How to wire a telephone jack

EDIT Color codes can be found HERE 

If you are able to wire speakers to your stereo system, you have the skills to install a telephone jack.

1-Purchase quality wire and jacks. You can use either CAT3 (voice grade) or CAT5 (data grade) UTP (unshielded twisted pair). Do NOT use any other type of wire, as it was not designed to carry voice communications, and may pick up interference.

2- Gather your tools and materials. You will need the following tools:
screw drivers (flat & phillips)
wire cutters (electricians scissors recommended)
wire stripper
T-18 or T-25 wire stapler and staples
1/4" - 3/8" diameter by 18" long drill bit
1/4" drill bit for plastic anchors if needed
drill (if going thru masonry a hammer drill is recommended)
wire coat hanger straightened out.

3- Once you have your supplies, and tools together you want to do a walk thru to see where you will run your telephone cable. If you are able to snake up the wall to the attic, basement, or crawl space, this would be the most "hidden" way to run your wire. Keep in mind, the best option is to run wire from each jack to a single point, but it is acceptable to go from one jack to another.

4- Once you have the route you want the wire to be run drill all of your holes that the wire will pass thru. You do NOT want to run the wire thru a doorway, you should drill a hole for the wire between each doorway.

5- With all of your holes drilled you can now pull your wire. It is preferred you leave the box of wire at the common point where all of the wiring will come to. Pass your wiring thru all of the holes you just drilled.

6- Once your wire is pulled, and still slack (not stapled to the wall yet) determine exactly where you want to place the jack. remove the cover from the jack and connect the blue/white wire to the green terminal of the jack, the solid blue wire to the red terminal of the jack, and if you are wiring your jack for 2 lines you can also connect the orange/white to the yellow terminal of the jack, and the solid orange to the black terminal of the jack, if you are only wiring for a single line you do not need to connect anything to the black/yellow terminals on the jack. leave 3-6 inches slack of wire rolled inside the jack for future repairs, or additions.


7- Once the jack is wired, install it onto the wall. If you are using plastic anchors, put the jack against the wall, and with a pencil mark the screw holes, take the jack down, drill 1/4" hole for the anchors (dont drill too deep) push the anchors in with your hand, then tap them all the way into the wall with the back of your screwdriver, then screw the jack onto the wall, and put the cover on the jack.

8- Starting from the jack begin to staple the wire, use the length of the stapler as a guide as to how far to space the staples. double up on staples around corners and bends. Pull some slack from the box if you need more wire..

9- Once you stapled the wire all the way up to the common point of where all your inside wiring is going to (ideally at the NID) then you can connect everything to your dial tone. If connecting to the NID connect the blue/white wires to the red/green wires of the dial tone for line 1, and the orange/white to the green/red terminals for the dial tone of line 2

For more complicated wiring, such as wiring VoIP to existing wiring, while using DRY/NAKED DSL for your broadband provider email me at nyphonejacks@yahoo.com for assistance.

If wiring VoIP to existing inside wire and jacks, you MUST go to the NID and disconnect the wiring going to the telephone pole or terminal or you may damage your equiptment, or have troubles with your service.