(this page is basic stuff -- click for more detailed info)

     FAQ #703:
     Can I install a phone system?

       The one-word answer is "probably."

Phase One: Installing Wire,
the "Brute Work"

CLICK for our power tools

This part of the installation requires no particular electronics experience, just some muscle, patience and common sense; and the ability to use tools like drills and staple guns, and maybe "snakes." It's often easier if you have a helper, even a 12-year-old helper. If the 12-year-old has X-ray vision, you stand a better chance of not drilling into water pipes. You have to install wires from each phone location to a central point where the control unit ("KSU") will be located. You might be lucky enough to inherit wire from a previous phone installation, that can save you blood, sweat, tears, time and money.

Whether you are installing new wire or re-using existing wire, it must be in a "home-run" configuration (what computer people call "star topography"), with a direct path from each phone jack to the control unit. In residential construction, "loop-through" wiring is more common, where the circuit passes from one jack to another and another. If you have a loop-through arrangement, you can change some of the connections to reconfigure one or more jacks as home-runs.

If the wire is going into a house or commercial building that already has walls, you'll probably end up with a combination of concealed and exposed wire. In a home, it's common to run wire in attics and basements. In an office, it usually goes above the ceiling tiles. If the space above the tiles is a "plenum" for the building's heating and cooling system, you will need wire with Teflon or similar insulation. It's more expensive than normal vinyl insulation, and a real PITA to work with.

If the system is going to be in a newly-constructed building or a place where there is extensive renovation going on, it's much easier to install the phone wire BEFORE the walls are closed up -- at the same time that the electrical contractor is installing the electrical wiring. You might want to pay the electrical contractor or alarm guy to install the phone wiring, too. Typical charge for this work, before the walls are closed up, is $25 to $50 per jack.

the real thing: look closely!

Make sure you or whomever you hire uses REAL phone wire, not just some randomly-selected multi-conductor wire that happens to be in the back of the truck. The wire should be 24-gauge, "twisted-pair," category 3 (sometimes called "level" 3). Category 5 or 6 wire, which is normally used in computer networks, will also work fine. It is usually more expensive, and a bit harder to use because the wire pairs are twisted together more tightly; but if you have some around or can get a good deal on it, use it. If your electrical contractor says something like "don't worry, wire is wire," walk away, QUICKLY. The traditional four-conductor wire (green, red, black, yellow) is no longer considered adequate. It should not be used in new installations, but if there is some already in place, it'll probably be OK to re-use.

If you are replacing an older "electromechanical" phone system that used 25-pair cable, we can provide adapters that will allow you to put modular plugs into the existing "Amphenol" connectors. You can also simply cut off the connectors and attach standard modular jacks to the old cable.
 

Phase Two: Connecting things to the wires.
You'll need good eyes and hands.

Are you a stripper or a crusher?

Wire in Jack	Wire in Wall	NOTE: Some wire has stripes on only half of each pair. For example, you may find a solid blue wire mated with a white wire with blue stripes. CLICK for more on wire color codes.
green	white with blue stripes
red	blue with white stripes
black	white with orange stripes
yellow	orange with white stripes

Make sure that the wires are looped securely around each screw, between the washers, and not caught in the screw threads. Don't remove any more than a minimum amount of insulation, and watch out for short circuits (one bare wire touching two screws, or another bare wire). 

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	"Punch-down tool" attaches wires to 66-block.	Punch-down tool punching down. Mark Henrichs photo
"66-block" connects control unit to wires coming from phone jacks
(top-left) AbleComm's custom-made Versa-Block gives you the choice of punching-down or plugging-in, with Panasonic D308 and D1232 systems, and the expansion module on the D816. We also have custom-made blocks for the Panasonic KX-TA624 and KX-TAW848, and we have custom-made patch panels for all Panasonic phone systems. CLICK

The KX-TD1232 and KX-TA1232 control units and the KX-TD308 use "66-type punch-down blocks" and "25-pair  connectorized cables" to connect to the wires coming from the individual telephone jacks. With a traditional terminal block, you'll need a punch-down tool to attach the wires coming from the phone jack. This is the "professional" method. We can also supply a terminal block with integral modular jacks, so the entire system can be snapped-together. This method is not as flexible, but doesn't require any special tools or expertise.

The digital 816 control unit has modular jacks for the first eight (or 16) phones. The expansion module for eight (or 16) more phones has a 25-pair Amphenol-type connector.

more about the connections

Phone system programming should really be thought of as two processes: customizing (selecting from hundreds of possible options, such as ringing patterns and toll restriction, to make the system work properly for you) and inputting (dumping in data, such as numbers for automatic dialing and names for Caller ID).

Your system should work just fine, right-out-of-the box, with no programming changes at all. You'll probably want to set the date and time and a few basic options at first, and gradually customize and optimize the system over several weeks, months and years.

We're here to help you!

When you buy a phone system from AbleComm, you're starting a relationship, not just making a purchase. We'll provide hand-holding via phone, email or fax; and there's no charge for the help!