Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
    Uber Member
     
    #1

    Jul 2, 2010, 12:04 AM
    Telephone Wiring Simplified
    Basic Wiring

    The link below is about as simple as it gets. It shows the new and old color codes and the pairs associated with them.

    How to Wire a Phone Jack (Voice or Telephone RJ-11 thru RJ-14)

    Wiring is now done in a star configuration which means that all of the phone jacks should terminate at one location.

    The link does not cover the even newer use of CAT-5 or better cables and an 8 conductor RJ45 type of wiring system rather than the more standard 6 conductor system.

    Telephone wiring in a modern home can get quite complex. The term coined for this is "structured wiring".


    Two-Line systems
    The jacks will have line 1 and line 2 terminated for use with a dual line telephone device. Instead of re-wiring the jack to use a single line device, it's best to purchase an adapter which has 3 jacks. One for line 1, one for line 2 and one for line 1 + Line 2. The first two jacks will place the identified line on pair #1.

    DSL

    DSL - What they don't tell you
    When the DSL modem is off and if there are no filters anywhere, all of the jacks are essentially a normal phone jack. If the modem is turned on, the line will have a slight hiss to it. The filters remove that hiss. It lets the phone see the voice spectrum and also passes a DC voltage to the phone.


    DSL - Splitters vs. Filters
    DSL standards typically state that a maximum of 5 filters are to be used on a line. If more are required, one must use a splitter. Splitters can be placed in the NID or in a separate box.

    DSL - Modem wiring
    Best practices when wiring the modem to reserve the last pair for DSL. For the best performance, it's best to limit the distance from the splitter to the modem and use cat5E or better cable. Wireless, routers have better performance when placed in the center of the wireless zone.

    An example:
    The NID to inside the house gets wired with a 4 pair CAT-5E cable. The DSL splitter is in the NID. Pairs #1, #2 and #3 would go to a standard 6 conductor phone jack and Pair #4 would go directly to the DSL modem.

    Alarm Systems
    These are usually connected via a special jack called an RJ31X. This jack should be installed at the telephone distribution location. When no plug is inserted, pair #1 is looped through the jack. When a plug is inserted, the alarm system can seize the line even if a phone is in use. The two extra pins can be used as part of a tamper circuit.

    Modern Homes
    A "Modern Home" is where structured wiring is in place. That may mean 2 cable outlets and 2 Cat-5 cables are in most rooms. Fiber can be added. IR controls can be added. A home automation system can be added. Security can be added. There are camera's, doorbell systems, drapery and shade control systems etc.
    Stratmando's Avatar
    Stratmando Posts: 11,188, Reputation: 508
    Uber Member
     
    #2

    Jul 2, 2010, 05:23 AM

    To add to the Info on Alarm Systems concerning phone line. An example of uses for 2 spare pairs in the RJ31X is a EOL resistor wired across an unused pair in the Jack and connect to a 24 hour Tamper zone, You could place a reed switch and magnet to indicate someone removed the cover.
    The other spare pair in the jack can go out to D mark and run with incomming lines so if some cuts the incomming, it will trigger Alarm as well.
    Most systems have Phone line Monitoring that can show a Trouble(Lack of Voltage). I like the Physical protection as it shows Intentional Tampering.
    Phone Monitoring can be triggered by normal Telco Maintenance.

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Telephone wiring [ 18 Answers ]

Grrr... Second time I'm writing this! 1 phone jack works, it's in the kitchen. It has red and black wires on the left with a blue wire connecting to the red wire. On the left it has green and white wires with the blue/white wire connecting to the green. All other jacks are QuickPort USOC...

Telephone Wiring [ 1 Answers ]

I am trying to help someone whose line 2 went dead after they did some rearranging of furniture. The wiring was pretty old, so I replaced it from where it comes into the wall. There is a two-line phone in that room that has both lines working fine. Between where the line comes in and the jack,...

Telephone wiring [ 2 Answers ]

I have a small business. When the owner installed the telephone lines he installed 2 of them. We took the plate off and looked at the wiring within jack and he put 2 strands to each of the 2 jacks. We currently have 2 incoming lines with a 2 line telephone. This works okay. However, we are...

Telephone wiring [ 3 Answers ]

Hi. I hope you'll be able to help me.. I am trying to have a phone at the kitchen and both my bedrooms. When I first moved into the apartment, there was only 1 jack working (bedroom 2), I was able to successfully put the kitchen jack working a month ago. Now, I am trying to work on the bedroom 1...

Telephone Wiring [ 2 Answers ]

There are two numbers currently working in my home. I would like to rewire a jack so it works on the other number. I thought it was an easy task by just switching the wires. However I tried numerous combinations and it still does not work. The jack that I want to switch users other colors...


View more questions Search