Having trouble wiring a telephone jack

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Martinv357

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#184035 7-Nov-2015 17:15

We are currently renovating the kitchen and I decided to get rid of a phone jack that we never used. Without thinking to check how these things are wired in a house, I removed the phone jack, cut the wires and thought that job was done - however now I have no phone line on our other two phone jacks in the house.

I have been under the house and tried to reconnect these wires, however I haven't managed to fix the problem. I have followed the phone line in from the street and this was the first phone jack of the three in the house. The other two were also wired into this one, hence why they are dead too.

We have always used the phone jack in the bedroom and don't really need more than one phone jack in the house, so I have rewired the jack in the bedroom with the cable that comes into the house from the street (so there is nothing between the two points). I have replicated the wire placement as it was before, however I'm still not having any luck. Having read other forums online it appears that the wiring we have isn't very common? There are six wires (red, white, orange, black, green and blue)

I have uploaded a photo showing what I have done.

Red wire in the '5' slot, white in the '2'

Please help!

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#1422915 7-Nov-2015 17:56

Are you sure the pair you've wired is the pair connected in the ETP?

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Martinv357

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#1422925 7-Nov-2015 18:39

I'm guessing that the image below is the ETP? Its a small panel on the front of my house.

In this box I can see black cable with two wires - one yellow, the other black - and a grey cable with the 6 coloured wires I see under my house. The yellow wire connects to a red wire and the black connects to the white. These are the same red and white wires that are shown connected to the phone jack in the original post.

sbiddle

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#1422927 7-Nov-2015 18:42

You're wiring is incredibly common, so there is nothing unusual about it.

First off you need a krone tool. Those connections are dodgy as and will cause problems. If you don't want to go and buy a tool you can use a narrow flat blade screwdriver as a substitute but unless you know exactly what you're doing you will potentially damage the jack.

richms

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#1422928 7-Nov-2015 18:47

You can just try twisting all the reds, and all the whites together where you removed the socket, and see if the others start working?

Those terminals really do suck. You shouldnt be pulling the insulation off it, that is what holes it in the slot too.

Richard rich.ms

Martinv357

11 posts

Geek

#1422963 7-Nov-2015 21:25

I initially tried connecting just the red and white wires on the point that was cut, however that didn't work. I have then disconnected the cable from that phone jack that came from the ETP and ran it straight to the jack that I use (so it didn't have to go through an unused jack and then on to the one that actually gets used), however this still hasn't fixed it.

I'm pretty sure that the wires are connected properly in the jack. I stripped the wire back as I couldn't get the wire in without a krone tool.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Lias

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#1423004 8-Nov-2015 00:01

Budget tool form Jaycar is $10

Far from perfect but if you dont have a proper tool, it'll do.

http://www.jaycar.co.nz/Tools-%26-Soldering/Hand-Tools/Crimpers/Cat-5-Punch-Down-Tool-Stripper---Low-Cost/p/TH1738

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InstallerUFB

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#1423115 8-Nov-2015 12:27

Lias: Budget tool form Jaycar is $10

Far from perfect but if you dont have a proper tool, it'll do.

http://www.jaycar.co.nz/Tools-%26-Soldering/Hand-Tools/Crimpers/Cat-5-Punch-Down-Tool-Stripper---Low-Cost/p/TH1738

BTW that tool is intended for punching down on a RJ45 (AT&T 110) IDC Block and not a BT (Krone) IDC Block - its not quite the right shape and tends to push the connector 'blades' appart if you dont get it aligned exactly right

InstallerUFB

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#1423119 8-Nov-2015 12:48

Martinv357: I initially tried connecting just the red and white wires on the point that was cut, however that didn't work. I have then disconnected the cable from that phone jack that came from the ETP and ran it straight to the jack that I use (so it didn't have to go through an unused jack and then on to the one that actually gets used), however this still hasn't fixed it.

I'm pretty sure that the wires are connected properly in the jack. I stripped the wire back as I couldn't get the wire in without a krone tool.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Ok, appart from the dodgy connection on the jkpt, you appear to have the correct pair (red/white) but what may have happend is that all the pulling and shifting of the cableing has either A. broken one of the conductors in the (what is now most likely a old & britle) cable or B. caused a misconnection in one of the old crimps (Those blueish caps in the test point (etp) known as Bwires - which are obsolete and removed where ever possible/practical in the chorus network because they misconnect over time) between the incomeing cable (O49 - Black single pr yellow/black) and the internal cable (6way red/white, blue/green, Orange/black).

Firstly do you pay wireing maintainence to you RSP - if so - close every thing up, report a fault & get a tech in to fix it but dont tell them what you did :-)

If not or your not willing to take the risk that they wont charge you anyway - 1st remake the connection in the ETP with the correct connectors (2port idc crimps)

If that doesent work - replace the 6way with a section of CAT5e (blue/Blue white pair) from the ETP and your JKPT & reterminate.

If your not sure and dont wont to do either call in a cableing tech and pay the bill for your misadventure

Martinv357

11 posts

Geek

#1423228 8-Nov-2015 17:53

As pictured below, I have replaced the connectors in the ETP matching the old config (yellow - red) (black - white). I have then used a proper tool from Jaycar to rewire the jack point, again wiring the red to the '5' and the white to the '2'.

Plugged the phone back in to the jack point and still no dial tone... Does it normally come back online straight away and is there anything as part of this process that I have missed?

If not then I assume that the cable between the ETP and the jackpoint must be damaged and need replacement. Either that or the jackpoint could be damaged.

Should I go ahead and rewire with Cat5e?

Thanks again for all the suggestions to date, would rather not have to pay for a callout!

richms

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#1423242 8-Nov-2015 18:28

I would replace with cat5/6 if you can do easily enough, May help your speeds. Then stick a RJ45 on the inside end (Or a RJ12 if you want) so that you are rid of that bastard BT socket and its evil ringing capacitor.

Richard rich.ms

Martinv357

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#1423296 8-Nov-2015 20:44

UPDATE:

I have rewired Cat5e wire from the ETP to the jack point, however I'm still not getting a dial tone. Have tried two different jacks and have tried switching the wires to the opposite sides on the jack, however still nothing.

Tested the DV voltage with a multimeter and it was reading at 45 volts, so the line appears to be connected.

Could there be an issue at the exchange maybe?

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richms

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#1423297 8-Nov-2015 20:45

If you plug in a non powered phone, does it get power from the line and give you a sidetone in the ear when you talk into it?

Richard rich.ms

Martinv357

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#1423300 8-Nov-2015 20:48

I unfortunately dont have a corded phone at the moment, have been trying with the cordless. Should be able to pick one up tomorrow though and I will check.

InstallerUFB

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#1423378 8-Nov-2015 22:54

Just a note - with that style of BT Jkpt the wires are terminated from the outside in - not the way around that you have shown in your pic.

and you might be right that its a phone problem not the wireing

richms

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#1423380 8-Nov-2015 22:56

Try all your line cables on all your phones. There was a time when it was common to have stupidly wired ones with the phone not on the center pair of the RJ12 because of that ringing wire. If you have inadvertantly swapped cables around with an old telephone then you will get nothing.

Richard rich.ms

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