Customer Reviews

Monster Cable Ultra-High-Speed RJ11 Internet Phone Cable (10 feet, yellow)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Monster Cable is best known for its high-end stereo and video cables, with equally high-end prices. There are those who say that these expensive cables can make all the difference to a high-end audio/video system; there are others who say that they make no difference whatsoever.

But when it comes to telephone cable, there is simply no room for that sort of debate. Spending $20 for a ten-foot length of telephone cable is simply ludicrous, and Monster Cable loses a great deal of credibility in my eyes for even offering the product.

The telephone signal going to your modem has in all likelihood travelled down thousands of feet of cables, and a maze of telephone company switching equipment, before it reaches that jack in your wall. That journey has caused signal loss and distortion. Unless your current modem cable is physically damaged in some way, there is simply no way that those ten feet of modem cable will make a significant difference.

And if you're still inclined to disagree, consider this: What about the cable running through your house's walls, connecting the phone company's junction box to your wall jack? It's almost certainly not made out of any special high-tech materials; it's probably whatever brand the contractor could find on sale when he or she wired your house. And it's almost certainly much longer than your modem cable, meaning that its capability to cause distortion and signal loss is much greater. If you're not going to rip that cable out of your wall--and you wouldn't, because that would be foolish and silly--then why on Earth would you spend so much money on the last ten feet of cable that happens to stick outside the wall?

If the quality of your phone connections is bad, then you may need a better modem; or you may need to call the phone company in to inspect the lines and make any needed repairs. But replacing a working modem cable with a SuperCable simply isn't going to make a difference.

If you do need a new phone cable, then go down to your local Target or similar store, and buy a basic cable there; use the money you'll save for high-end stereo cables if you feel so inclined, since there's at least a chance that money spent there will actually have an impact.

Although this is a pricey cable, its construction and materials are of very high quality. The cable jacket is thick, flexible rubber and there are rubber anti-snag strain-relief boots. This is a good item to travel with since it's very supple and won't kink, in addition to being tough and able to stand the abuse of frequent travel.

While it's true that the noise level of a phone line can adversely affect the data rate you get over a modem, here are a few things to bear in mind:

1) The low-quality part of the line is probably not in your house! It's somewhere between you and your CO (outside).

2) You won't get garbled text or munged data from line noise on your phone line. The modem is error-correcting, and the data will be retransmitted. Line noise will cost you speed, not quality (as the manufacturer's review suggests).

3) A reiteration of point (1): a line is only as good as its weakest link. Putting gold contacts on the clean part of the line won't help.

But hey, they come in swank designer colors.

Gold plating prevents oxidation. Oxidation is surface dirt which builds up when the metal attracts and combines with oxygen in the air. In certain environments (especially dampness), oxidation can develop to the point that it really interferes with DSL connection speed. A couple of possible signs of oxidation are crackling on the voice line (especially when you wiggle the RJ11 plug) and DSL speed getting worse over time (especially when it gets better after you wiggle the RJ11 plug and restart the modem).

When DSL comes in over your active telephone line (normal for home installations), the -48V on the "ring" wire will help repel oxygen from the wire, but the "tip" or ground wire is unprotected. If you have a "quiet" DSL installation (over a dedicated loop with no voice under it) then the "ring" wire is unprotected. The rubber coating also protects the wire wherever bare metal is not exposed.

If your environment is causing oxidation, gold plated cable ends are only half of the solution. You should also have gold plated contacts in your receptacle and in your modem. Gold plating of 50 micro-inches seems to be the most anybody recommends. Unfortunately the technical information for this product does not say how much gold is used. The prior probability that they used enough is pretty good, given Monster's reputation for overengineering.

In an application where you will be plugging and unplugging a lot, you do not need gold contacts: the rubbing action will keep the contacts shiny, and gold will quickly wear away. But you do need a heavy duty cable, and this one sounds like it would fit the bill just fine.

Most of the reviews here are dinging this cable because there are other flaws in the phoneline that will probably keep this cable from making a difference. These reviews have a great point, however there is something else that will make a cable like this worth buying. Most phone cable is very poorly constructed and will break at the connector or where the cable meets the connector. Additionally many phone cables aren't even fully wired these days. This cable is more durable than cheap cables, by a longshot. I hate trouble shooting because of a bad cable and for me it's worth a few bucks to avoid such trouble.

You've simply got to be kidding me. Monster Cable for a telephone line? This is, quite simply, one of the more ridiculous products to come down the pike. Monster used to be a reliable brand name, and I use thier interconnects for my home theater system, but it seems like they'll put their name on any crap these days.

Caveat Emptor - you do NOT need this product.

I was shocked when a co-worker told me they bought this cable. I had to tell them, it is a waste of money. Gold contacts and ten feet of special wire will do you little good for your internet connection, when the rest of your house probably has 100 feet of copper wire and forget about terminal connections. You are at the mercy of the telephone company and your ISP when it comes to Internet connection speed. Sorry. Russ