How do I connect new phone service with an existing jack?

Hi

I am renting a room in a condo in a building of condos. My new Pacbell/SBC phone service is supposedly active. In my room, the phone jack is active but the line is that of a roommate.

Down in the garage is where the external phone lines meet the internal ones. I'm not sure if it's what people are calling an m-box or a 66 or a 110-block. I have taken pictures but I guess I can't attach them to this post. There is a long plastic rectangle for each unit. There are rows of dual slots going down this rectangle where phone wires are attached.

So all I have to do is become smart enough to connect my new activated phone service with the working line that goes to my jack.

Am I better off paying the phone company $150? It looks so simple. Can someone explain what I do or point me to a webpage or post that explains it for dummies? I'm pretty tech savvy but never worked with phone stuff. I can't find instructions for this seemingly simple task. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Start by taking a look at http://phonewiring.safewatchservice.com
Then, when you have questions (I'm sure you will - no problem) check back here. But there are quite a few pics and explanations on the site that should be able to get you started. If nothing else, you will have a better understanding of how phone lines work.

Also, if you want to send me the pics you have, you can send them to brandon(at)safewatchservice.com - of course, replace the (at) with an @

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the speedy reply. Now correct me if I'm wrong but what I saw there was information on running a second line into a jack, and information on wiring new jacks and wiring whole houses, and information on alarm systems and a few other items. What I didn't see was the type of box used at my condo, nor did I see an explanation on how to get that new phone service at that box connected to the line that goes up to my jack, instead of what is currently going up there, my roommate's phone service. It seems to me I just have to understand how to move two or possibly four wires to different jumpers at that box. Forgive me if I missed the point.

 

Well, that's part of the problem - everyone wires and installs phone lines differently. It does sound as though you have a 66 block to work with. The problem is I can't really tell you how to work with it, because they can be configured a hundred different ways. Not to mention, you have more than 1 or 2 lines to deal with - you have all the neighbors to deal with too.

The point of sending you to the phonewiring site is for you to gain a better understanding of what you are looking at. Each line has 1 pair (2 conductors) running it. So, you just need to figure out which pair is your's. Once you do, you just need to figure out which pair is your jack - then just connect them.

I can't tell what to hook up without seeing it - you'll have to figure that out on your own.

I will tell you this much - this is exactly why we use fox and hound probes and butt sets to work on phone lines.

Good luck!

 

Got the pics - yep, that's definitely a 66 block. You might want to look closely at it to see if you can identify your phone line. Sometimes the tech will mark the line or the block with the phone number (or at least the last 4 digits) if you're lucky.

As for the jack, that really tells me nothing. I can say that you may get lucky and just be able to switch the blue and orange pair or something similar. But, you're probably not going to be that lucky.

If I were you, I would make a cheap butt set by getting a cheap phone and a surface mount jack, then connecting some aligator clips to it. You could do this for about $10-15. That would help you find your line. Just make sure you don't mess up someone elses line.

Good luck!

 

Hi

Okay I think I see why you had me read that now. I understand this better in conjunction with what you just said. Regarding changing wires on this 66 block, can I do this by hand, without special tools? I do have a lot of general use tools in my tool box, can you recommend what I should use, e.g., pliers and a screwdriver? And so it would also help me to open the other active jacks in the house and see what color wires are used there, right? That tip on making a cheap butt set is awesome.