The process to install a new telephone jacks depends on the type of wiring and the type of jack being used in the project or your home. Many newer homes are wired with CAT5E or CAT6 cable instead of the older CAT3 or RJ-11 cable, so use this as a base for research when considering telephone jack installation.
What's in the Cables?
The actual wire inside of these cables is identical. All three utilize 24-gauge copper wire. The difference is in how many wires there are in each cable and how they are paired. RJ-11 and CAT3 cables have two pairs or four wires total, and CAT5E or CAT6 have four pairs or eight wires each. CAT5E and CAT6 are also unique in that their pairs are twisted around each other, which helps provide some insulation to keep foreign signals out.
The wires contained inside of the jacket of the main cable are paired using a striped and solid format. The striped wires have a white stripe and a solid color which matches their solid-colored counterpart in an installation.
Choosing the Right Jack
Nearly any phone jack can be used in an installation, but CAT5E jacks have become the standard. By using CAT5 jacks you are future-proofing the jack. Installation of CAT5E cables will also allow you to wire in up to four phone lines through one port and ensure that the jack can be converted over to a data port in the future.
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