Whole House Wiring

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 2

I use to have Verizon Telephone service with DSL. I do not have a designated DSL line. When I signed up with VOIP I had to get a dry loop through Verizon. I am in the process of trying to figure out how to use the other jacks in my house. My DSL connect is upstairs and I need have access to the jacks on the bottom floors because I have satelitte tv and an alarm system. Could someone give me some guidance on what to do. The jack upstairs is a double line jack. The second line was separate from my home telephone it was used as a business line at one time. Can I use the second line to power the rest of my jacks?

Posts: 4751 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4751

Yes, you probably can. Most jacks in house wiring are two line jacks. If your wiring is standard, then the DSL is probably on line 1 at all the jacks. If that's the case, then you could use line 2 for Vonage.

However, what I would do in your place is switch the DSL to line 2. Then I'd use line 1 for the Vonage phones on all jacks. That way you can use a regular phone to plug into any jack without splitters or other work arounds that you would need to access line 2.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Dec 13, 2006 Posts: 2

i spoke to someone who suggested that I switch line 1 pair with the line 2 pair at the NIU box. Do you know how I can make sure I have the right feed for my DSL and other jacks in the house

Posts: 4751 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4751

Generally it's done by color. In the old standard, line 1 is the red and green pair and line 2 is the yellow and black pair. In the new standard, line 1 is the blue and blue/white pair and line 2 is the orange and orange/white pair. You should confirm this by opening a wall jack and seeing which wires are connecte to line 1 and line 2 on the jack.

Then go to the NIU. If your wires are the old color, switch red with yellow and green with black. That should get your DSL connected to line 2 instead of line 1. Similarly using the new standard. Confirm by verifying that your DSL hookup no longer works by just plugging it into the wall. Then plug a line 1/line 2 splitter into the wall and verify that your DSL works by plugging it into the line 2 port on the splitter. Now you should be safe plugging your Vonage box directly into a wall jack using a standard phone cord.