i have recently found out that a cat. 5e network cable only uses 4 of the 8 copper wires inside to send and recieve data. I have been wondering since the cable only uses wires 1-2-3-6 (i think) then could you netwrok through the dial up modem port (RJ11)??? does anyone have any ideas if it would work or not. Cheers Peanut
No you can't network like that with a modem, you'll need a network card to use it as modems are really only for dial up internet, not home networks. At that speed anyway there would be hardly any advantages to using it.
There's been some attempts to market adapters that allowed the use of modems for networking, but they never really caught on. You might be able to find them on eBay, but quite honestly, I don't know how easy they are to work with. Additionally, RJ-45 and RJ-11 jacks aren't compatible with each other. You also wouldn't be able to use standard networking equipment with the modem method. Modems weren't created for running networks at home. They're there to hook up to the internet only.
A modem (short for 'modulator demodulator') takes a digital signal from your PC, transforms it into an audible audio frequency, and transmits it over phone lines. Conversely, it takes audio frequency transmissions from the phone lines and transforms it into data your PC can understand (reference). In conclusion, a modem actually has more in common with a sound card than it does with a network card. Besides, a good network card only costs a few dollars, why would you want to go a different route? -AT
