Old land lines

[Neodogg]

So the new house has phone jacks in EVERY room, sometimes more than one. We don't have a land line, so are there any uses for the lines running through the house? Can I set something up with them? Any low voltage?

 

[Heinz]

If the cables are CAT3 two-pair cable, which is what was run as internal telephone cable here in Australia and I'm betting most other places. Then you will struggle to run data over it, LAN only uses 2 out of 4 pairs in a CAT5/6 cable so you could use it for data but you'll be experiencing considerably less than 10mbit. CAT3 was used for networking but that's quite a while ago. Also the twist on the wire pairs of CAT3 and below is almost none, this means crosstalk between pairs will be rife if used for data purposes.

But you could use it for 50-100v nonexistent amperage type things. Like ISDN :P Or even better to send morse code between rooms in the house! Could use it for an alarm sensor? Or a doorbell?

 

[GregN]

Good if you have small children; they can answer the phone that way. Good way for free long distance and you don't have to pay for a cell with data.

 

[Neo Ash]

Nah dude. You've got a cellphone....so that shit's just a relic from the past.

 

[wyo]

Intercom, alarm system, booby traps à la Saw?

 

[hyper]

No use at all. You can get near gigabit speeds using AV2 adapters in your power outlets. Netgear, Trendnet, TP-link make great adapters.

 

[Karou]

 

[Neodogg]

Intercom, alarm system, booby traps à la Saw?

Already have the first two, guess I should work on the latter!

 

[PunkicCyborg]

If they are cat-5 and run to a central panel you can use them for internet cables or rewire for other stuff

 

[Tripredacus]

If they are cat-5 and run to a central panel you can use them for internet cables or rewire for other stuff

Phone panels are RJ-11, Ethernet is RJ-45. Category 5 is a cable standard dummy.

 

[PunkicCyborg]

Phone panels are RJ-11, Ethernet is RJ-45. Category 5 is a cable standard dummy.

You can terminate Cat-5 with an RJ11 plug and have a phone jack. I meant a central panel like a box in the garage, office, closet or somewhere which is highly likely if it's a new house. Very often the Cat-5 cabling in new houses is wired for phone but you can easily rewire it for something else and re-purpose it if they are going to a central location. I'm well aware of what a cat-5 cable is, I've been doing low voltage work for 13 years of my life.

 

[Dr Shroom]

Try putting your dick in it, might fit nicely.

 

[Heinz]

You can terminate Cat-5 with an RJ11 plug and have a phone jack. I meant a central panel like a box in the garage, office, closet or somewhere which is highly likely if it's a new house. Very often the Cat-5 cabling in new houses is wired for phone but you can easily rewire it for something else and re-purpose it if they are going to a central location. I'm well aware of what a cat-5 cable is, I've been doing low voltage work for 13 years of my life.

New houses here aren't cabled, that'd be nice to see. It's not even worth worrying about RJ-11 when it comes to CAT5 and above. I keep running into 'new' cable fit outs but the electrician/cabler has used CAT3 for phones and CAT5 for data with RJ11 and RJ45 respectively. Like they don't understand they could've made their life a whole lot easier and ran CAT5 for the whole thing. Telephony isn't some weird beast that it can't use CAT5 and make the clients entire cable infrastructure actually useful to them.

 

[norton9478]

Do you have kids?

Wire the phone jacks to a buzzer. That way you can wake them up or call on them.

 

[Neodogg]

Do you have kids?

Wire the phone jacks to a buzzer. That way you can wake them up or call on them.

I do.

tell me more, is there a way I can have each room on a number or something like an intra-phone system...time to google

 

[Neodogg]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUxx-4bUo4Q

 

[cdamm]

Good way for free long distance and you don't have to pay for a cell with data.

wait what? i thought all cell phones got free nationwide long distance now.

alarm system

even those are becoming cell based now.