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How do I Install Telephone Wiring?

Telephone wiring is not complex to work with and is very safe, due to the low voltages involved.

The most complex part of installing telephone wiring is complying with the defined standards in place for telephone wiring.

The main difficulty with telephone wiring standards is that there are so many of them.

When installing additional telephone wiring into an existing facility, it is usually best to determine which telephone wiring standard is currently in use and conform to that standard.

When installing telephone wiring into a new facility, EIA/TIA T586A is the standard to utilize.

How the Wire Gets Into Your Residence

Historically, the telephone companies ran telephone wire above ground, using telephone poles to make wire issues easy to repair, and inconvenient for the general population to access. The wire itself is sources at a telephone company, or telco, central office, and goes through various paths to get into the general vicinity of your home.

Above Ground Wiring

In older neighborhoods (1970s and earlier in the US) and areas that have a high water table, the telephone wiring is most likely going to be above ground. There will be one or more telephone poles in easement areas in the neighborhood that distribute phone service wire pairs to residences using an aerial method of connection. A breakout box is attached to the pole with the main services lines for the area entering in one side, and residential lines running out of the other side. Wires are then ran from the breakout boxes to each neighborhood residence.

Underground Wiring

Most modern neighborhoods have telephone wiring run underground in the United States today. During the neighborhood build out, before building of homes is commenced, breakout boxes are installed in geographically logical points in the neighborhood, and then lines are trenched back to the primary distribution can for your neighborhood, and to each property nearby. Since homes have yet to be built the wiring is merely a stub, and may need to be extended to the home once the house is built at the owner's expense.

The Residential Network Interface Device

Regardless of how the wire is run to your house, the wire terminates on a Network Interface Device, or NID, which is screwed to your home. This device is a gray or tan box about eight inches wide and twelve inches long with a door or doors concealing two compartments. Access to the customer compartment has a simple slot headed screw for customer access. Access to the telco compartment is controlled by the use of a specialized screw head. You can open the customer access compartment of the NID to check your lines for dial tone, check wiring connections inside the NID, and to trace lines coming out of the NID into your home. There is no necessity to open the telco compartment of the NID, since if there is a wiring fault between your house and the central office, you won't be able to repair it. Most NIDs can handle up to 5 different lines.

The telephone line from the pole or breakout box goes into the telco compartment and exits through the customer compartment.

If you have only one telephone line, and there has been no maintenance on your line for a long while, you may have a box which is a predecessor to the NID. This box is simply a plastic or metal cover which is screwed over a telephone wiring box to protect it from the elements and animals. At no cost, the telephone company will come out and replace your old box with a new NID if there is time and available equipment, and you demonstrate a need, such as a method to test for dial tone. Sometimes, phone company technicians will leave this original box in place, and just install a NID between this box and the wiring running to the pole or breakout box. There is no need to be concerned about this, as it usually has negligible effect to your phone service.

Testing Your Phone Lines

Always use a previously tested corded phone for phone line testing. This is the only way you can be sure that you are testing only the phone line themselves and not issues with your phone itself. If you are unsure that your test phone is functional, take it over to a neighbor or family members home, and test it with a known good phone line. If you have dial tone, your phone is usable for a line test.

First Just Pick Up the Phone

When the telephone company initially installed your phone line into your home, they should have provided you with at least one phone jack to connect a telephone to. The easiest phone service test, is to merely plug a phone into this jack with the proper wire, take the phone off of the hook, and listen for dial tone. If you can't figure out how to take your phone off the hook, consult your phone manual.

No Dial Tone

If you don't get a dial tone when you take your phone off the hook, you probably have a phone line problem. If you have multiple jacks in your home, test each one to verify which jacks work, and which ones don't. If some of the jacks are functional and others aren't, the wiring fault is between the NID and those specific jacks in your home. The phone company may be willing to help you with these problems, but they may charge you for the repair. Read more on how to repair these problems in the "Repair" sections below. If none of the jacks in your home are working, you need to test your phone lines at the NID.

Testing at the NID

When you open the customer compartment of your NID, you will notice that there is a line a phone jacks lined up, usually vertically. For each phone line installed in your house, there will be a phone jack with a line plugged into it. Don't worry if you have jacks that have no line plugged into them, it may be that there was a second line to your home at one time, that the wiring box was faulty, or that they just installed more than one wiring box and jack as a standard install. If you have more than one line, labels on the NID lid should tell you which jack is associated with which phone line or number. If they don't you will just have to try them all until you find the one you want to test. To test, you need to disconnect the line from the jack, and plug your corded phone into it. This will disconnect the line from the jacks in your house, so don't panic if you lose dial tone inside. If you have dial tone when you hook up your phone, the wiring fault is in your house. If you don't then you must call the phone company for repair, there is nothing further you can do to fix the problem.

