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.

In reply to:

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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 ?