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AR15.COM
8/30/2025 11:58:00 AM EDT
Just wondering if I can replace old phone jacks so I can have some hard line connections thru the house. How many wires in a cat 6 line?
8/30/2025 12:58:33 PM EDT
[Last Edit: ske714][Edited] [#1]
8 wires in ethernet cable, but only 4 are used for ethernet.  A lot of homes were wired with only 4 conductors for phone.  You can make it work, if you wire it correctly.  It's certainly not rated for it, but I had solid gigabit ethernet running all over my previous house on cat 3 phone wire.  It will work fine over shorter distances.
9 lives - 9 pellets... Coincidence?
8/30/2025 12:59:56 PM EDT
[#2]
Possibly but likely not.

There are 4 twisted pairs in cat5 or cat6. If you have a newer home they may all feed back to a panel, likely in a closet. If the wire is cat5 or 6 and it does feed back as home runs to a panel you likely have some options.

If the home is older and the wire is looped through or only two or three pairs you are likely SOL.
8/30/2025 7:42:44 PM EDT
[#3]
A place I worked at 27 years ago had a pre-existing phone line based network, and we re-purposed it by crimping on new jacks.  At best it could support 100Mbps over short distances with minimal interference.
8/31/2025 12:00:26 AM EDT
[#4]
My house is wired with regular blue cat5 cable to phone jacks in each room. 4 wires used, 4 wires twisted off. I've been swapping them out for ethernet plugs, figure I'll end up in a closet at some point. There's even one behind the TV I can loop to the modem.

2005 custom build for a doctor. Lots of weird/nice stuff hidden around.

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