Networking over RJ11 / RJ45

[Rusting In Peace]

I have my router in another room so I just used some powerline adapters to make a basic network. I'm not interested in networking wirelessly.

However in the apartment there is a neat RJ11 network with sockets in each room. Picked up some RJ11 to RJ45 cables and tried to connect my machine to the router that way instead but my machine wouldn't connect to the router.

Does anyone know of any issue why this networking method wouldn't work?

 

[jamesmcuk]

I would assume the RJ11 sockets are Phone Sockets and as such have a voltage on them and probably only 2 or 3 cores terminated at each point. Even if you were to disconnect the master box from the outside phone line and terminate every point with the 6 cores I would imagine you would get a very slow or maybe unusable connection due to the likelihood that the RJ11's are not wired using Cat5 or above cable.

 

[Hawkeye22]

^ +1

Not to mention that gigbit speeds require all 4 pairs of an RJ45 to be properly connected, otherwise it will fall back to 10/100.

 

[c614python]

RJ-11 is a phone/analog connection. It uses 2 pairs instead of 4, so 1 RX and 1 TX. Depending on the pairs being used, an RJ-45 to RJ-11 may not work, unless you splice the cables, or use a jack, but since it is an apartment, I wouldn't recommend. You will be getting really terrible speed if you use RJ-11 and powerline as well.

 

[Rusting In Peace]

Thanks for the answers guys. I should have really researched it fully before I picked up the cables but they were cheap anyway. My hope was that if I could have used the phone network I could have managed around 100Mbps (instead of my wallet friendly 85Mbps powerline adapters that are running around 20Mbps). I'll just pick up some decent powerline adapters.

Given the impracticality of a RJ11 network does anyone know what on earth the proper application of an RJ11 to RJ45 cable is anyway? Just out of interest really and it may help someone else who stumbles upon this thread.

 

[Hawkeye22]

Given the impracticality of a RJ11 network does anyone know what on earth the proper application of an RJ11 to RJ45 cable is anyway? Just out of interest really and it may help someone else who stumbles upon this thread.

The only time I've used one of these, it came packaged with a router or possibly a switch, I can't remember now. Anyhow, it went from a PC's network adapter to a proprietary management port on the device. I have no clue as to why they didn't use a standard RS232 (serial) port.

 

[jamesmcuk]

I would have thought they are used for business where all the ports are terminated in rj45 and then patched out in to switches and phone systems in the comms room. you may then need these to adapt the ports for the phones.

 

[Rusting In Peace]

Great answers gents! Thanks to all.

 

[Rusting In Peace]

Best answer selected by Rusting In Peace.

 

[electrowiz64]

Not true actually and I apologize how late I am lol. standard RJ-45 ethernet cables have 8 wires but only 4 is used for networking data. 2 is used for voice aka telephone wire. last 2 are analog audio or somethin like that. Soooo standard RJ-11 cable wired into this apartment contains 4 wires just like any other RJ-11 cables. maybe the socket only has 2 pinouts however you can get a RJ-45 socket and wire all four wires into the required areas and make sure theyre all in the correct orientation in all sockets. Just a lil note tho that it may (not sure tho) work with more than 1 computer (no guarantee). I should know because I'm learning this in school. I'd do it myself but i need the phone line for house phone, security system, and voice IP modem all in separate areas of my house and 4 data wires plus 2 voice wires into an only 4 wire cable will not work out unfortunately lol best of luck