Sometimes the Wire Colors Don't Match

Many phone companies have updated their color standards due to the use of Cat 5 cable for most phone line installs, and to keep residential and business installs in line with each other. In this new standard, there is no green, red, black or yellow wires, they have been replaced by white/blue, blue/white, white/orange, and orange/white. To know how to identify the wire color is a simple matter. The wire is going to be primarily one color, with small stripes of a secondary color on it. If the wire is primarily orange with white stripes then that color is orange/white. The following simple table will help you understand what colors match. The NID labels will most likely have the old coloring scheme on them, and most telephone wiring components you can purchase will still reflect the original colors.

Function	New Color	Old Color
Tip 1	Green	White/Blue
Ring 1	Red	Blue/White
Tip 2	Black	White/Orange
Ring 2	Yellow	Orange/White

New Telephone Jacks in Your Home

Installing new telephone jacks in your home is really pretty simple, but there are some tools and basic hardware you will need to perform the install:

Tools:

Drill

It is almost always best to use a cordless drill for these kinds of installs because its most likely you will want to drill the holes in a remote place. A 18V or better variant generally will give you enough power to drill through masonry and thick wood boards. You will need the drill if you are running new lines between house floors or if you want to conceal most of the wiring in the wall, or through crawlspaces or attics. You can pick these items up at any hardware store starting at about $30.

Drill bits

Pick an appropriate drill bit for the job. If you are drilling through brick or stone, buy a masonry bit, otherwise a wood bit usually works well. You may want to use a pilot bit, a smaller drill bit that is less of a challenge to drill straight with, for areas that have restricted space or if you are drilling through rough materials. If you have any questions about which drill bits you should use, ask your local hardware store associate. Wear eye protection when drilling!

Flathead Screwdriver

All wiring blocks use slotted screws for the wire connections and for the jack box mounts. You may have more luck with a short and stubby screwdriver, as you may want to put the jacks in locations that aren't in normal visible locations. You can pick up a flathead screwdriver at any hardware store and in most department and discount stores. Depending on the style, quality and types of screwdrivers you want you can pay as little as $1 for a single screwdriver, and well over $100 for a professional set.

Fish tape

You will need a fish tape if you want to run your wiring through walls, or into attics and crawl spaces. A fish tape is really a godsend for a wiring project, if you already have finished walls in your home. Hard Freight Tools carries different length fish tapes for a reasonable price. You can buy one online here or you can visit one of their local stores and pick it up for the same price.

Cable Test Equipment

If you have installed your new jack and don't get dial tone, you will need something to test your lines. There are a few different methods to do this. We will cover these items in the repair section later in this article.

Hardware

Most hardware stores, electronics stores, and many grocery and department stores will have the items you are going to need to complete your install. Although components may be a little more expensive at the hardware store, you may want to purchase your items there as there will be a larger selection, and you can ensure you get the exact components and wire lengths you will need.

Modular jack boxes with wiring box

Modular jack boxes come in two variants, with a wiring box and without one. If you are installing an entirely new jack, you will want the jack box with the wiring box. You would only need a jack box without a wiring box if you are replacing a jack box that has been damaged, but the wiring box inside is still intact. There are both four and six contact modular jacks available. Make sure you buy a four contact modular jack unless you have a special reason for buying a six contact modular jack. You will need one jack box for each new jack you want to install.

Four, six or eight strand telephone wire

You should buy four wire flat silver satin telephone wire for any new jacks you are running in your home. You may save a little money if you just buy the individual wires without the silver sheath, but in the long run, having the sheath will save you time and frustration. Its flexible, can easily be stripped off in locations that require it, and it will keep the wires together so you can easily fish the wire where you need it to go.

If you have more than two lines in your home and you want to place jacks for all of them in the same location, six or eight conductor telephone wire can be used as well, just keep in mind that there are three pairs of wire, a blue pair, an orange pair, and a green pair in six conductor wire. Eight conductor wire has the same wiring colors as the six conductor, it just adds a brown pair for the last pair. As long as you ensure you keep the same wires connected to the proper posts on the wiring block, you shouldn't have a problem.

