Well, as you can tell by my original post, I tend to put way too much thought into a dying part of our industry's orginial standard.
Just for the record, there are generally only two types of modular plugs and jacks. The six position, commonly referred to as RJ11, and the eight position, commonly referred to as RJ45.
The six position can be wired with two wires on pins 3/4, therefore an RJ11. This same plug can be wired with four wires on pins 3/4 and 2/5, thus becoming an RJ12, 13 or 14. Finally, this same plug can be wired with three pairs on pins 3/4, 2/5 and 1/6 to become an RJ25 wiring configruation. So, as you can see, it's not the actual plug that determines the "RJ" number, it's how that same plug is wired for the different configurations.
So, to answer your original question, yes, it's OK to refer to a 6 position plug or jack as an RJ11 because it's how you wire it that determines the true RJ configuration. Play it safe and buy 6-position plugs and jacks and you can't go wrong.
This program was originally developed as "USOC" (Universal Service Order Code) by the FCC so that all telephone companies in the United States were on the same page when a customer called requiring a jack installation. Whether it was GTE or Michigan Bell, an RJ11, RJ14, etc. was the same to all operating companies.
By all means, the most common RJ configurations you will see today is the RJ11 (one line on a 6-position jack) and RJ14 (two lines on a 6-position jack).
You won't see an RJ45 being installed anymore since it dealt largely with telephone company-owned modems or very high end ones provided by the customer. It was an 8-position jack wired with a single phone line wired to pins 4/5. A resistor was connected across pins 7/8 by the telephone company installer who measured the line's loss and this resistor told the modem to adjust it's transmit/receive levels accordingly.
Today's RJ45 is just a misnomer for an 8-position jack/plug used for data network wiring. Today, usually all 8 positions are wired with four pairs of wire, regardless of category 5,5e or 6. It's a far cry from the original RJ45, but since the jack remains pretty much the same with regard to physical shape and appearance, it got it's name that way.
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Ed
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How come there's always enough time to go back and fix it a second time?
[This message has been edited by ev607797 (edited May 02, 2005).]
[This message has been edited by ev607797 (edited May 02, 2005).]
