Hello,

I have a telephone wiring question.

First, the background. This is where I am now:

There is a primitive looking patch panel in my basement, about 38
years old, to which all my phone wiring is attached. There are
six rows and six columns of pincers in the panel. I believe that
the rows form three pairs. To connect phones to one circuit you
might, for example, connect all of the desired phones (up to six
of them) to the bottom and next to bottom rows of pincers. Up to
six phones can be connected to one phone number line, each pair
of wires from one of the six going to a different pair of
connection pincers on the patch panel.

I've used one of the rows for a VOIP line. The connection to the
world phone network is managed via a Telephone Access Device
(TAD) wired via an ethernet connection into my wifi router, which
in turn goes to a modem wired to a Comcast coaxial cable that
carries the Internet. The TAD has a simple phone wire with RJ11
connectors, one of which goes to the phone wall plate and another
to the TAD. Five other phone connectors attach to the same row
pair in the patch panel and they all share access to VOIP via the
one wire that goes from the wall to the TAD, and from there on to
the router, the modem, and the Internet.

Second, what I'm trying to do.

I am switching from Comcast cable to Verizon FIOS Internet. It's
a lot cheaper and I only need the Internet, not the TV carried by
either Comcast or Verizon packages. To do that, without running
cables from one end of the house to the other (admittedly, that's
an option), I have to place the router close to the location of
the Verizon Optical Network Terminal (in my basement) and also
close to a wall outlet on the first floor for the phone system.

One way to do that is to rewire a telephone connection wall plate
near the ONT to switch it from the land line to the row of
connections to the VOIP line.

Third, the problem.

So far so good, but the patch panel connections are full. I have
either to remove one of the wire pairs from the panel, and place
the new pair in its place, or else connect two pairs of wires to
the same pair of connections in the patch panel.

The questions:

Can I place two pairs of wires on the same pair of connectors in
the patch panel? Are there any downsides to that? Will it work
as well as disconnecting one of the patch panel pincer pairs from
its current wall plate and using it for the new one?

Thanks.

Alan