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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.
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.
4 hours, is what it is. Possibly more.
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.
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.
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.
Typical telephone wiring done by someone who doesn't take pride in their work.
If you have an old black rotary phone, you may be able to call back to the 1960s.
That is POTS!
Cable hell
Cat 3
This is unjacketed 6 pair telephone wire. We call this particular type of wire “E Wire”. It’s a type of inside wire used for telephone service in houses and apartments in the 1960s and 70s. It’s probably original to the house. It probably runs through your attic, and dips down to your phone jacks in the walls. Not useful for much except telephone service. Anything more than that will need to be a “home run” from device to device.
You'll probably discover only 1 or 2 pairs were ever used too. Telcos were notorious for putting in ludicrously complicated wiring for what was in reality a simple two wire analog circuit or two.
Future proofed for stuff that never happened or was just about making it look more complicated to justify the line rental fees.
Future proofing for when a pair goes bad they can cut over to a good pair.
Well, there was an element of that involved, but they also tended to just throw tons of spare pairs in with an idea that some future tech might use them. At the time PCM based circuit switched data was being developed and envisioned to launch as some point. It would ultimately launch as ISDN in the 1980s.
Local ISDN S-Bus wiring usually ran with two pairs and an additional two pairs for power. It was rarely deployed in homes, other than in a few European countries, but it (or proprietary versions of it) were commonly used for office telephone systems.
Rapid advances in multiplexing in the 90s saw DSL emerge as the most common way of getting fast data into homes and small offices. That only required a single pair and then telcos shifted to fibre to home. So it’s all redundant.
You’ll see plenty of home phone installations that used CAT3 or even CAT5 in the later days of PSTN with tons of spare pairs.
I thought having to deal with BIX blocks in this decade still was bad...I shouldn't complain I guess.
This would be where every phone wire for your house and 3 neighbors home-runs to one jack.
Old landline copper garbage not worth keeping unless you live way out in a rural area. It honestly would be easier just to tear it out and run cat5 or 6.
Pots?
A hot mess.
I believe the color is “Sea salt” from Sherwin Williams.
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...
Cluster Foxtrot
Well if this was an apartment id say it's a pretty standard 6 pair riser and DO NOT cut into it cause it's possibly feeding apartments above.
But it you're in a house so someone used 6 pair riser instead of quad or cat5 to run their phone lines. It's basically only good for POTS and XDSL. You might be able to use it as a cable pull to pull some new cat5, but it's unlikely.
DSL/telephone wiring. It’s “daisy chained”. Blue white are the only ones actually doing anything.
This is sin, many many sins covered with a faceplate.
You’re really not going to be able to do anything with this that will help with running new wiring. Very slim chance that is not stapled down somewhere inside the wall. Where are you trying to run the Ethernet to in relation to this jack??
Looped cat 3. I would just run outdoor rated ethernet on the outside or if you want to get fancy in EMT or liquid tight.
A damn shame, that's what you have.
That is a telecommunications artifact. You should put a picture frame around it .
If you do not have a land line phone or a security system you can get rid of it . Just tie a pull string on it when doing the demo work
Looks like phone lines.
Just... put it back.
GL OP
We always called it spaghetti.
Some Darrell that ran out of scotch locks. No offense to Darrell 🍻
Flux capacitor
A fire hazard
350 max length of single run, CAT6 non-plenum Use attic space and basement. Buy fish rods/sticks and stud finder
A fine mess!
To the untrained eye this is actually the equivalent of Jesus on toast.
A fucking disaster.
Noodles
A mess
We used to call it a cluster fuck
clusterfuck