220-1101 - Hardware (25% of the exam) - Section 3.1

Explain basic cable types and their connectors, features, and purposes, including network, peripheral, video, and storage cables in a given scenario.

Identify copper and fibre network cabling (Cat 5e/6/6a twisted pair, coaxial, single-mode and multimode fibre) and match each to its connector, including the RJ-45 8P8C used for Ethernet and the smaller RJ-11 used for telephone and DSL. Distinguish peripheral and video cables - USB-A/C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, DisplayPort, SATA, and eSATA - by their connector and the maximum speed or distance each supports.

Cat 6 twisted pairRJ-45 vs RJ-11Fibre opticSATA and Thunderbolt

Practice question for this objective

Free sampleHardwaremedium

A technician is comparing the modular connectors used for a wired Ethernet drop and for an analogue telephone line. Which statement correctly distinguishes an RJ-45 connector from an RJ-11 connector?

ARJ-45 carries two conductors for voice, while RJ-11 carries eight conductors for data at gigabit speeds.
BRJ-45 is an 8-position, 8-conductor plug used for Ethernet, while RJ-11 is typically a 6-position, 2-conductor plug used for telephone. Correct
CRJ-45 and RJ-11 are physically identical plugs, and the difference is only in the wiring standard applied at each end.
DRJ-45 uses a fibre ferrule for optical signalling, while RJ-11 uses copper pins for electrical signalling.

Distinguish RJ-45 (8P8C Ethernet) from RJ-11 (6P2C telephone) by their position and conductor counts and their intended signals. RJ-45 uses eight positions and eight conductors to terminate the four twisted pairs an Ethernet link needs, while RJ-11 uses a smaller 6-position housing wired for a single voice pair, and the RJ-45 body is physically wider.

Why A is wrong: This reverses the two connectors; the conductor counts and roles are swapped, so the statement is technically self-contradicting once the standards are known.

Why B is correct: RJ-45 (8P8C) terminates the four twisted pairs of an Ethernet cable, whereas RJ-11 (6P2C) carries a single analogue phone pair, so this is the correct distinction.

Why C is wrong: It is tempting because both are clear modular plugs, but RJ-45 is visibly wider than the narrower RJ-11, so they are not interchangeable in the same jack.

Why D is wrong: This sounds plausible if fibre is conflated with Ethernet, but RJ-45 is a copper connector with metal pins, not an optical ferrule.

See more 220-1101 practice questions, answers explained.

Exam traps in Hardware

Answers that look right on this material and are not. Each one is a distractor from a different question in the 220-1101 bank for this domain.

RJ-45 has four positions and RJ-11 has two positions
Why it is wrong: This undercounts RJ-45; four positions matches nothing standard, so it confuses the connector sizes rather than stating them correctly.
RJ-11, the six-position plug commonly used to terminate copper runs feeding desktop network adapters
Why it is wrong: RJ-11 is tempting because it looks like a smaller Ethernet plug and uses the same crimp tooling, but it is a 6-position telephone connector and will not carry a Gigabit Ethernet link.
The ST connector, a bayonet-style twist-lock housing a single fibre per body.
Why it is wrong: ST is a real fibre connector, so it is plausible, but it uses a round bayonet coupling for one fibre and is larger, not a small form-factor duplex body.

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