RJ11 cable

loltim · 29 Sep 2011 at 14:19

i've just replaced our RJ11 cable (router to phone) as the dog decided to have a chew through it

but, the new cable which was £1 off ebay is about 3 times thinner than the belkin cable that it's replaced.

Will there be any noticeable difference or are belkin just making money out of selling "super" cable?

DJMK4 · 29 Sep 2011 at 14:29

As long as there is the same amount of inner copper wires, won't make a difference, its probably that they have just used slightly thicker outer protection.

loltim · 29 Sep 2011 at 14:32

Well I don't know if the inner copper wires are the same, but yes the amount of protection is definitely minimal on the new cable. I'm going to pin it into the recess on the skirting boards so the dog can't get at it

John24 · 29 Sep 2011 at 15:20

If the Belkin cable is the one I think you have, it's CAT5e which is twisted pair and far better at repelling interference than a standard non-twisted cable. Whether you see any difference between the two depends on the length and sources of interference along the way.

loltim · 29 Sep 2011 at 15:55

John24 said:
If the Belkin cable is the one I think you have, it's CAT5e which is twisted pair and far better at repelling interference than a standard non-twisted cable. Whether you see any difference between the two depends on the length and sources of interference along the way.

no it's RJ11.

Tealc · 29 Sep 2011 at 15:56

A short flat RJ11 cable wont affect the line very much. It's more when you have 20 Metres of flat cable you'll start no notice a difference.

loltim · 29 Sep 2011 at 15:58

It's 10 metres, definitely flat, it feels like I could snap it like a hair

The cable has just arrived and i've tested it, same sync speed as the belkin managed so all is good I guess?

Kona* · 29 Sep 2011 at 16:03

We use cables from Tamar Communications at work (I also use them at home) and they are spot on and very reasonably priced: http://www.tamarshop.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=109_107

We use the black high speed cables usually, although I have the silver one at home. For the price they are you can't really argue unlike some of the Belkin cables!

loltim · 29 Sep 2011 at 16:06

The ebay seller was safekom, guessing it's these guys.

http://www.safekom.com/prd.aspx?cat_name=ADSL_Phone_Modem_Cables&subcat_name=ADSL Cables

anyway the cable is fine, thanks for the replies

John24 · 29 Sep 2011 at 20:16

loltim said:
no it's RJ11.

Yes there is an rj11 belkin cable, nothing special just CAT5e with RJ11 plugs. Probably not the one you have though.

John24 · 29 Sep 2011 at 20:24

Kona* said:
For the price they are you can't really argue unlike some of the Belkin cables!

My Belkin was £3, some places are trying to charge an arm and a leg for the same cable though.

A twisted RJ11 cable is a no brainer imo, they don't cost much more and could save you some grief. But if you already have a flat lead it's not worth replacing unless you have a long run and are haveing issues.

Mana · 29 Sep 2011 at 23:41

hmm so your dog chewed through your thicker rj11 and now you are installing a thinner one?

loltim · 2 Oct 2011 at 19:48

Mana said:
hmm so your dog chewed through your thicker rj11 and now you are installing a thinner one?

yeah it should fit in the recess of the skirting board, as detailed in post 3.

@John24, that is exactly the same cable as my old one. I guess 90% of it is shielding/protection.

John24 · 2 Oct 2011 at 21:16

loltim said:
that is exactly the same cable as my old one. I guess 90% of it is shielding/protection.

In that case my OP stands. The reason it's thicker is that it uses CAT5e cable which has twisted pairs, you new cable isn't twisted and so is flat. The belkin does have sheilding but most of the thickness is because of the twists on the wires.