Connecting A Router To A Tower

I would like to connect my tower to the router via a cable. I have a yellow cable that fits into the yellow connection on the router, but appears a little too large for the tower. The connection on the tower shows a graphics that looks like a network.

The cable has written text on the outer layer. For example, E457448; AWM 2835 24AWG;. TIA/ETA 568B.2 UTP

Have I got the correct cable?

Thanks

 

If you did not have the right cable it would not show a internet connection. It will look like this if it is a Ethernet Cable. There will be a Ethernet Cable slot on the back of your tower and no other cable fits in it.

 

Understand there is no color coding for network cables. Cables come in all sorts of colors. It is the connector and how it is wired that matters. You want a standard "Ethernet" cable with an RJ-45 connector. Note the RJ-45 Ethernet connector looks very similar to the smaller RJ-11 phone connector. "568b.2 UTP" is one of the two commonly used configurations for "unshielded twisted pair" Ethernet cables - so it appears yours is a proper Ethernet cable.

If the connector fits your router, there's no reason it should not fit your computer's network port. I suspect you just are not holding your tongue right. I have seen where there is a slight mis-alignment of the motherboard with the case's real panel "I/O shield" making the openings a bit tight - that may be your problem. Or maybe there is a slight deformity of the molded plastic on the cable connector - try swapping cable ends or use a different cable.

For the record, I always make my own cables. I do this because I make a lot of cables so it is well worth it. But also so I can make the length I need. For example, I only need a 15 inch cable between my router and modem but typically the shortest factory made is 3 feet. If you need a 16 foot cable, you typically have to buy a 25 foot cable. And if you need a 27' cable, you typically have to buy a 50' cable then figure out where to stuff the excess.

But I also make my own so I can have my own color coding to make it easier to follow which cable goes where. This is not really a problem on networks with one or two computers in the same room. But I wired my whole house with at least one connection appearing in every room (except the bathrooms).

If anyone is considering making their own cables, "invest" in a quality crimper. Cheap tools result in poor quality connections. I wasted $40 on two cheap crimpers before investing in a quality crimper. So don't waste your time or money and go quality from the start. And an inexpensive cable tester can save you a lot of frustration too!

 

Are you trying to plug it into the modem? If the port is smaller and if you look close there are 2 or 4 wires in the port, you have a modem.
8 connectors - you have Ethernet.

 

A "telephone" modem - as opposed to a Cable/DSL modem. There are many different kinds of modems. Those that support Ethernet use RJ-45 connectors with 8 wires. Telephone RJ-11 connectors are similar but smaller and use up to 4 wires.

 

I've never seen a cable/DSL modem inside a computer, something new to me. If you want to get specific a cable "modem" is not a modem, its a router - there is no modulation/demodulation occurring.

Ethernet cards (NICs) would not be considered a type of modem either.

 

First and foremost, I was not disagreeing with you. Sorry if I caused confusion, but it was not clear you were talking about the computer side. So I was just clarifying that you were talking about a "telephone" modem vs a "cable" modem.

I never said or implied they were. I said those devices that support Ethernet use 8-wire RJ-45 (the larger) connectors. Telephone modems uses RJ-11 connectors which are smaller and support up to 4 wires.

Now I will disagree with you. A cable (or ADSL) modem is NOT a router. It IS a modem.

Read about DOCSIS Physical layer Modulation where it says,

Remember, a cable modem uses an RF coax cable connection on the ISP side and it also contains TV data. A router has just one input and one output and both are Ethernet. A router is used to connect (or isolate) two Ethernet networks.

A typical home router may also have an integrated 4-port Ethernet switch, but the switch and router are technically two discrete network devices that just happen to share a circuit board, case and power supply. To add to the confusion, there is technically no such thing as a "wireless router". That is just a marketing term for a device that also integrates a WAP (wireless access port) inside the box that connects to the internal router via an internal 5th Ethernet port. Three discrete devices, one box.

The modem (in home networks) is the "residential gateway" device that connects the ISP's cable or phone network to your home Ethernet network.

See How do Cable Modems Works and note where it says,

Note too that in recent years, many of these home gateway devices are further integrated as 4 or even 5-way devices. That is, one box, one circuit board and one power supply that integrates a router, a switch, a WAP and a modem in the single box. Four, totally discrete devices, in one box. And if you have Internet phone too, that may be integrated as the 5th device. See here and note,

While a DSL (or ADSL) modem works a bit differently than a cable modem (it uses DMT or discrete multitoned modulation), it is still a "true" modem.

This conglomeration of technical terms by marketing weenies has caused problems for those of us with IT support backgrounds as it sadly has caused many "normal" consumers to become confused with the terminologies. So I put the blame on those marketing weenies for causing all this confusion.

@anon_private - sorry for any confusion, and running this thread a bit OT. I return control back to you!

 

If you have extra cord like i normally do i will just grab what ever i need and just zip tie the rest of it.So that it's not a big mess to deal with.

 

Plug the cable into the port marked network adapter. The other end of the cable gets plugged into any of the 4 ports grouped together on the router.
Do not plug the cable into the port by itself on your router. That port is for a connection between you modem and router.