Can I Connect The Ethernet Cable To My Modem?

FACTS CHECKED BY  Jose George​

Can I Connect The Ethernet Cable To My Modem? The Internet is considered one of the major technological advancements of the late 20th century that transformed the world into a global village. 

With time, the network connections continued to spread through different countries, cities, towns, and villages, thus, leading to simple, better, and faster connectivity between them. 

Similarly, you can modify internet equipment (such as switches, routers, and modems) and how they are connected to internet devices (laptops, mobile phones, consoles, etc.) to meet the ever-growing need for robustness and efficiency. 

However, several houses with outdated internet setups use separate modems and routers, leading to frustration with a cluster of wires surrounding the setup. 

This, in turn, makes users unable to understand how to go online while maintaining an overall healthy internet connection. 

Keep reading to learn more about the ethernet connection with the router or modem.

Table of Contents

Do You Plug Ethernet Into The Router Or Modem?

Although modems and routers play important roles in establishing the network connection between devices, there’s a significant difference between them.

Modem

The equipment makes the Internet widely accessible to your home through the coax cable connection.

It connects the DSL cable that translates the signals from your ISP into different signals easily understandable by your router and internet devices.

This type of connectivity comes within a Wide Area Network (WAN) domain, where the modem serves as a middle layer between your house and the internet connection.

Connecting to a simple modem device doesn’t provide multiple benefits compared to the router.

For example, a modem device has a single ethernet port without Wi-Fi signals or firewall protection, which means you will use a single internet device via ethernet cable, rendering you incapable of connecting your Wi-Fi-based devices.

Router

The router plays a crucial role in connecting devices to the Internet. This equipment propagates the translated signals via ethernet cable to all other internet devices with ethernet ports or Wi-Fi.

Unlike a modem, the router creates a local area network with wired or wireless devices and manages information and traffic between them.

Furthermore, it also allows an IP address to every device it connects to ensure it delivers the data accordingly. Additionally, routers have firewalls to counter security breaches or hacking attacks.

Also, it empowers parents to set up parental locks to protect their children from harmful content on the Internet. Last but not the least, you also don’t need a modem to connect to the Internet and set up Local Area Network (LAN)

You can make Ethernet connections in different types of ways to go online. However, the preferred methodology is to plug your ethernet cable into the router to attain the benefits, like multiple ethernet ports, Wi-Fi signals, and firewall protection against resilient hacking software.

With that said, let’s explore different types of internet setups.

Connecting with modem

Connecting with modem

Connecting a Modem With an Ethernet Connection

In this section, we’ll discover how to make a successful internet connection via step-by-step guidelines for connecting your modem to the ethernet cable.

Here’s a list of equipment that must be present before setting up the connection:

  1. Modem
  2. Ethernet Cable
  3. Modem Power Cable
  4. Coaxial Cable/RJ-11 telephone cable

Follow these steps to set up a network.

  • Before installing, ensure the connection to the coaxial/RJ-11 telephone cable is in perfect condition. Once you inspect the cable condition, connect one side of the coaxial/RJ-11 telephone cable to the modem device.
  • The modem is an electrical internet equipment crucial to establishing the internet connection. Before setting up the modem, ensure it is connected to its power cord. After that, please turn on the power outlet button so that it’s up and running. If it has a switch somewhere, press it so the modem can start.
  • Once you finish step 2, connect the ethernet cable to the modem. After making the connection, plug in the other side of the ethernet to the back of the computer or the side of the laptop. 
  • After completing all the steps mentioned earlier, ensure that the relevant modem and computer lights are on, highlighting their successful connection with one another and to the network for further information. Feel free to refer to the guide made available with the modem.
Internet modem and Wires

Caption: Internet modem and Wires

Connecting Ethernet To Your Router

This section highlights how to connect your ethernet cable to the router for healthy internet connectivity. 

  • Remove the router from the box and connect the RJ-45 ethernet cable by plugging it into DSL or WAN port. 
  • After that, connect the other end of the ethernet cable to the modem to get the signals to other internet devices via a router. Similarly, the modem is directly connected to the RJ-11 telephone/coax cable to carry the internet to your home.
  • After achieving both steps, connect your internet devices via ethernet cable to the router. You can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi signals with wireless devices. You’ll have a secure and healthy activated internet connection by this point.

So, Can You Connect The Ethernet Cable to a Modem?

Sure.  But you can get several faster internet connections through the router with Wi-Fi technology for your wireless devices.

Furthermore, it also enables special-grade firewall protection to provide you with secured internet connectivity.

However, these days, special routers that also perform the modem function are introduced, which leads to fewer complications and is easy to install in the home without taking outside help. 

Conclusion

Both router and modem are crucial in connecting your home to the Internet. Do you have any questions about the network setup? To get the work done, contact us now.