How to Install a Phone Jack With 6 Wires
- 1). Locate the point where the new phone jack is to be installed, and mark it off with a pencil. Finding the nearest phone jack for your existing telephone line, measure and cut out a length of telephone cable to match the distance between your new and existing phone jacks, adding a couple of inches on each end for leeway.
- 2). Assess how you are going to install the new phone jack. If you want to install the phone jack into the wall, measure the dimensions of the new phone jack and cut a hole in the wall to fit, using a drywall saw. If you do not feel comfortable doing this or only need to install the phone jack temporarily, place the phone jack on the wall and drill holes into the wall, along with a single hole on the floor for the telephone wire, selecting a suitable drill bit to match the width of the screws supplied with the phone jack.
- 3). Strip an inch off the end of the outer insulation from the telephone wire measured earlier, using electrical pliers to reveal six smaller colored connection wires inside. Strip 1/2 inch off each of these six wires, and twist the copper ends to make them more rigid. Do this to both ends of the telephone cable.
- 4). Loosen the screws of the colored connection sockets on the back of the new phone jack. Starting with the red connection wire from one end of the telephone cable, insert the matching colored connection wire on the telephone cable, tightening the socket screw to hold the wire in place. Repeat this for the other five colored connection wires, and once all six wires are installed, gently pull the telephone wire to check that they have all been firmly secured.
- 5). Remove your existing phone jack from the wall by removing its screws. Run the telephone cable from your existing phone jack to your new phone jack. It is easier first to run a thick, rigid wire from the old jack to the new jack, tying the telephone cable to the rigid wire, then pulling the telephone wire through from the old jack, if the wire will extend behind the wall or beneath the floor.
- 6). Loosen the screws of the colored connection sockets on the back of the old phone jack and remove the existing colored connection cables. Take your new telephone cable and twist the copper of the red connection wire to the copper of the red connection wire from the old cable, creating a connection between the two wires. Place the red twisted wires into the red socket of the old phone jack and secure them in place by tightening the screw on the socket. Repeat this for the other five colors of the telephone cable, and your new phone jack is now connected to your telephone line. Again test the wires by gently pulling on the cable to check that you have a secure installation. Place the old phone jack onto the wall and tighten the screws to hold it in place.
- 7). Mount the new phone jack onto the wall using the provided screws that came with the jack. If you are installing the phone jack into the wall, first insert the bracket provided with the phone jack into the wall and then mount the phone jack on top of it. The bracket is a metal fixture that will help secure your phone jack in place, providing screw holes that match up to the phone jack. The new phone jack will now be active and can be tested by connecting a phone to the phone jack and making a call.
