[net.consumers] home telephone wiring

ken@hrpd3.UUCP (K.COCHRAN) (08/16/85)

I am having a house built, and am planning to do the wiring
for the telephones myself. Does anyone know where I can get
the necessary materials, instructions etc inexpensively!

Also does anyone have any suggestions of things I might build
into the house that would be useful later on ( eg conduit for
stereo wires etc )

Any helpful suggestions will be gratefully received.
			Thanks,
				Ken Cochran	hr1ar!ken
						hrpd3!ken

rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) (08/17/85)

[]
If I were you I would check with the local phone company before I
went too far in doing it myself. Some years ago a NJBell
installer told me they (the installers) would refuse to work on
any phones in a home not wired by them. Of course this was long before
divestiture, but to check would not hurt.  I know another lad who
had quite a time with NJB over the same thing even though he used
WeCo parts and followed all the right practices more religiously than
real telco installers do. Lets hope those days are gone forever.

-- 

"It's the thought, if any, that counts!"  Dick Grantges  hound!rfg

brown@nicmad.UUCP (08/19/85)

In article <284@hrpd3.UUCP> ken@hrpd3.UUCP (K.COCHRAN) writes:
>
>I am having a house built, and am planning to do the wiring
>for the telephones myself. Does anyone know where I can get
>the necessary materials, instructions etc inexpensively!

As for wire, cheap 2 pair is available from Radio Shack, etc.
But, I would suggest that you go to a local telephone supplier and
get 4 pair wire and loop that throughout the house.  24 guage wire will do.

As for instructions, check to local book stores, they may have something
on wiring phones.  I learned phone wiring from practical experience.
If you so desire, I can tell you via e-mail what wire colors go where.
Let me know.
-- 

Mr. Video   {seismo!uwvax!|!decvax|!ihnp4}!nicmad!brown

heneghan@ihu1m.UUCP (Joe Heneghan) (08/19/85)

> I am having a house built, and am planning to do the wiring
> for the telephones myself. Does anyone know where I can get
> the necessary materials, instructions etc inexpensively!

You can buy wiring materials almost anywhere including your
local AT&T phone store. The directions are on the back of the
package when you buy from AT&T and the quality is generally
better.

> Also does anyone have any suggestions of things I might build
> into the house that would be useful later on ( eg conduit for
> stereo wires etc )

 My neighbor wired his stereo so he had speakers in his living
room on the first floor and the stereo itself and speakers in
the basement before the drywall was installed. Radio Shack sells
wall plates and such connectors if desired. You may also want to
install your TV/FM antenna at this time.
 
					Joe Heneghan

ed@mtxinu.UUCP (Ed Gould) (08/20/85)

In article <1304@hound.UUCP> rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) writes:
>[]
>If I were you I would check with the local phone company before I
>went too far in doing it myself. Some years ago a NJBell
>installer told me they (the installers) would refuse to work on
>any phones in a home not wired by them. Of course this was long before
>divestiture, but to check would not hurt.  I know another lad who
>had quite a time with NJB over the same thing even though he used
>WeCo parts and followed all the right practices more religiously than
>real telco installers do. Lets hope those days are gone forever.

Around here, at least, the situation is now this:  All of the wiring
within the house is the property of the homeowner (the telco-installed
wiring *used* to belong to the telco - they charged for installing it,
but not for ownership; in preparation for divestiture they *gave* all
the wiring to the owners of the buildings), and it's the homeowner's
responsibility to ensure that it works, i.e. they'll charge for repairing
it if the wiring is found to be at fault - they may even charge for
the time to locate the problem.

As far as recommendations go, I suggest wiring with the largest number
of pairs you can afford.  25-pair cable is common and will probably
hold you for a long time.  The telco folks will know how to deal with it,
since it's a common phone item.  Whatever wires they don't use, ou can use
for whatever you want - intercom buzzers, low-voltage lighting, etc.

I'd also wire the *entire* house with TV coax - from some central point
(in a closet somewhere that will have space for equipment and work
at a later date) to every place in the house that you might want either
a TV or stereo.  Then, if you hook up to cable, or just want to distrubute
the signal from your own antenna, you'll have the wiring in place.

Wire for stereo speakers isn't a bad idea either, but if you like the kind
of wire I do you can't afford to do much with it.  If you'll be considering
remote speakers, either in a less-than-best-sound configuration (or you're
one of those folks who thinks that I'm crazy to spend all my money on
speaker wire) then do it.  Be sure to use heavy enough wire - 14 gauge
at least, maybe 12 gauge.

-- 
Ed Gould                    mt Xinu, 2910 Seventh St., Berkeley, CA  94710  USA
{ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!ed   +1 415 644 0146

"A man of quality is not threatened by a woman of equality."

ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (08/22/85)

> 
> I am having a house built, and am planning to do the wiring
> for the telephones myself. Does anyone know where I can get
> the necessary materials, instructions etc inexpensively!
> 
ATT will go out of their way to help you.  You can always pick
up the advice there and then go to radio shack or some discount
hardware store for the material.

-Ron