Running phones lines in new home, builder did not

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 24, 2004 Posts: 2

Hi,

Not sure where to post this.
Bought a new home.
I have Vonage and it will stay that way. I have 4 bedrooms upstairs that builder did not install phone lines. Only coax.

There is a phone line in the kitchen but I am not going to put the ATA in the kitchen. I really cant as there is no coax where to put the cable modem.

My question is how do i ran phone lines in all the bedrooms? I can have someone do it, but that will cost + I want to do it myself.
My question is how do I know where to find the wires in the attic? I would guess. Any ideas help appreciated. Let me know if I need to post in a different forum.

Thanks.

Posts: 63 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 63

Quote:

I have 4 bedrooms upstairs that builder did not install phone lines. Only coax.

Too bad... a real missed opportunity on a new home.

The main floor rooms are not too hard as you can drill through the bottom wall plate from the basement (unless your basement ceiling is finished.) The "upstairs bedrooms" could be a little more of a challenge. I would go into the attic and try to find the top plate of the wall you want the outlet to be on, and then drill a hole and drop a fish wire down that hole. If you can get at least 6-7 feet of the wire to "fall" into the hole, there is a good chance there are no obstructions or framing in the way... then you should be safe to cut a hole in the wall and put in a box to accommodate the outlet. After you cut the hole, you can drop in the cable, run it into a box, and install the box.

I would buy a big spool of CAT 5E cable, and make a "home run" to a good spot in your basement from each outlet, so that each outlet can be handled individually. If there is a chimney for a sewer vent stack going from the basement to the attic, this is a good place to try to find a spot to get all of your wiring to the basement.

I have done a lot of this kind of work. It is very time consuming, and you have to have patience, but if it is done right, it can be rewarding. Have a tape measure, a stud sensor, and a good fish wire, and get yourself some of those electrical boxes that you can install in the sheetrock without using a stud to fasten it to. (They have levers of them that flip out and grab the back side of the rock and hold themselves in place.) They work very well.

Good luck!

Mark

Posts: 26 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Oct 29, 2005 Posts: 26

Hi,
Why worry about wiring telephones...The simple solution is to go WIRELESS. Buy a set of phones.....you can get 1 master with an answering machine and 4 wireless units you can use anywhere. They work great, I have the Motorola MD761 model. There are many different brands to choose from.....
Have a good day.