Line Phone Configuration?

[DSMDenny]

A lot of good ideas coming here to help me. Next step is getting the telco guy to install the DSL switch.

Why the DSL switch? If you are going to backfeed from the OBI to the kitchen phone using an unused pair, i.e. black-yellow, you are not on the telco line at all. That would be only if you are getting rid of telco voice completely and going ONLY with VOIP. If you are keeping telco voice on the kitchen phone, why do you need to make any wiring changes at all?

Note: the pairs are not going to be red-green and black-yellow if you are using Cat 5 or 6. They use a totally different color code than in the ancient days. That's just a side note because it is easier to talk about red-green, etc since so many people know what that means.

So, do you want the kitchen phone on VOIP or on telco voice? The wiring is quite a bit different depending on that choice. Knowing that will make the recomendations much easier than speculating or trying to cover multiple senarios.

[Pedro675]

Why the DSL switch?

Just seemed like a good idea while I'm down under with CAT5 and the telco tech is doing it for free. Without switch I'd still have to use Line1/Line2 pairs. Also my understanding it will help with DSL speed.

If you are going to backfeed from the OBI to the kitchen phone using an unused pair, i.e. black-yellow, you are not on the telco line at all. That would be only if you are getting rid of telco voice completely and going ONLY with VOIP. If you are keeping telco voice on the kitchen phone, why do you need to make any wiring changes at all?

I am going total VOIP, just my test will be with both systems.

Note: the pairs are not going to be red-green and black-yellow if you are using Cat 5 or 6. They use a totally different color code than in the ancient days. That's just a side note because it is easier to talk about red-green, etc since so many people know what that means.

Yes, I understand. When I installed the original Cat5 (still can't remember why, but a long time ago) I did get all the four twisted pairs and RG lined up.

So, do you want the kitchen phone on VOIP or on telco voice?

No just VOIP after the trial. I'm going to use a Line1/Line2 splitter coming out the wall jack. Line1 (or2) will be my DSL from the switch to the router and the other out from the Obi to the other line. This is where I am a little confused.

I will have the Obi in my office with my router. The router is connected to the Obi (in) and the Obi (out) goes to the wall jack to connect all the phones in the house. But I still need a jack connection for my office portable phone base and I don't want to install another jack. That's why I thought I could use the Line1/2 splitter as it also has a Line 1 AND 2 jack. For the test I would just hook up the portable base.

Would that work?

[Almighty1]

If you have CAT 5, you should already have 8 wires or enough to do 4 different phone lines so all you need to do is disconnect the pair for voice and then the other pair for DSL remains so a DSL splitter is not even needed if that wire from the DSL modem goes directly to the telco and not any other jacks in the house.  Then all you need to do is connect the Obi to a existing phone jack or I think you can even use one of two way adapters on the wall so you can plug the existing base and the Obi into it and it should work as well. 

[Pedro675]

I just looked at the Obi device. It has a female RJ11 to connect a phone. I can plug in a splitter on the back of the Obi then one line to my cordless base and one line to the wall jack for the kitchen phone.

[Pedro675]

The telcom guy installed the DSL switch at the NID yesterday. I had to do a little crawl space rewiring but got it working. Installed a Line1/Line2 splitter at the wall jack and now have Line 2 as DSL and Line 1 as phone. It works great. There is some Cat5/POTS wiring mix right now, but I'm going to make a couple Cat6 with Rj12 lines to eliminate the POTS on the DSL circuit. The rest of the house can continue to use the POTS as that will just be phones.

I'll be ordering the OBi to do my dual system test soon.

Again, thanks for the continuing support.

[Pedro675]

Started looking at a prepaid cell phone to establish my initial phone number and service with GV. So far can
not find one without a "service plan". What can I do to get a cheap phone, single use, prepaid? Where are those throwaway phones I hear about that criminals use?