Replace a faulty phone jack in 10 minutes.
Introduction
A dead line or static on your phone may be due to bad wall phone jack . That's something you can replace yourself in about 10 minutes, and you don't even have to worry about getting a shock. The voltage in telephone lines is too weak for that.
The most common slip-up is mixing up the wire colors. There's a standard color code, but it varies according to the cable you use. For standard four-conductor cable, you'll probably be using the green/red or black/yellow pair for the "tip" and "ring," (This terminology goes back to the early days of telephone switchboards and refers to the positive and negative terminals respectively.) But if you use Cat5 or newer ethernet cable, the colors are different. We provided the chart below to help you, and we'll show you how easy this project actually is.
| Std. Cable | Corresponding colors in other cables | |
| Red | Blue | Blue/White dashes |
| Green | Blue/White | White/Blue dashes |
| Yellow | Orange | Orange/White dashes |
| Black | Orange/White | White/Orange dashes |
Tools Required
- 4-in-1 screwdriver
- Needle-nose pliers
Materials Required
- New wall jack
Project step-by-step (2)
Step 1
Disconnect the Old Wall Phone Jack
Remove the two screws on the jack faceplate and disconnect the old jack. Hold on to the wire when you remove the jack so it doesn’t slide out the back of the box.
If the ends of the wires are free of corrosion, you can reuse them, but if not, cut them back (leave enough wire to work with) and strip off 1/2 in. of sheathing.
Step 2
Connect the New Wall Phone Jack
Pinch the wire sheathing against the back of the new jack with your thumb. Hold the tip of the bare wire with a needle-nose pliers, and wrap it clockwise around the terminal screw. If the wires from the wall and the jack are the same color combination, simply match them up. If they don’t match, see the chart above.
Before you mount the new jack to the wall, make sure the bare wires don’t touch each other.
FAQ
Is it necessary to turn off power before replacing a phone jack?
No. The voltage of phone lines is too low to hurt you, but there is one important precaution. If lightning strikes during a storm, phone wires can carry a potentially lethal amount of current, so don’t replace your wall phone jack or do any type of phone or electrical wiring during a storm.
Can I convert a phone jack to a network jack?
It depends on the jack. A standard RJ11 wall phone jack doesn’t have enough terminals for an ethernet connection, so you’ll have to replace it with an RJ45 ethernet jack. However, if someone had the foresight to install an RJ45 jack when connecting the phone, which is likely in newer homes, you’re good to go.
