Hi all, I’m trying to run a Ethernet cable to my home office in a house built in the 60s. This connection is unlabeled and I’m not sure what it is. Can I somehow replace it with an Ethernet cable? I’m new to all of this and did some poking around in the sub but I’m not really sure what I’m looking at or what I’m in for. I don’t have any coaxial cables that I can utilize (unless they are hidden behind a wall? Any easy way to find those?). Thank you.
You must log in or register to comment.
4 hours, is what it is. Possibly more.
25 pair Cat3 wire typically used on business RJ66 blocks for distributing phones. This case it looks like the possible main feed into the room for several lines. I would recommend replacement to a Cat 6 ethernet wire if at all possible. This will not work for internet purposes are any decent speeds.
That’s a x.2600 wiring harness. With a little effort it can work for communication
This is what we always call a rats nest.
Hopefully there is something there you can use as a pull string for your new Ethernet cable.
Make sure you remove all this crap in the process or you’re no better that the dirtbag that worked in here last…
It looks like a 25-pair phone cable. You could use it to carry Ethernet if the other end is in a useful location.
The house is wired for 2 4line phone lines with other wires spliced in to carry phone thought the house
I’m only seeing 6 pairs here. And, as I recall, 8 pair ewire is not a thing. 6-12-25 are the standard sizes for single binder in-home wiring of the era.
That is POTS!
A rats nest.
It is a “RAT’S NEST” of cat 3 wiring old “pots” wires and wall jack. If the wires in the wall are cat5 you can still use them for Ethernet. But I doubt it.
This is cat5. Convert it by toning the other end and putting a switch and plugging into your router
Wrong. Just… so wrong.
Rat5e
Years of neglect.
Were those wires connected to tin cans?
Looks very much like CAT3 Cable, 25 Pair, UTP.
Little high on that pair count, look again. 😉
Other pairs might still be hidden in the wall.
This isn’t an office building, and nobody “hid extra pairs in the wall” for good reason. This wiring is a very specific technique used to quickly feed phone pairs in new SFH and apartment buildings of a certain era when the minor CAPEX advantage of a single shared cable over home runs was sold to developers as a cost cutting measure (or just done anyway to pad wallets when home runs were specified).
You’re definitely right that it uses standard 25-pair color code, but it’s just a six pair residential run here: white from blue to slate, and red-blue.
The term you are looking for for this wiring is “ewire”. In this case, it looks like 6 pair of daisy chained ewire.
It’s slightly twisted, but not quite up to being called CAT 3. Almost certainly nailed down along it’s pathway, and unsuitable as pull wire for anything more modern.
You could throw tone over a pair, then selectively snip/reconnect at each outlet to map the physical route… but again, it’s unlikely that will serve a purpose these days.
Because of the daisy chain, using a paired copper networking medium like DSL or G.Hn for these runs will not result in decent reliable performance either (at least without a lot of work turning them into home runs).
Best bet is to put the wall plate on, tie it into your VOIP line or home intercom at the demarc, and run fresh copper (or fiber where appropriate) to each room.