In this blog, we’re gonna be going back to the past… sort of. We will be looking at the long neglected (outside of hobbyists really) world of Wired Network Connections!
First off, the most recognizable of them, in my opinion, RJ-45 (RJ in this case stands for Registered Jack, as it was a Registered design for a Jack) The RJ-45 is the industry term for an Ethernet port. You know, like the thing people use when they don’t have strong WiFi. There are 8 wires connected to each RJ45 head. The cable that goes in here can also be used to supply power, as long as PoE (Power over Ethernet) is supported. Maybe more on that in a later blog.
Next up, let’s look at the little brother of RJ-45, RJ-11. (Same RJ here, Registered Jack) I say little brother, as it is smaller, but very similar. You see, while RJ-45 is used for Ethernet (and in turn Internet), RJ-11 connects phones together. That’s right, it is the thing in your wall you thought might be an Ethernet port, but then you realized it is too small, so you cannot connect your playstation to it for better connectivity. Assuming that happened to more than just me that is.
Next up is RS-232, where RS means “Recommended Standard” boy can you not get much more 1960s sounding than that. So this one is one old folks might remember, but almost no one is still using it. It is the serial port (and no not frosted flakes) Serial ports were like the USB (Universal Serial Bus, just to keep consistent) of their time. They allow data to be transferred between 2 points, much like any other wire. A big use of serial ports was connecting to external accessories, whether that was a printer, mice, or even the way retro Dial up modems.
Next up is BNC or Bayonet Neill–Concelman, but I don’t think you’ll hear either of those terms almost ever. BNC is just the terminal end of a coaxial cable, and I for one just call them a coax. They have a little lock designed right into them to secure the connection, very handy. The most famous use case for BNC has got to be Cable television. If you’ve ever set up a TV (television, for those who are… 200 years old) prior to the standardization of HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) you’ll know the hassle of having to screw in the plug to connect the little prong inside the cable. That little prong is the B in BNC, the Bayonet.
The last little foot note we will end on here is the concept of RG-59 and RG-6, both are types of Coaxial cables that go between the BNC ends. You might be wondering, what does the RG stand for here? Well this one is interesting, as it stands for “Radio guide” which is such a cool name for a wire. Anyway, the main difference here is the distance the signal can travel. RG-6 travels further, and so it is used for cable TV often. RG-59 is a shorter distance, so it is used