I'd like to add net connection to a room that has existing telephone wires that are not in use.
The wires (nine in all) go inside teh wall. They have not been used for years. They were probably used for an in-house intercom (12V).
Downstairs there is a room with a lot of telephone wires coming into the room. Many look like they had been used with the same intercom as upstairs.
How do I test which of the wires connect to the room upstairs.
I'd connect a 9V battery with jumpers to two of the wires at one end. Then use a voltmeter to test between the wires at the other to find the correct pair. If you don;'t have a V meter, you could use a flashlight type bulb. Make sure when you connect the battery that there are no sparks, which would indicate a short. This assumes you know for sure that there is nothing still connected to those wires.
Why use a battery? If you have a meter that can read voltage it will also read resistance. Seperate the wires out as best as possible. Tie two together and then use an Ohm meter to determince which is which. When you figure out who is who, label them.
-paul
Using old non-data certified "telephone wires" for a computer connection is not a good idea. Depending on your luck, it may work, work poorly, or not work at all. A poor hookup here can affect your network connections elsewhere.
I would suggest buying a box of Category 5 or 5e cable. It's very inexpensive and contains the correct pairs designations, color, and pairs twisted together to minimize interference and undesirable electromagnetic interactions.
Telephone wires are often twisted, but not enough according to the more rigid specifications for data cables.
Beachcomber
Old phone cord works okay for 10Mbps ethernet. It'll never work for
100Mbps.The trick will be to make sure it's plugged into a 10Mbps hub at one end. It the equipment is 100Mbps on both ends then it'll keep trying to work at high speed, which needs Cat5, and fail.
Of course, at 10Mbps you might as well use wireless.
-rev
Beachcomber wrote:
You should go straight from the router to the computer with no splices. Use Cat 5 cable.
The way I did my home was to just bring the cable from the basement into the upstairs through a 3/8 hole near the wall. I put connectors directly on the Cat 5 cables with no box.
Wireless is another option that is very nice if you have a laptop. You will have to buy another card for your desktop.
Wireless may be faster in that case, but you'll still get the liabilities of wireless like unreliability and insecurity.
It you're thinking about wireless, be SURE you need it. There's a lot of disadvantages.
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