CAT5/ethernet/phone line capabilities

[Shaftatplanetquake]

Is it possible to have 2 patch cords of cat5 with an RJ11 crimped on end and an RJ45 on the other end, 2 10/100 ethernet NICS in two different systems, a phoneline with 2 jacks(the computers are each setup beside the jacks) and to have all that equipment running a network? If so, how fast would one suspect the data transfers would get, possibly 10mb/sec? Anyone thing someone could get this running close to 100 MB/sec? Or am I just dreaming?

 

[Mday]

yeah, ONE phone line uses 2 wires. so, with CAT5, 4 pairs = 8 wires, you can have 4 phone lines. ethernet uses 4 wires. some people use cat5 for networking AND phone. you just have to do some work with the jacks.

using the extra lines as phone lines will mean that your network cannot be 100 Mbps offered by cat5 cabling.

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NOTE, cat5 should not be used as patch cords for phone lines (as in plugs at both ends) without proper adapters. i know of no adapters though. the thing is the wires are frail, and the outer jacket is used to attack the plug so when you pull, the individual wires don't get damaged.

 

[TaylorD]

So, Mday, are you telling me that with some special cords, I could hook up NICs on two different computers into phone jacks and run a network over that?

(If so thats awesome, where can I get those cords?)

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

Looks like I've sparked a debate

I don't want to pay for a home phoneline network, so possibly this is a solution.

Get cat5, make an rj11 end and an rj45 end. Plug into phoneline and 10/100 rj45 NIC. Repeat.

Anyone else have any opinions on whether or not this will work?

 

[cavingjan]

What's the voltage coming across the phone line for the ringer? I think that may be enough to do some damage. Its enough to give you a jump if you are unfortunate enough to be holding the lines at the time.

 

[andri]

You need 4 wires to run 10Mbit network and 8 wires to run 100MBit network. Phones typically use 2 wires. So you need 2 unused phone lines

Also, I think that sharing with phones won't work. For example, if somebody calls you theres 60 volts going through the wires... but it'd be a cool sight to see a phone ringing and two puffs of smoke rising from two computers at the same time

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

All of your phone line ringer voltage concerns seems very irrelevent to me. Everyone uses standard phone lines on 56k modems, and the modems handle the voltage fine... what does a modem have that an ethernet card doesn't?

 

[andri]

Like modems are made to handle that ringer voltage, NIC cards aren't.

 

[TaylorD]

When a modem is being used, the phone line is used and cannot ring...

When the ethernet is being used, the phone line would still be able to ring

(I'm guessing thats what they mean, I am getting a wireless network anyways)

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

And I have 2 unused phone lines, both of which I networked myself, they are both using all 4 wires, not 2, wasn't going to do it half-assed

 

[TaylorD]

oh, so they are installed in your house but not connected to any phone line or telephone number?

Then I would assume youd be fine...

Best of Luck

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

They are two dedicated lines that are used for dialing into my isp. They both have phone numbers, and the possibility of them ringing is there, although nobody calls on those lines.

No phones will be hooked up on those lines, so I think the ring voltage could still be sent even if there isn't a hone hooked up, the lines don't know if there is a phone hooked up or not...