Are these cables all the same thing?

[mystvearn]

cat 5, ethernet, DSL, broadband cable. Are all of the same thing?

[mbossman2]

no. they are all different but are interrelated

Cat 5 (also cat3, cat4, cat5e, cat6) are all types of physical cable. many things can flow over these types of cable but they all have 1 thing in common: they are electrical signals.

Ethernet (and token ring etc) are the way the electrical signals are formated to carry information.

DSL and broadband cable are both types of high speed internet services. They differ in the equipment used to send/receive/translate the signal into something that is usable by your PC.

Lets string it all together: DSL and cable come down a wire from the high speed internet provider and hit a device (usually referred to as a modem) that then translates the signal over to ethernet, which is then placed on a cable (usually cat 5 cable) and sent to your ethernet card which translates the signals (and information) into a form usable by your PC.

HTH

[mystvearn]

So the cable that goes to my pc (NIC card) is the cat 5 cable, yes? The rest I know. Thanks

[mbossman2]

more than likely yes, a long as the card has an RJ45 connector.

[mystvearn]

Ok. Thanks