DIY Telephone Cabling

Installing a land line telephone is not a difficult task.

Telephone power and signals are delivered to your home via telephone cables that run from the telephone company central office to the network interface device, or NID, inside your home. The NID is the demarcation point where the responsibility of the telephone company ends and yours begin. Installing a telephone cable involves running the cable from the NID to a telephone jack inside your home. Learning how to install a telephone cable yourself can save you some cash.

Things You'll Need

• RJ-14 telephone jack (surface-mount)
• Telephone cable
• Screwdriver
• Utility knife
• Wire stripper
• Cable staples
• Land line telephone

Instructions

1. Open the small, weatherproof, gray plastic box called a network interface device (NID) mounted on a wall outside your home. NIDs come in various sizes, but most devices are about the size of a shoebox. Follow the telephone cable that runs from the utility pole into your home to trace the location of the NID. Locate the short cable inside the NID, and unplug the cable from its jack to disconnect power from the telephone company.

2. Choose a spot where you wish to set a land line telephone, and attach a surface-mount RJ-14 telephone jack on the nearest wall, using screws supplied with the jack and a screwdriver. Carefully cut away four inches of sheathing from the tip of a telephone cable, using a utility knife. Strip off 1/2-inch of plastic insulation from the tip of the red and green wires using a wire stripper.

3. Wrap the red wire clockwise around the red terminal screw, and wrap the green wire clockwise around the green terminal screw. Tighten each screw to secure each connection. Run the telephone cable along walls or baseboards from the RJ-14 telephone jack to the NID outside your home. Avoid placing the cable closer than 12 inches to any power wire to prevent signal interference. Use cable staples every foot along the route to attach the cable onto surfaces.

4. Cut the cable once it reaches the NID, but allow an extra 12 inches of cable length. Slip the tip of the cable through an opening at the base of the NID, and pull up the cable from inside the NID. Cut away 4 inches of sheathing from the tip of the cable, using a utility knife. Strip off 1/2 inch of plastic insulation from the tip of the green and red wires, using a wire stripper.

5. Wrap the red wire clockwise around the red terminal screw, and wrap the green wire clockwise around the green terminal screw inside the NID. Tighten each screw to secure each connection. Plug the short cable back into its jack inside the NID, and close the NID cover. Plug a land line telephone into the newly installed RJ-14 telephone jack. Lift the telephone handset and place a call to test the connection.

References

• Wire It Yourself.com: Do It Yourself Home Telephone Wiring
• Public Service Commission of Wisconsin: Testing, Repairing and Installing Home Telephone Wiring...
• This Old House; Adding a Second Phone Line; Tim Snyder