DIY Telephone Jack
A telephone jack is a device that allows you to connect a land line telephone to the wires coming from the telephone company, and are classified as a type of registered jack, or RJ. Registered jacks are standardized in construction and wiring pattern and are classified as RJ-11 for a single telephone line, RJ-14 for two telephone lines, and RJ-25 for three telephone lines. Installing your own telephone jack might sound like a complicated task, but is actually an easy and straightforward job.
Instructions
-
-
1
Open the network interface device (NID), located outside your home. The NID is a small, weatherproof, typically gray plastic box. NID sizes vary, but most devices are about the size of a shoebox. Telephone companies typically mount the NID on a wall closest to where the telephone cable runs into your home from the utility pole. Unplug the short cable inside the NID from its jack to disconnect power from the telephone company.
-
2
Carefully pull the telephone cable out of the telephone outlet box where you will install the telephone jack. Remove 2 inches of cable sheathing from the end of the telephone cable with diagonal pliers. Strip off 1/2 inch of insulating plastic from the tip of the exposed red and green wires, using a wire stripper.
-
-
3
Hook the red wire clockwise around the red terminal screw on the RJ-11 telephone jack. Hook the green wire clockwise around the green terminal screw on the jack. Use a screwdriver to tighten each screw and secure both connections.
-
4
Install the faceplate of the RJ-11 jack. Mount the jack onto the telephone outlet box on the wall, using the screws supplied with the jack. Plug the short cable back into its telephone jack inside the NID to restore power to the telephone line, and close the NID cover. Plug a telephone into the RJ-11 jack, and call someone to test the connection.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit The White House/Getty Images News/Getty Images
