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Hills Home Hub Owner’s Manual
Technical Terms
RJ-45, RJ-11, and RJ-12 Sockets
These refer to the different types of sockets and plugs used for connecting equipment like
telephones and computers. These sockets (rectangular holes with gold pins in them) are
also referred to as “
keystone jacks
”.
On the left is an RJ-45
socket and a cable with an
RJ-45 plug on the end that
will allow it to fit into the
socket.
Commonly
used
for
connecting
computer
equipment like PCs and
modems to a network.
On the right is an RJ-11
socket (also called RJ-12)
and a telephone cable with
an RJ-11 plug on the end
that will allow it to fit into
the socket.
Commonly
used
for
connecting telephones and
faxes.
Image is for representation only, actual sockets/cable may look different.
The Hills Home Hub uses RJ-45 sockets throughout the house. Although not
recommended, cables with RJ-11 or RJ-12 connectors on the end will fit into a RJ-45
socket and operate correctly. Ideally a reducer should be inserted into a RJ-45 socket to
change it into a RJ-11/12 socket.
RJ-11/12 is not used in New Zealand.
Patch Cables
A patch cable in the Hills Home Hub is a short cable
(~ 10-100cm in length) with RJ-45 connectors on each
end. They come in a variety of colours and this does
not affect their performance in any way.
There are two types of patch cables available – “straight-through” and “cross-over”. All
equipment in the Hills Home Hub uses the more common “straight-through” patch cable.
Inside the Hills Home Hub they are used to connect an ADSL/Cable modem to the
Ethernet Hub; and to connect Telephone Modules and Ethernet Hubs to Data Patch
Panels. This effectively connects phone lines and data outlets to rooms.
In rooms, patch cables are used to connect data devices (e.g. computers, printers,
ethernet switches, wireless routers, gaming consoles, etc) to wall plate outlets and each
other. This allows you to easily create a home network (i.e. LAN – Local Area Network) to
share equipment and connect to the Internet without messy cabling between rooms.
Connecting Phone & Data - Technical Terms