Thread: Network through phone line?

  1. #1
    and the hat of sweating
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    Network through phone line?

    I was wondering if it's possible to use some kind of adapter to plug my network cables into my phone lines (since I'm not using them anyways) instead of having to run ugly network cables all over my house?
    Would there be any signal loss plugging RJ-45 cables into RJ-11 outlets?
    Would there be any voltage on the line even though I don't have a land line connection? (I'm assuming they just disconnect the wires completely from their system)
    "I am probably the laziest programmer on the planet, a fact with which anyone who has ever seen my code will agree." - esbo, 11/15/2008

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    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    I'm sure I saw this in a MacGyver episode, just can't remember which one.

    I love having network cable all over. I've even gotten red ones for the tree this year.
    C programming resources:
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    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  3. #3
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
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    Well, I'm gonna say three things.

    First, it's possible if your phone jack has all 4 wires, many newer homes only have the center two, you need 4 wires for the network. 1 2 3 and 5 are the ones you need.

    Second, the signal loss is going to be massive. Your packet losses will probably approach 100% for anything further than 10 feet. You might get lucky and have braided wire, which has better HF attenuation, but most homes use solid copper.

    Third, if your network is autonegotiate, it will run at the lowest possible data rate. Phone line is only good up to a few MHz, so even at 10BaseT it is going to be lossy.
    Last edited by abachler; 12-14-2009 at 08:55 AM.

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  5. #5
    and the hat of sweating
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    Yeah, that's pretty much what I figured. If those phone line bridge products actually work, they're a bit expensive... I could probably get a wireless router & NIC for about the same price. They should really build new homes with RJ-45 jacks in all the rooms.
    "I am probably the laziest programmer on the planet, a fact with which anyone who has ever seen my code will agree." - esbo, 11/15/2008

    "the internet is a scary place to be thats why i dont use it much." - billet, 03/17/2010

  6. #6
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cpjust View Post
    Yeah, that's pretty much what I figured. If those phone line bridge products actually work, they're a bit expensive... I could probably get a wireless router & NIC for about the same price. They should really build new homes with RJ-45 jacks in all the rooms.
    Nb. If you do not have experience with wireless routers, beware: if you are in a room on another floor 30+ feet away, expect your speed to drop 40%+ vs. the cable. Of course, you continue to pay the full rate to your provider they LOVE wireless.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  7. #7
    and the hat of sweating
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    I don't trust wireless anyways. That's why I'm sticking with cable.
    Anyone close by can intercept the packets or use your bandwidth... (although I'm sure encryption makes this a lot harder), but I don't have time to become a wireless expert, so I choose to be on the more paranoid side of things.
    "I am probably the laziest programmer on the planet, a fact with which anyone who has ever seen my code will agree." - esbo, 11/15/2008

    "the internet is a scary place to be thats why i dont use it much." - billet, 03/17/2010

  8. #8
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
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    I agree that wireless is less secure, but its more convenient, especially if you have a lot of systems hooked up.

  9. #9
    C++まいる!Cをこわせ!
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    Well, they can still drill a hole through your wall and hook up your ethernet cables...
    But really, nothing is 100% secure, but wireless is secure enough.
    Enable wireless security, say, WPA2 and enter a long key. Then you can enable mac filtering if you want. A perfectly safe wireless. Enough for homes uses anyway.
    You can monitor the logs and see if any MAC address or computer that isn't yours logs in, too. Just boot 'em.
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    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

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