With the advent of high-speed connections offered by fiber optics, many users have considered upgrading their home network devices to take full advantage of this increase in connection speed. Changing the router to improve coverage and access speed is one of the best measures to get the most out of your fiber connection, but what are your cables like and what are they for?
The router and its wiring for proper operation
When you first open the router box, all the different cables and ports can be intimidating. Even the instruction manual can sound like a foreign language. That is when we see that the corresponding connectors towards what will be the network are quite similar.
The smaller one, corresponding to the telephone cable, is actually called RJ-11 ; On the other hand, the one that we can find at the end of the network cable, which is larger, is called 8P8C, although we commonly refer to it as RJ-45. We also have the WAN, the classic of the Internet.
Of very similar sizes, what we find with them is one of the most powerful (and main) reasons why our Internet connection works correctly . We are going to know what the characteristics of each of these interfaces are, so that you can know what you have in hand the next time you mess with the wiring of your connection and your telephone, if you use it these days, of course…
As they are
The easiest way to select a cable is to choose one with the range and performance you require. That is precisely what the company technician does when configuring when we install the device at home. Have you noticed?
In those, and as today’s routers get faster and more capable , facilitating faster network speeds, you need cables to match to get the most out of it. If you’re looking for a replacement, it’s a good idea to pick one of the more recent versions, both to take advantage of speeds and to prepare your setup for years to come.
RJ-11
The first of these cables that we have in our router, and that are made well for connection, is the one called RJ-11, which is the smallest and its function is to transmit data through telephone wiring.
It is therefore the one that connects to the famous rosette on the wall and to the router or modem that is in charge of providing us with the connection. They are usually two transparent plastic connectors connected by a cable. Each connector typically has four or six wire connections.
RJ-45
We also have what is known as RJ-45, from which we have the interface that presents the Ethernet type network cable , which we connect on one side to the router (in the case of the router, it will have several connectors of this type) and on the other to the network card of our equipment.
It is also seen that, inside, it offers contacts for up to four cables. When used with a standard telephone copper pair, the center two pins are used.
WAN port
Then we have the WAN port which looks the same as the LAN ports, but is usually a different color and is separate from them. Commonly yellow in color, it is labeled Internet. But sometimes, the WAN port may also be labeled as WAN. This port is intended to connect your router to the modem and the outside world from there. LAN ports are designed to connect to local devices.
With it we can easily connect. To do this, simply download the application and connect. It will only take a minute for your router to boot up and create a network. Meanwhile (if there is another connection option), download the app associated with the manufacturer of your modem. Modern modems can often be configured using a mobile app that will automatically guide you through the setup process. It is the most effective method.
LAN port
Normally, home routers incorporate one or more LAN ports, which are the ones that belong to the local area network . If you use IPv4 you will be inside a class C subnet with mask 255.255.255.0, the most common subnets being 192.168.0.0/24, 192.168.1.0/24 or 192.168.2.0/24, although it depends on the manufacturers they may be others.
At the configuration level, all computers go to the Internet with the same public IP. Therefore, they will have the same public IP to go out to the Internet. Likewise, and thanks to technologies such as NAT (the ability of a router to translate a public IP address to a private IP address) we will be able to connect multiple devices via cable or Wi-Fi and browse the Internet simultaneously, without having to wait until Please release some equipment for us to transfer data.