How to Connect Two Computers With a Phone Line
You phone line doesn't just carry telephone signals and electrical power into your house; it can also function as a DSL or Digital Subscriber Line. DSL operates over standard copper telephone lines, providing Internet access without affecting your phone service in any way. A telephone line carrying both DSL and telephone signals is connected to your phone set and computer modem. The modem is connected to your network router, and then two or more computers are connected to the router to create a computer network. Learn how a telephone line can be used to set up a computer network and increase your technical knowledge.
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Things You'll Need
- Cat-6 cable
- Cable staples
- RJ-45 wall plates
- RJ-45 keystone jacks
- Telephone outlet box
- Cat-6 patch cables
- Modem
- Network Router
- Tape measure
Instructions
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1
Install your computer and network router in suitable locations in your home. Choose an area that will be free from excessive humidity.
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2
Plan the routes that you will take to run cables from the network router to the locations where you intend to place each computer. You can run the cables through the ceilings or along wall baseboards; however, do run any cable alongside electrical wires, as live wiring can generate magnetic fields which can interfere with your computer network.
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3
Measure the length of Cat-6 cable that you need for each route. Add up all the measurements to determine the total length of cable needed. Purchase an adequate length of Cat-6 cable, two RJ-45 keystone jacks and one RJ-45 jack faceplate for each line. Buy another RJ-45 jack faceplate and one more wall outlet box to be used for the connection on the router's side.
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4
Mount the telephone outlet boxes on each wall where you will attach an RJ-45 network jack. Slide a Cat-6 cable into the outlet box and run it neatly along the routes you have mapped earlier. Leave at least two feet of cable allowance on one end for the router, and one foot on the other end for the RJ-45 jack. Fasten the cable securely using cable staples. Perform the same procedure on all the lines that you have to run.
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5
Strip off one inch from the outer cover of the Cat-6 cable using a pair of diagonal pliers. Straighten out the exposed twisted wires. Remove the RJ-45 keystone jack's snap-on cover and look at the color-coded wiring chart printed on top or at the side of the jack. Select any of the two color-coded wiring plans shown in the chart, but make sure that you follow the same color-coding scheme on all cable wiring.
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6
Put the wires on top of the keystone jack with the jack cavity pointing away from the wires and the tip of the cable's outer cover barely touching the tip of the jack. Run each colored wire to its matching color-coded slot using the color scheme of your choice and punch down the wires one by one using the punch-down tool that came with the jack.
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Cut excess wires along both sides of the jack. Put back the jack's snap-on cover and plug the keystone jack to its faceplate. Mount the faceplate onto the outlet box using a screwdriver. Repeat this procedure on all ends of the cable starting from step 5 above. Use a single faceplate with multiple slots for all the RJ-45 keystone jacks on the router's side.
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Plug one end of a patch cable into the Internet port of each computer and plug the other end of the patch cable into its corresponding RJ-45 wall jack. Plug a patch cable into an Ethernet port at the back of the router and plug the other end into its corresponding RJ-45 wall jack.
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Plug one end of a Cat-6 patch cord into the network jack at the back of your modem and plug the other end into the WAN or Internet port at the back of your router to connect your router to the DSL modem.
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10
Plug one end of a phone cord into the phone line wall jack and plug the other end into the telephone jack marked "DSL" or "Line" at the back of the modem.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit ADSL Router image by Phil2048 from Fotolia.com
