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Hi all,
Building a new home and am running a phone line in almost every room of the house (read: I only need one phone line in the house, but I don’t want to run across the house when the phone rings). I’ve already “home run” all the phone lines into one location in the basement, now it is time to tie it all together. I understand that since it does take a minimum voltage to ring a phone, I may not have that since I am asking this low voltage to power so many lines/phones. Any suggestions as to 1. how many phones I can have on 1 line 2. is there an amplifier available to boost the voltage drop 3. is there a web site like this one for electric that I could seek advice on? Thanks as always.
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BellSouth told me that they power the lines for up to four phones. Wanted more than that, plus had analogous concerns w/ cable, so used a system from UStec (http://www.ustecnet.com/product.htm). Many alternatives to this, including at http://www.smarthome.com/. But really happy w/ what I have, meaning...everything just works and I don't have to think about it.
*Cal,As long as the ringer equivilency(sp) does not exceed 5 you can have as many phones as you want. Values are on the phones. Just turn some ringers off.KK
*kk,Thanks for the inputs. Everytime I have a problem, an answer comes up in less than an hour. This forum is waaaaaaay cool. Thanks again.Cal
*A cheaper and more flexible way yet is to get a 900MHz, Digital Spread spectum portable phone. Put wall jacks in for your computer and maybe somewhere else in the house, rest is on the portable. It is secure, cheap and flexible with no additional wiring or ringer equivalency questions. If you already have the wires run then just don't plug any phones into them. This is what I've done and I've got unneeded wall jacks everywhere, even the bathroom cause I only use the portable phone.
*FredBAh, but what if you're on first floor and the cordless is upstairs somewhere? Unless you carry the cordless in your pocket.... you aren't near a phone. I can't seem to find those comm-badges I see on Star Trek.....Phil
*The best way to do this is with homerun wiring and then a 110 connection block. (www.hometech.com and look for part # 47689110, look in the index under headend equipment).I just wired my home with Cat 5 wire to 9 rooms including my garage, etc. At the distribution panel I used one of the 110 punchdown blocks (I actually used 2 of them). You just punchdown the 4 wires (8 for Cat-5) from the outside line into the appropriate slots (you need a 110 punch tool - I just bought the 110 blade without the handle, part # HA-10176000). Then you connect each rooms wire to punchdown block. All 9 of my phones work fine.
*Fred, What do you do in a power outage? How do you call them and let them know?
*Amy,A) That's what neighbors are for. :)B) I thought about that when we put in a phone hub that uses electricity. So we have a cheapo regular phone that we can plug it outside at the service connection box. Even fancy technologies sometimes need a cheap backup!
*Well yes I do carry the phone with me. In a power outage I generally use my cell phone. But I understand there are models that have backup batteries in them because in an outage the phone system still works for everything except the ringer in your house.But I offered the alternative just to give Cal something else to think about. It is a valid option. But like all options it isn't perfect.
*Speaking of cordless phones, which have come a long way -We have a Panansonic Giga-Range model 900-mhz phone which is very compact. Works great with excellent range and clarity and it can be clipped on. But no way we're getting a headset - have to draw the line somewhere.As a backup, there are several conventional phones that would work during power outages.(We've come to take this for granted, but I can't recall ever being out of phone service, even during severe summer and winter storms that knocked out power for several days.)I'm getting ready to install a punch block and clean up the wiring with new Cat-5 cables. (Which I'm sure will soon have to be changed to optical cable.) And a cable dude recently told me to run RG-6 cables in the house, which they would gladly provide for free.By the way, punch down tool prices have dropped dramatically and can be had for around $20 - $25 compared to $70 - $100 from several years ago.The blocks are cheap and is a great way to get your wires organized with great flexibility for making changes in the future.
*Cat 5? RG-6? Fiber? I have no idea what I'll need where in the future. So, the solution I'm going with is plenty of empty conduit and boxes (with pull lines in them). That way I can close up the walls, and pull in what I need when I need it.-- J.S.
*FredB & other thoughts on phones:1. Since when does a ringer not work if the power is off? Only in the case of a line powered external bell that Ma Bell used to install for an extra fee. Phone systems were in place before power systems.2. Are you single? If not the one cordless phone will not be a solution for the other members of the family that have to track you down to send or receive calls. 3. In the boonies cell phones are unreliable. Here in a very populated part of VA cell phone operation inside my house is very spotty ( both on one cellular system and one digital system!). Not something I would rely on.4. Who wants to walk to a neighbors house at midnight in the rain, snow or icy conditions to report power outages?5. When running wire for a fancy phone system, just run wire to a jack inside the house at a nice spot so you can use a simple phone when the power is off. Who wants to go outside in bad weather to answer or use the phone? Sounds like a return to Green Acres.6. Always have one plain phone plugged in somewhere in the house so you will be able to know you have a call even if you are unaware the power is off, such as when you are sleeping. Maybe it's your boss wanting to know why you aren't at work. Also, this way you don't have to search around the house for where you put the plain phone and plug it in so you can call the power company.7. How do you charge the cell phone battery when the power is off? I know, you go for a drive...8. There is one good thing about cordless phones and lightning. You can talk on the cordless phone during a thunder storm with out the fear of lightning comming through the wire to your head. Just remember the other person may be on a wire phone.9. If a person is elderly, make sure a phone can be reached if they have fallen, i.e. not just one wall phone mounted high in the kitchen. Bathroom phone is nice, but mounted low like in hotels.Just some ideas for thought.Frank DuVal
*Phil, I've found that the best thing to do when the phone rings, no matter how near or far I am from it, is to ignore it. It's just somebody calling to complicate my life....Andy
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Hi all,
Building a new home and am running a phone line in almost every room of the house (read: I only need one phone line in the house, but I don't want to run across the house when the phone rings). I've already "home run" all the phone lines into one location in the basement, now it is time to tie it all together. I understand that since it does take a minimum voltage to ring a phone, I may not have that since I am asking this low voltage to power so many lines/phones. Any suggestions as to 1. how many phones I can have on 1 line 2. is there an amplifier available to boost the voltage drop 3. is there a web site like this one for electric that I could seek advice on? Thanks as always.