Always Have a Corded Phone for Emergencies

Remember that you may need to plug your phone or phone base into house power if you have a cordless phone, a phone with an integrated answering machine, or some other capability. Standard corded phones receive all necessary power over the phone line itself, so no additional power is required. It is always a good plan to have a corded phone in your residence just in case your other devices have issues, or for use in emergencies when your house power is out.

General Reference Information

The information following may help you understand the standards and wire plans in your home. They are merely reference materials to assist you in your planning and diagnostics.

The Christmas and Halloween Standard for Telephone Wiring

Many existing homes have only 2 pair (4 wire) telephone wiring.

The first telephone line is connected to the Christmas pair. This wire pair is called the Christmas pair because one wire is Green and the other wire is Red.

In the Christmas pair, the Green wire is Tip and the Red wire is Ring.

The second telephone line is connected to the Halloween pair. This wire pair is called the Halloween pair because one wire is Black and the other wire is Yellow.

In the Halloween pair, the Black wire is Tip and the Yellow wire is Ring.

The EIA/TIA 568B Standard for Telephone Wiring

Pin (Jack)	Pin (Plug)	Color	Pair
1	8	White/Orange	Tip 2
2	7	Orange	Ring 2
3	6	White/Green	Tip 3
4	5	Blue	Ring 1
5	4	White/Blue	Tip 1
6	3	Green	Ring 3
7	2	White Brown	Tip 4
8	1	Brown	Ring 4

The EIA/TIA 568A Standard for Telephone Wiring

Pin (Jack)	Pin (Plug)	Color	Pair
1	8	White/Green	Tip 3
2	7	Green	Ring 3
3	6	White/Orange	Tip 2
4	5	Blue	Ring 1
5	4	White/Blue	Tip 1
6	3	Orange	Ring 2
7	2	White Brown	Tip 4
8	1	Brown	Ring 4

The USOC (Universal Service Order Code) 8 Wire Standard for Telephone Wiring

Pin (Jack)	Pin (Plug)	Color	Pair
1	8	White/Brown	Tip 4
2	7	White/Green	Tip 3
3	6	White/Orange	Tip 2
4	5	Blue	Ring 1
5	4	White/Blue	Tip 1
6	3	Orange	Ring 2
7	2	Green	Ring 3
8	1	Brown	Ring 4

The USOC (Universal Service Order Code) 6 Wire Standard for Telephone Wiring

Pin (Jack)	Pin (Plug)	Color	Pair
1	6	White/Green	Tip 3
2	5	White/Orange	Tip 2
3	4	Blue	Ring 1
4	3	White/Blue	Tip 1
5	2	Orange	Ring 2
6	1	Green	Ring 3

The 25 pair Telephone Wiring Standard

Pin (Jack)	Pin (Plug)	Color	Pair
1	50	Blue/White	Ring 1
2	49	Orange/White	Ring 2
3	48	Green/White	Ring 3
4	47	Brown/White	Ring 4
5	46	Slate/White	Ring 5
6	45	Blue/Red	Ring 6
7	44	Orange/Red	Ring 7
8	43	Green/Red	Ring 8
9	42	Brown/Red	Ring 9
10	41	Slate/Red	Ring 10
11	40	Blue/Black	Ring 11
12	39	Orange/Black	Ring 12
13	38	Green/Black	Ring 13
14	37	Brown/Black	Ring 14
15	36	Slate/Black	Ring 15
16	35	Blue/Yellow	Ring 16
17	34	Orange/Yellow	Ring 17
18	33	Green/Yellow	Ring 18
19	32	Brown/Yellow	Ring 19
20	31	Slate/Yellow	Ring 20
21	30	Blue/Violet	Ring 21
22	29	Orange/Violet	Ring 22
23	28	Green/Violet	Ring 23
24	27	Brown/Violet	Ring 24
25	26	Slate/Violet	Ring 25
26	25	White/Blue	Tip 1
27	24	White/Orange	Tip 2
28	23	White/Green	Tip 3
29	22	White/Brown	Tip 4
30	21	White/Slate	Tip 5
31	20	Red/Blue	Tip 6
32	19	Red/Orange	Tip 7
33	18	Red/Green	Tip 8
34	17	Red/Brown	Tip 9
35	16	Red/Slate	Tip 10
36	15	Black/Blue	Tip 11
37	14	Black/Orange	Tip 12
38	13	Black/Green	Tip 13
39	12	Black/Brown	Tip 14
40	11	Black/Slate	Tip 15
41	10	Yellow/Blue	Tip 16
42	9	Yellow/Orange	Tip 17
43	8	Yellow/Green	Tip 18
44	7	Yellow/Brown	Tip 19
45	6	Yellow/Slate	Tip 20
46	5	Violet/Blue	Tip 21
47	4	Violet/Orange	Tip 22
48	3	Violet/Green	Tip 23
49	2	Violet/Brown	Tip 24
50	1	Violet/Slate	Tip 25

Telephone Wiring Pin Number Orientation

Pins are always numbers with the tab down.

