Any telephone installers in the house?

olds

Elite Member
Mar 3, 2000
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I am installing a modular jack into a wall plate. I can't figure out how to wire it. Anyone used one of these before?
Also, lets say you are looking at the opening of the jack with the tab to the top. What color should the 4 wires be, left to right?
 

N8Magic

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
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These can be a pain, as some of them don't use the standard wiring system.

If it uses the standard system, the colors should be:

Green -- Red -- Yellow -- Black (if using 2 pair cable)

OR

White/Blue -- Blue/White -- White/Orange -- Orange/White (if using 3 pair cable or above)
 

NogginBoink

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2002
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A standard phone only uses the center two pins. Typically this is the red and green wires. Or, check the walljack from which the telephone cable comes to this jack and see which two wires go to the center two pins. The center two pins are red and green on the wall jack you bought.
 

N8Magic

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
11,624
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<< A standard phone only uses the center two pins. Typically this is the red and green wires. Or, check the walljack from which the telephone cable comes to this jack and see which two wires go to the center two pins. The center two pins are red and green on the wall jack you bought. >>



True, but he is using a modular jack rather than a standard wall jack. These modular jacks can be tricky, although they usually come with a wiring diagram because of that.

 

olds

Elite Member
Mar 3, 2000
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I know that red/green make one line and yellow/black makes the other, I am unclear on which goes where in a modular jack.
 

olds

Elite Member
Mar 3, 2000
50,103
773
126


<< These can be a pain, as some of them don't use the standard wiring system.

If it uses the standard system, the colors should be:

Green -- Red -- Yellow -- Black (if using 2 pair cable)

OR

White/Blue -- Blue/White -- White/Orange -- Orange/White (if using 3 pair cable or above)
>>


So looking into the jack, with the tab to the top, the wires would be green - red - yellow - black, from left to right?
 

N8Magic

Lifer
Dec 12, 2000
11,624
1
81


<<

<< These can be a pain, as some of them don't use the standard wiring system.

If it uses the standard system, the colors should be:

Green -- Red -- Yellow -- Black (if using 2 pair cable)

OR

White/Blue -- Blue/White -- White/Orange -- Orange/White (if using 3 pair cable or above)
>>


So looking into the jack, with the tab to the top, the wires would be green - red - yellow - black, from left to right?
>>



Yep, I think so... it's hard for me to picture it, as it's been a while. Try it, and if it doesn't work, try it reversed.

You can't hurt anything by just trying. The worst that will happen is that it won't work. :)
 

Tripleshot

Elite Member
Jan 29, 2000
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If you have a 3 pair or 4 pair cable feeding the jack, the norm is the white blue/blue white is the primary pair for voice. if two phones where in the house, the orange white/white orange would be the seconadary phone line wired to the same place as the blue white/white blue.. wire it that way and plig in the phone. if you have dial tone you're on the tright track. If you can break dial tone(IE: dial) then you are set. If you cannot break dial tone,reverse the leads and try again. That is a poliarity issue. You should then have dial tone and be able to dial.

That is a generic way of looking at it. Etched on to the phone jack is usually a diagram that says what color goes where. Red/green is a phone pair from the wall,and yellow/ black is a phone pair. If that is the type of wire you have, then the red/green would connect to where the white blue/blue white would connect.

I hope that helps. I'm an ol' tip and ringer myself.;)
 

olds

Elite Member
Mar 3, 2000
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This jack snaps into the wall plate and has no diagram. Just 4 bare "pins" that the phone cord locks into.