case with an Ethernet connection.
Thanks to the full-duplex connection capabilities on modern Ethernet switches, you can use the connection with multiple devices simultaneously. Maintains the full maximum bandwidth on each device without interference or packet collisions. Also, distance can affect Wi-Fi signals, so the further you are from the modem or router, the weaker the signal will be.
However, with Ethernet connections, you can have consistent Internet speed wherever you go, although Ethernet cables have length limitations to allow for optimal results.
All of these features make Ethernet connections the preferred choice for wired devices.
The only downside to Ethernet is its reduced convenience, as Wi-Fi connected devices are portable and home users prefer portability.
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ethernet cables
To identify the correct Ethernet connector, you need to know which cables are Ethernet and which are phone-type.
In this way, you can easily plug the cable into the port and identify it.
1. Ethernet cable structures
Since Ethernet is a simple concept that lends itself to a wide range of applications and devices, it also requires simple means of transmitting data.
However, it has not always been this way.
Initially, Ethernet worked with coaxial cables, which use thick copper wires, making them robust and wide enough to carry considerable bandwidth.
However, since coaxial cables are not that simple and can be heavy, the Ethernet protocol abandoned them and switched to twisted pair cables. As the name suggests, twisted pair cables involve twisted pairs of wires to eliminate noise and increase speed.
These cables are flexible and easy to use, thanks to their standardized plugs. Hence the similarity and confusion with telephone cables. However, these two cables are different, even though they both look similar and are used to transfer data.
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2. Ethernet cables vs. telephone wires
As mentioned, the only similarity between phone and Ethernet cables is that they look similar and transfer data. However, they have different shapes and functions. Here are the main differences between these two cables:
A. Ethernet cables and telephone cables look different
Ethernet and telephone cables look similar in that they both have connectors on their ends that pop into the port when the plastic clip is pressed.
However, you can see many differences between them if you look closely. The biggest difference is that Ethernet cables have eight wires arranged in twisted pairs, while a phone cable has half as many.
As a result, phone cables are flatter and thinner, while Ethernet cables are rounder, thicker, and have larger connectors. These connectors use different standards, being telephone cables with RJ11 or RJ12 connectors since they only have four wires.
You may also see these connectors specified as #P#C. P means pins inside the connector and C means Contacts. For example, the RJ11 is also called 6P4C, which means that this type of connector has six metal pins, but four of them are connected to cables.
Similarly, the RJ12 connector is 6P6C, which means that all connectors and cables are connected. However, Ethernet cables use the RJ45 connector since they have eight wires. If you look closely at the gold pins on the connectors, you can see the differences more clearly.
The Ethernet connector has eight gold wires, while the telephone cable has only four or six gold wires, depending on the type of connector. Both cables come in multiple colors to help you distinguish them from other cables or color-coordinate them on your networks.
Now, if you have a plug in your house or a jack on your device and you don’t know if it’s a phone jack or an Ethernet jack, you can look at the contacts inside the jack. A phone jack has six or four contacts, while the Ethernet jack must have eight jacks.
As a result, the Ethernet connector is larger and deeper than the phone jack. If it is difficult to count the number of contacts inside the jack, you can try plugging a known phone or Ethernet cable into the jack. If you put a phone cord into an Ethernet jack, it won’t fit because the Ethernet plug is larger than the phone cord jack.
However, if you connect an Ethernet cable to the plug and it fits, you can be sure that the plug is an Ethernet type.
B. Ethernet cables are faster
The number of wires within an Ethernet cable affects its bandwidth and transmission speed. Since telephone cable has four twisted-pair wires, its transmission speed is lower than that of an Ethernet cable. Although you can use both cables for short distances, the Ethernet cable covers longer distances thanks to its higher speed.
As a result, an Ethernet cable is a better choice for Internet connectivity, while a phone cable is preferred for phone connections. You can connect all the devices in different locations within a house using an Ethernet cable.
That is not possible with a telephone cable since it has a lower speed, which is 1 to 2 Mbps, while it is…
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