Originally Posted by bpratt
Modern Ethernet connectors, similar to phone cords but with 8 wires, are a worldwide standard called RJ45. But you won't have much luck using one with a modem, unless you mean a cable or DSL modem.
:-)
Phone cords may be part of a "worldwide standard" but -- unlike with ethernet cables -- I often have to deal with places in the world where the standard phone cords (like we find in the US) cannot be used without a plug head/connector adaptor.
In Sweden, for example, there are places where the telephone gets plugged in through a wall socket that looks more like a 4-point/5-point electrical plug and would not accept the standard phone cord head/connector that we plug into the walls in the US -- unless first used with a plug head/connector adaptor.