13h ago

What should I call the cable I need? *solved

Hi all. I need an Ethernet cable that goes from one of these ends to the other. What would I call it so that I can search for it and buy it on the internet?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks all - turns out I was being really dense. Thanks to the commenters who helped me sort out my thickness!

48 comments

I don't think so. They aren't compatible. Even in the photo, you can see that the right cable only has 2 pins, while an Ethernet connector has 8 (I think). Definitely more than 2.
What are you actually trying to do? What device are you trying to connect, and to where?
My guess is that you're going to need a modem, but please give more context.
- You can actually make multiple rj11s from a single Ethernet cable.
- Thanks, I'm connecting my phillips hue hub to my router. I had a cable that did it previously, but the openreach guys used it to connect the fibre to the router.
  
  Is this the hub in question?
  I think you need a perfectly normal Ethernet cable. It would help if you show a photo of both the router and the hub.
  
  There is no way they connected fiber to router with a freaking phone cord.
  Either you misunderstood or they lied but what you need is a standard ethernet cable with the same connection on both ends to connect a router to fiber.
  Also if someone is professionally installing hardware they shouldn't be reusing your existing cables anyway.
  You have an XY problem. If what you need is to connect your phillips hue hub then just say that instead.
FYI 'phone line' is known as rj11, 'ethernet' is rj45. There's different types of ethernet cable, most common is 'cat5e' that can transfer data up-to 1Gb/sec. Newer cables are usually 'cat6a' which adds shielding and up-to 10x the data transfer speed.
So when you go looking for a new one for whatever reason, you have the technical name and don't have to look at the pictures and hope the listing is actually what you need.
Michael
- dad joke detected - take my upvote
8P8C to 6P2C
That stupid shitty 6-pin abomination is called RJ11 6P6C.
- What did it do to u?
  
  Exist. Just look at it! Abomination as it is!
- Clearly 6P2C
  
  Yeah, but I still prefer "stupid shitty 6-pin abomination" name for clarity.
The gray one only seems to have two contacts, so it for phones/modems. The yellow one is more common for networking. For compatibility reasons often used in outlets too. The yellow one is RJ45, the gray one RJ11
So, what you are looking for is an RJ45/RJ11 cable. (cat-3 cable will suffice but higher works too). Alternatively you can use an RJ45/RJ12 (same specs). The difference is RJ12 has 6 wires where RJ11 has only two. Since you have only two in the gray one, both can do the job.
edit: https://www.ebay.com/itm/222568614235
The smaller end is RJ12, the bigger end is RJ45.
The question is, what are you trying to do with it? RJ12 is/was typically used for telephone connections, RJ45 for Ethernet. Generally speaking, they don't mix.
If your plan is to connect a computer to a RJ12 socket on the wall, that's not going to work. If you've been told the socket on the wall is "the internet", you're likely going to need a modem in between that socket and your computer.
- No, it's to connect my phillips hue hub to my router
The cable on the left is commonly known as an Ethernet cable (RJ45) and the cable on the right is commonly known as a telephone cable (RJ11).
But I will echo what people are saying in the comments, you just need a regular Ethernet patch cable (RJ45 on both ends).
Looks like you’ve got an rj45 to an rj11 cable. That would be Ethernet on one side and telephone on the other.
There is no such cable in existence. You need to provide more context

48 comments