Adding a Second Phone Line
Upgrade your phone system without shelling out big bucks to the phone
company

by Tim Snyder




In This Article



Pick Your Spots
Test Your Work
Adding an Independent Line
Extending a Line
Common Problems, Easy Answers
Where to Find It

Related Articles



Suppressing the Surge
An Able Cable
Electrical Upgrades, Part 1
Future-proof Wiring


Homeowners rarely attempt to work on their own phone
system — but they should. Projects such as installing a new line are
fairly easy to do, the work is relatively safe, and you probably have
most of the tools on hand. Best of all, you can save yourself a
bundle. In many areas, you pay $40 or more just to have a phone
company installer show up at your house. Then it can cost $15 to $20
for every 15 minutes the installer is there. And electricians who do
phone work aren't any cheaper.

We'll show you how to install a second phone line — not another
extension but a line with its own dedicated number. Another line comes
in handy for a home business and Internet use, and to keep your kids
from tying up the phone you use. What you learn from this project will
help you with other upgrades and repairs.

How to Add a Second Line
The first step to adding a line is to contact the local telephone
company and request a second line. The company will make the required
wiring changes at your Network Interface Device. What's a NID? It's
the junction box, usually located outside your house, where the phone
company's lines end and the wiring for your home begins. If there's no
NID at your home, the phone company will make the proper connections
at a demarcation box. You can request to have a NID installed, which
will make it easier for you to troubleshoot certain problems with your
phone wiring. Having an exterior NID also means that if the phone
company needs to do repairs or upgrades, a technician can do so
without your having to be at home.

You probably aren't aware of it, but the phone wiring in your house
can already handle two separate lines. A single line requires two
wires, or conductors. Standard residential phone cable contains two
pairs of wires, which is enough for two separate lines. The first line
is usually made up of the wires covered with red and green insulation;
the yellow and black wires serve the second line.

If you live in a newer a house or a house where new telephone cable
has been installed, you may encounter "Cat 3" or "Cat 5" cable. Both
types contain four pairs of wires — enough for four separate phone
lines. The paired wires for a single line are usually twisted
together, and they consist of a solid-color wire with a white spiral,
or tracer, and a white wire with a tracer that matches the solid
color.




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"This became a credo of mine... attempt the impossible in order to improve your work."
-- Bette Davis