Quincy Center for Technical Education
Computer Technology Department

Network Connectors
     Different types of connectors are used with different types of cable media. That probably seems like an obvious statement, but the range of connectors is fairly limited in the network world. While several special connectors are used to connect network cables to NICs and other hardware, the two most commonly used are the following:


  • BNC (Bayonet Naur Connector)is used to connect thicknet network cables to the NIC. Naur is the inventor, and bayonet is what it's supposed to look like. These connectors are very distinctive-looking.



  • The RJ-45 connector looks much like its cousin, the RJ-11 connector, which is used on telephone lines. The difference is that the RJ-45 is physically bigger and connects eight wires, whereas the RJ-11 connects either four or six wires.