The rj45 is an item of technological equipment that neither inspires excitement nor incites passion. However, with a little research it is easy to find out that whilst this innocuous piece of plastic may be unassuming, the role it has played in the creation of the modern world and in particular the way in which businesses operates today has been massive.
It is hoped that this article will not only provide the reader with an idea of what an rj45 is, but also how registered jacks and the Ethernet connections have evolved and revolutionised the way in which computers and people communicate with each other.
For those not in the know the rj45 is a plastic connector that connects a computer to a network through an Ethernet cable. RJ simply stands for registered jack whilst the 45 is representative of the component's technical make up. A simplistic way to imagine an rj45 is to look at a regular phone connector; this is known as the rj11 and is one of the most widespread connectors used throughout the world for connecting hard line phones to networks.
Understandably these registered jacks, in a variety of forms are used throughout the communications industry. The 45 however is the main form of Ethernet connector used in the world today.
Ethernet is one of the most underrated inventions of our time. While the internet and the telephone often take the plaudits of the most important technological inventions of the last century the importance of Ethernet is typically overlooked. The genesis of Ehernet can be found with a man called Bob Metcalf.
Metcalf was a worker for DIX (Digital, Intel, Xerox) the company that placed photocopiers in offices all over the planet. At the time DIX had one of the largest office spaces in the world, spread over a number of buildings within a complex. Metcalf envisaged a way to connect all of these computers together in a local area network (LAN), the result was Ethernet.
It was labelled as Ethernet due to the fact that Metcalf saw similarities between how data was transmitted around the network and the supposed existence of Ether, at the time believed to be a material present throughout the universe.
Understandably Metcalf needed a way for the computers in the DIX offices to connect to this network and hence connectors were invented. By the 1970s these connectors has been refined into what we have today, the rj45.
Without this small piece of plastic and the invention of Ethernet it is possible that what we know as the modern office would not be in existence. Email, the internet and instant messaging all operate through LANs. Without them the world of business and even home life would likely be markedly different from what we have today.
Technology expert Thomas Pretty often studies the history of technological components. This article looks at how the rj45 has been instrumental in shaping the way in which the modern office operates. To find out more please visit www.comms-express.com/
