Combine 2 phone lines into 1 port - Multi-line 2 port phone

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Sep 04, 2004 Posts: 1

If you've ever needed to connect a Vonage device to a multi-line telephone look no further. I have drafted a few diagrams, displayed below, explaining how to do so. You can connect 2 - 4 seperate lines (that's 2 - 4 seperate phone numbers) to a 2 ported 4 line telephone using 1 wire from your Vonage device/s. These are the type of phones that use 1 port for 2 lines eg: Port labeled Lines 1+2.

Nevermind ugly adaptors that are bulky, don't fit your phone properly and can easily damage your phones ports. All you need are the following tools/supplies, 10-15 minutes and the diagram/s below.

CAT5e ethernet cable (Open ended) - This is your phone wire.
RJ-11 Crimper - To attach connectors to the wire.
RJ-11 Connectors - For plugging into ports.
Electrical tape - To cap off exposed wire.
Diagrams - Explain wiring scheme.

Enjoy!

D.Marrero@gmail.com

Wiring Scheme

2 into 1

4 into 1

Posts: 176

Is it possible to use a line one/line two breakout adapter such as the one displayed in the hard wiring FAQ?

For example, if I use an ordinary 2-wire modular cable from my house wiring (connected to verizon) and connect it to line 1 on athe adapter, and use another ordinary 2-wire modular cable from my Vonage box to line 2 on the adapter, can I then use an ordinary 4-wire cable from the line1+2 on the adapter to the line1/line 2 input on the 2 line phone?

The reason I am asking is because I need the base station of my new 2 line cordless expandable phone system in a location where there is no jack, and I only want to run 1 cable from the location of the phone jack and Vonage adapter top this remote location. (My house doesn't lend itself well to the cordless phone systems unless I put the base station in this remote and inconvenient location, and use expansion handsets in all the rooms.)

Posts: 4694 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4694

Yes, what you describe should work fine.

Posts: 176 · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:53 pm Post subject:

Steve48 wrote:

Yes, what you describe should work fine.

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, this scheme of mine did not work. I'm back to two long wires.

Posts: 4694 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4694

Hmm. It should have worked. What went wrong?

Were the patch cords that you used to connect the house wiring to L1 on the adapter and to connect the Vonage box to L2 on the adapter nice expensive ones or the cheap kind with just 2 conductors in each (which I think you meant when you said 2-wire)? If you used the good ones, try using cheap ones. The procedure you describe should make the connections that you want, but if you're using fully populated patch cords it will also connect Vonage to line 2 on the house wiring. That's fine if house line 2 is disconnected from everything else, but it may not be.

Posts: 176 · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 8:33 pm Post subject:

Steve48 wrote:

Hmm. It should have worked. What went wrong?

Were the patch cords that you used to connect the house wiring to L1 on the adapter and to connect the Vonage box to L2 on the adapter nice expensive ones or the cheap kind with just 2 conductors in each (which I think you meant when you said 2-wire)? If you used the good ones, try using cheap ones. The procedure you describe should make the connections that you want, but if you're using fully populated patch cords it will also connect Vonage to line 2 on the house wiring. That's fine if house line 2 is disconnected from everything else, but it may not be.

I used a 2-wire cable to the wall outlet (Verizon) and a 2-wire cable to the Vonage box, then a 4-wire cable to the telephone. I got Verizon on line 1, but nothing on line 2 which should have been Vonage. When I swapped line 1 to Vonage and line 2 to Verizon, I still got only line 1. I tried swapping and exchanging cables, but no joy.

Back to the drawing board!