- Products from your local hardware store can help with phone wiring and require little technical know-how.telephone image by Marek Kosmal from Fotolia.com
If you are unable to make drastic changes to the inside wiring of your home for a phone jack or the cost of having a technician come out to change the wiring is too high, there are several alternatives. Fortunately, these alternatives for configuring phone jacks in your home don't require phone wiring know-how. Keep in mind, however, that some alternatives may not be as effective as doing the necessary inside wiring for your phone line. - You can purchase phone jacks from your local retail or hardware store that plug into a wall outlet. You can then plug a telephone cord and phone into the device, getting a dial tone. Plug-in phone jacks (also called phone jack extenders) are an effective alternative to inside wiring, because they do not require any special tools or equipment.
- If two lines are installed in your home or if you have DSL and phone service, you may be able to use a two-line splitter to access the DSL and landline using the same outlet. The end of a telephone cord usually has either two gold-plated connectors/pins or four. If you see four connectors, the cord can handle two lines. A two-line splitter allows you to plug one phone into one outlet and another phone cord into the second outlet. Then you may be able to plug in one cord for both devices in the third outlet. This reduces the need for any further inside wiring.
- A swapper plugs into your phone outlet and has an extension that allows you to plug a phone or modem into the other end to use the phone jack interchangeably (resembling a DSL filter). The swapper can switch the current between line one or line two so that you can use your phone then switch to use your DSL or second line service. You would not be able to use both lines at the same time using the swapper. This product can be found at your local electronics store.
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