Is there a problem with moving a desktop farther away from the phone jack? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: doctorm
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2010, 07:47:02 pm
content: i didnt know how to best word it but right now i have my desktop sitting rigth in front of the phone jack to use the dsl and wireless modem.i plan on moving the desktop away from the jack to a far spot across the room. the options i have now are to either use a longer phone cord and set evewrything up on the new table or use a longer ethernet cord and keep the modem on the table it is now. the reason im asking this is bc i thought i had heard that if you make one of the cords longer, the speed lowers or something idk. just wanted to double check on here first before i made a move.so any advice or suggestions? also if you have a better way to do this i would appreciate the input. thanks

author: ngkee22
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2010, 08:06:49 pm
content: You should be able to do both with out and speed differences. I have used a longer phone line and used a longer Ethernet cable and both work just fine. You shouldn't notice any changes.Right now, I have my desktop using a wireless card. I do notice a speed drop when using wireless instead of the wired connection. For some reason, my apartment complex puts the DSL router in the closet in a metal breaker box panel in the wall, so I can't use wired connection any more. I would move it, but the router also feeds the cable, so that is the only place for the cable connections. I'm not sure why they decided to place it there, I can tell a big difference in speed and reliability.

author: MrPlacid
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2010, 08:08:51 pm
content: I heard the same thing, but my dsl came into the wrong room so I had to install a long extension from that room to my room. I saw no difference at all.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2010, 08:15:59 pm
content: Ethernet will work fine up to 100m of solid wire (30m or so with stranded wire) without any speed loss. DSL is a (fairly) high speed digital protocol over old phone lines that were not designed for it, so it uses different parts of the spectrum, depending on noise and loss. It's more sensitive to changes in the line (longer lines may lower the max speed). So it's unlikely that using a long ethernet cable causes any degradation, but it's quite possible that the DSL connection will train at lower speeds or becomes less stable. If the current noise margin is high enough and the distance is not too far, it probably won't cause any problems. I would use proper twisted cable for the phone line, not the untwisted black wire you use to connect a (wired) telephone to the wall outlet.

author: RayJones
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2010, 09:41:56 pm
content: If you think about the total length of your phone connection from the exchange, then adding another 10m becomes insignificant.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2010, 09:52:42 pm
content: Assuming it's equal quality (i.e. twisted), and if the noise margin is close to the limit, it might just push it over the limit. But it's usually fine.

author: PetrosA
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2010, 02:36:19 am
content: Unless you have a network printer next to your desktop, I'd just run a longer patch cable from the modem to where you put your computer. As alm stated, CAT 5e cable can be run 100m, and I doubt your room is longer than that. Actually, CAT5e cable can be run farther than that, but it may not perform according to the specs outlined in the CAT5e definition.

author: RayJones
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2010, 05:28:46 am
content: Either way, use CAT5e cable.That's also what is usually used for phone wiring too these days within premises within the walls.Visions of bastard files being used to make a 8P8C RJ45 connector fit inside a RJ12 phone socket- the centre pair is what is used for phone lines.

author: Emyr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2010, 12:08:43 pm
content: Quote from: RayJones on July 06, 2010, 09:41:56 pmDomestic phone systems are probably a lot more interference-prone than the stuff buried in the ground, or the stuff they hang from poles.

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2010, 04:36:41 pm
content: Also if you're in the UK it can be worthwhile removing the bell/ring wire, can gain a few mbpshttp://www.adsl2forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8152I would extend the network cable rather than the phone cable.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2010, 05:06:00 pm
content: Isn't that bell/ring wire obsolete for like 50 years?

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2010, 07:26:12 pm
content: Quote from: alm on July 07, 2010, 05:06:00 pmYou need to put microfilters on each outlet otherwise the phone won't ring when you disconnect the wire but they should be on all outlets anyway unless the main socket is filtered which usually requires a 3rd party fitting.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2010, 08:10:05 pm
content: Just checked, it appears that the UK still uses a separate ring wire, which was discontinued in most of the world when the mechanical bell was replaced by an electronic version. So you do actually need that ring signal (although it may be generated locally), something I associate with ancient rotary phones from early twentieth century. But this may be off-topic, since doctorm may not be from the UK.

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2010, 08:19:58 pm
content: Quote from: alm on July 07, 2010, 08:10:05 pmOnly if you're using an ancient phone that requires it; anything modern shouldn't. Disconnecting it at the master socket is standard advice, and in fact BT (the UK monopolist telco, for those unfamiliar with the market!) supply a special plate to fit to the master socket that does exactly that.