2torial #0877:
Learn2 Install a Second Phone Line (continued)

Install a new jack (optional)

If you want your new phone to be in a room where there's no current jack, you'll have to install one. This step describes wiring a new one-line jack for only line 2, leaving the existing circuit for line 1 intact.

Before you start, disconnect the outside line(s) from the test jack(s) in the NID.

Measure the distance. Starting from the existing jack nearest your new jack location, determine the path the connecting phone cable will take. Measure each part of the path to determine how much cable to buy.

Connect the T2 and R2 wires. Make sure the NID and the jacks up the circuit from the new jack are wired for the second phone line (see Step 3 and Step 5).

Run the new cable. Attach outgoing T2 and R2 wires from your new piece of cable to the T2 and R2 terminals in the nearest existing jack. Using cable staples every few inches (8 to 10 centimeters), secure the cable along the route you measured to the new jack location. Note: Be careful to hammer in the staples around the wire, not through it. The staple point can damage the wire and break the phone connection.

Attach the new jack. Using the hardware that came with your new jack, mount the jack's base to the wall or baseboard. Feed the incoming cable into the back of the jack and connect the T2 and R2 wires to the T1 and R1 terminals (these are the active terminals on your new, single-line jack).

Note: If you want your new jack to host line 1 as well as line 2, you will have to connect the new cable's T1 and R1 wires at both ends, and install a new two-line jack. If you want to continue the circuit for either line 1 or line 2, you will have to run a new outgoing cable from the new jack to the next jacks in line. Remember, if you wire a jack for both lines, you'll need a jack adapter to access them.

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