Twisted Pair Cable

I think I'm going to bite the bullet and do a little phone rewiring at home.

The plan is to remove all the old extensions and wiring (which goes all over the place), and leave just a single extension in a corner of the lounge, about 3 metres from the BT master socket. This extension will be the new location for both my DECT phone, and ADSL router.

What I want to know is, where do i get twisted pair cable from? I keep reading about this being the best cable to use, but not sure how to get it.

Had a look at the Solwise website, and found 2-pair cable in the telecoms sundries. Is the right stuff?

ADSLNation sell it. I bought 50m from the local ScrewFix store for about �15. Local electrical wholesaler did it for �40 for 305m.

The 2PR cable on http://www.solwise.co.uk/telesun-telephone-cable.htm at 22p per metre is fine, it has the twists you want.

www.adslnation.com is another source but more expensive, but check on costs of postage.

NOTE: If any of this cable is outside, or subject to lots of direct sun, e.g. conservatory using external grade will give a longer life span.

Dont forget your Krohn tool for inserting the wire into connectors

Look for CW1308 (BT specification, twisted pair cable) , or you can use CAT5 cable (solid core)
Maplins sell both or larger B&Q often sell CAT5

Isn't CAT5 network cable? Sorry, I'm a bit naiive about cabling, I must admit.

Thanks Andrew. I'll definitely remember the punch tool too!

Cheers Ian. I'll have a look at ADSLnation as well.

Yes, and its more than suitable for phone extensions, particularly if you run xDSL over it.

We have three types of twisted pair cable.

CW1308
This cable is the cheapest option and is essentially the same specification as the cable that runs all the way from the exchange, the only difference being this is for internal use only. It is quite a thin cable that looks pretty much like any normal telephone cable that you probably already have and therefore doesn't stand out.

Pro+ Installation cable
Slightly thicker than CW1308 but white outer sheath means it won't look ugly if put around a skirting board. It has the advantage of having a thicker grade of copper and shielding to further reduce the potential interference.

CAT5e
Primarily intended for Network applications, it can quite happily be used for ADSL extensions but is not the ideal solution in most cases as it is quite thick having 4 pairs and is a sort of grey/beige colour that you would probably want to hide under to floor or something.

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Dont forget your Krohn tool for inserting the wire into connectors

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Is that similar to a Krone tool, Andrew ?

Very similar, but what they are called on Mars

Also (and these are easily forgotten) Cable clips to suit.

Hi

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Pro+ Installation cable
Slightly thicker than CW1308 but white outer sheath means it won't look ugly if put around a skirting board. It has the advantage of having a thicker grade of copper and shielding to further reduce the potential interference.

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To note, from what I understand the screening will make things worse unless it is grounded correctly at both ends, and is overkill for the majority of people.

Regards

Phil

The screening won't make things worse, although not as useful as it would have been if grounded it still makes a difference. Try putting your mobile phone in a baked bean tin and see how well the signal works.

Hi

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The screening won't make things worse, although not as useful as it would have been if grounded it still makes a difference. Try putting your mobile phone in a baked bean tin and see how well the signal works.

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My mobile phone works just fine in a tin.

We are talking different frequencies for a start. The screen without earthing at both ends acts just like an antenna, it picks up radio waves of the AM variety but with nowhere for them to go they are transferred to the wires running in it! For the sort of frequencies ADSL runs at the screen isn't much use unless it is grounded.

When you consider the telephone cable has travelled perhaps thousands of meters being completely unscreened in bog standard bundles of cheap and cheerful telephone cable, just what different will a few meters of correctly terminated screened cable make, not a lot.

Regards

Phil

Edited by deleted (Fri 13-Jun-08 22:14:10)

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My mobile phone works just fine in a tin.

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Ahh, but you cheated - you took the baked beans out first !

Seriously though, you are correct. If the screen isn't grounded, at those sort of frequencies, it can quite easily re-radiate the signal, and therefore be about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

Edited by deleted (Sat 14-Jun-08 08:17:01)

So just stick with bog standard twisted pair then?

I would use good quality twisted pair cable. If you are running it where noise pickup could be a problem (i.e. alongside power or alarm cables over more than a couple of meter distance), then I would consider using Cat5 (just use one pair), because it has more twists, but the cable has to be solid copper core, whatever you use.

A far better solution is what I always advise - use a filtered master socket - connect your router directly to the ADSL output on that, and then use Cat5 ethernet to all your computers. All extensions go to the filtered side of the socket, and you won't need any other filters in the house for the phone extensions.

Thanks Zebedee.

The cable won't be alongside any existing cabling of any sort.

Agreed, plugging the router into a filtered master, with a run of Cat5e to the office would be ideal. Just not sure how the missus will like having network cable run all the way over and up teh house to the box bedroom!!!

I think I'll stick with the original plan of a new cable run to a convenient location, whilst removing all the old cable. That sould leave me a cable run which simply goes up and over one door frame, and through the wall.

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Agreed, plugging the router into a filtered master, with a run of Cat5e to the office would be ideal. Just not sure how the missus will like having network cable run all the way over and up teh house to the box bedroom!!!

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There is another alternative - use Homeplug or Devolo adaptors to use your mains wiring to carry the network data.

Funny you should say that. I am considering using homeplug from the router to my PC. Then I can just have the wireless network for web surfing on my laptop.

Homeplugs are Great. It's Official.

(read my many, many tedious posts on the topic...)

Seems to be the perfect solution. A pair of Homeplugs, router plugged into a new extension fed by twisted pair cable and HID is happy cos I haven't ruined the newly painted rooms with ethernet cable.

Andrew,

I've just had a little brain fart. I could (if I'm feeling really brave) run another extension from the new point I'm replacing in the lounge. It would run along the skirting board, and then I'd take it outside, up, and back inside to the box bedroom above the lounge to where my PC sits. If I did this, I'd definitely need the external grade twisted pair cable. Any idea where I could buy that?

Kev.

http://www.adslnation.com/phpapps/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=123
There of course will be other places you can buy it.

Internal cable if inside a black pipe would normally be OK for a short run.