When looking at a telephone jack, Pin 1 is the left-most pin.

When looking at a telephone plug, Pin 8 is the right-most pin.

Telephone Wiring Jacks and Plugs

In telephone wiring, the plug is the male end of a telephone cable and the jack is the female receptacle in the wall.

Telephone Wiring Tip and Ring

The terms Tip and Ring are used extensively when discussing telephone wiring.

Tip is the electrically positive wire and Ring is the electrically negative wire.

Books on Telephone Wiring

Telephone Installation Handbook	This book is wonderful for anyone interested in installing telephone extensions and systems-no matter what your prior knowledge or experience-for the home or small businesses.
Mike's Basic Guide to Cabling Computers and Telephones	This book covers all aspects of computer and telephone cable installation for copper and multi-mode fiber optic cable. Starting with Site survey, installation techniques, project management, termination, troubleshooting, writing RFP's, to compiling a cable bid. The book is illustrated with cartoons to make it easier to understand, as well as being in a large easy to read format.
Data, Voice, and Video Cabling	Cabling is one of the fastest changing technologies today, and this updated book addresses the latest developments in premises cabling, including wireless networks. The ?hands on? processes used in the installation of data, voice, and video cabling are observed using minimal theory and liberal practical advice. A logical format that separates key concepts into specific sections minimizes confusion between the unique installation practices among the different technologies. Copper cabling is first discussed, including coax, telephone, and Cat 3 and Cat 5 LAN cabling. A section devoted to fiber optics then follows. Within each section, discussions progress from the basics to components, installation, and testing to assist in the development of individual skills.
Telecommunications Cabling Installation	There's an acute need for trained and qualified cable installers NOW. That's why industry leaders McGraw-Hill and BICSI have joined forces to provide the most reliable cable installation training manual available. Field-tested by tens of thousands of technicians in 85 countries, BICSI's Telecommunications Cabling Installation is the #1 choice for anyone needing clear cable installation guidelines, parameters, codes, terms, and acronyms. It is the clearest, most complete guide to the ins and outs of installing cable. It breaks each task into bulleted steps Provides to-the-point overviews of each task's place in "the big picture" Focuses on pathways, spaces, associated hardware, and structured cabling systems to enable channel/link testing within buildings Gives guidelines for installing supporting structures, pulling cable, firestopping, grounding, terminating, splicing, connecting, testing, troubleshooting, retrofitting, safety, and transmission Covers LANs, twisted pair, fiber, Gigabit Ethernet --every system installers need to know Helps reduce errors with handy checklists.
Telecommunications Wiring	The industry's #1 wiring reference, fully updated! Reflects the latest National Fire Code (NEC) wiring standards Planning, bidding, installation, testing, troubleshooting, documentation, and management In-depth coverage of both fiber and twisted-pair DSL wiring, power line networking, and more The industry's #1 wiring reference, fully updated for the latest NEC wiring standards! The #1 single-source resource for wiring professionals has just been updated to reflect the latest media, wiring schemes, products, and techniques - plus critical new safety and fire requirements from the latest National Fire Code (NEC). Telecommunications Wiring, Third Edition offers the industry's most coherent, end-to-end approach to designing and implementing cabling systems. It delivers every skill you need, across the entire system lifecycle: planning, selecting media, defining architectures, creating successful RFPs, choosing vendors, installation, testing, documentation, and maintenance. Coverage includes: New National Fire Code (NEC) regulations: wiring certification, fire code labeling, environmental concerns, equipment room layouts, grounding, bonding, EMI, and more xDSL: Wiring, line connection, servicing, and key terminology Up-to-the minute installation and troubleshooting techniques Documenting and standardizing cabling systems - including step-by-step telecommunications database design Wiring management: tracking, measurement, retrofitting, security, and more Whether you're a telecom/datacom manager, wiring specialist, technician, consultant, contractor, or instructor, you can depend upon Telecommunications Wiring, Third Edition - today, tomorrow, and for years to come.