Home phone wiring

[mgarvie]

I was getting ready to run some wires for the new bedrooms in my basement and went outside to locate the Network Interface Device to see where to hook up the phone lines. Wasn't there. Looked all over and only found a small terminal in my basement that was made before I was born. I'm using Vonage hooked up to my computer now but wanted to have the house wired for regular phone service. What do I put between the phone company and my phone system? I wouldn't just pigtail all the phone lines in my house together and then tie it into the phone company?

[Chub]

you could, or use a punch down block like a split 25 or 50.

[hallerb]

Uf you dontr have a interface call your phone company they will install it for FREE.

It makes their troubleshooing for THEM easy!

[RayV]

Why are you getting rid of Vonage? I have Sprint for home service right now and am switching to cable phone because Sprint's rates are too high. Haven't gotten it yet, they will be here Monday between 8 and 12. Yeah right!

[Jim Redelfs]

That is EXACTLY what you should do, whether at a an official NID (Network Interface Device) or old protector. Since your service is provided over a single, copper pair, all station wiring is "commoned" at some point.

[mgarvie]

Still going keep the Vonage but figured I would have it wired so I could go the the phone company if I needed to.

[Jim Redelfs]

We will retrofit a service with a NID (Network Interface Device) on a installation or service call for ANOTHER purpose. We will NOT make a special trip to do it for free. Of course, this may vary by company.

Easy, eh?

The only aspect of repair that is made easier by an NID is whether or not the trouble is INSIDE the home. It does little to expedite repair of a squirrel bite-damaged drop two or three spans away, for example.

[hallerb]

Still a upgraded NID wioth proper grounding is always a good idea, and future troubleshooting will be easier with that interface, plus when working on the lines you can unplug the interface saving a nasty shock if you happen to be touching the wires when the phone rings.

all this assumes he has land based service currently, if not just connect to existing block

[dnoyeB]

I use vonage too. Its wired into the line in the basement. I hooked it up to the main set of phone lines and it runs all the phones in the house. Which are cordless so its not much of a load.

The box on the outside is installed by the phone company but I don't know if they will install it if you are not ordering service. If you order DSL they will install a good one :)

Just tie your vonage line into the central line in the basement and disconnect that line from the one coming in from outside. easiest way is to just backfeed it into any local phone outlet (once you disconnect the outside feed)

I disconnected mine on the inside and in the box outside.

[Jim Redelfs]

To my reading, he isn't. He is simply WIRING new jacks. That should be done regardless of the carrier.

Are you switching to another POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) carrier or to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)? There is a BIG difference.

Vonage and Skype (for example) use VoIP.

CATV companies are now providing dialtone over their coaxial cables. The RT (remote terminal) is mounted on the back of the house where the digital signal is converted to analog for use by the phones (etc) inside. (Digital phone service, my @$$. Show me a digital phone and I'll be impressed.)

Good luck. When the freebies and incentives are all used up, let us know how much you are REALLY saving.

[mm]

Why not?

The NID I am acquainted with has just two jacks, and the second is for a second phone number.

I don't know how you could splice multiple wires on the same number together at the NID when you could do it inside the house.

BTW, they did install a NID for free even if the person had no other need for service, in Baltimore, 10 or 15 years ago. I don't remember if that was before Verizon was in charge here or not. I expect they did it when they had someone driiving by anyhow.