TxTravelPro

I know this is not travel related but it is a quick question for my fellow Fodorites... since I am trying to speed up my connection to post!!!

Is it possible to use a thin phone type cable instead of a fat ol Cat5 (?) to connect to my router box?

I am not getting wireless at this point...

rjw_lgb_ca

The connection from the DSL modem to your PC goes through its 10/100 Ethernet card, and you use the Ethernet cable (the fatter cable with the bigger plug) to patch in. So no, your standard telephone line can't be used (the dialup modem won't handle the faster data stream). The ISP should have shipped an Ethernet cable with the modem.

islandboy81

I had DSL a few years back. I'll try to explain the wiring as best as I can. You will probably have the DSL Modem provided to you by DSL provider. You connect from the telephone jack to the DSL Modem using a regular thin telephone type cable. Then you will need a Cat5 cable to connect the DSL Modem to the actual computer. If you are connecting the DSL modem to a router (used if you plan on sharing the DSL connection between several computers) and then from the router to your computer, that is also done using a Cat5 cable, . Either way, you will not be able to use a regular thin phone cable to connect the DSL modem to the computer or router.

TxTravelPro

Well darn it... I need to hide the cable and this big #$&* cable is hard to bend and hide.

I know that I use a fat, flat (clear) telephone looking wire when I travel (it coils up into a case) to connect my laptop to highspeed in hotel rooms but I was not sure that I could use that type of wire for cable DSL.

So I am now looking for the smallest white CAT5 cable made!

Thanks so much for the info!

Andrew

Er, any reason you aren't going to go wireless at this point? It's pretty cheap nowadays. All you need is a wireless access point/router ($30 or under for a cheap one if you buy right) and a wireless card for you PC ($20 or under if you buy right). You can even get a USB wireless thingy to make it easy to install, though I personally have no experience with them.

Andrew

TxTravelPro

I think, since I use a VPN card I cannot use a wireless card...? Not sure, I not very technical in this area... I am just looking for something really simple that won't cost anything more.