Can an old school phone plug in my living room with 6 color lines, 3 of which are cut, be converted to an electric outlet or an ethernet connection in my 1976 condo complex?
Asked by Frieda Seitz 
6 months ago
Last Updated: May 15, 2024
Hey, so I’ve got this old school phone plug in my living room. I’m wondering if it can be converted into another electric outlet or an ethernet port. I’m not even sure if it’s working because three of the six colors/lines are cut. There’s another outlet nearby, and I live in a condo complex from 1976.
Sorry, phone plugs just won’t provide the necessary current
If you’re dealing with a metal or plastic box and have the ability to install new wiring (romex or mc), you should be able to install an additional outlet at that spot. Old cat3 phone lines may still have some usable current. You can trace them back to the source and remove them or simply cut and tape them before placing them in the wall. Just make sure the box in the wall is hollow and without a back – if not, it might need to be replaced before adding a new outlet.
Hey, just to let you know, there’s nothing inside that box, it’s just empty space. Have you considered converting it into an ethernet jack instead? This particular condo was constructed back in 1976.
Yep, that’s another option. Just need to run the wires, set up a power box (for power) or the correct plate (for ethernet), or simply cap the lines and cover them with a blank plate
Cat3 wiring isn’t suitable for the high data speeds needed in modern cabling. There may also be poorly done terminations or faulty crimps. Upgrading to Cat 5e, Cat 6a, or Cat 7 for ethernet would be necessary. It might be more work than it’s worth to rewire, but it’s doable.
Otherwise, I was considering cutting the wires, taping them, capping them off, then tossing them back into the wall to patch it up with drywall.
You never know when you might need to access that conduit in the future. If works there, I would just cover it with a blank plate and paint it the same color as the wall.
I get where you’re coming from, but that blank plate cover is really going to bug me and be an eyesore.
Remove the phone line first. If you plan on using that spot for electricity, you can thread some romex cable to that location, set up an old work box, and create a connection in the attic to power a new outlet.
Alternatively, if there’s another outlet nearby, you can connect to that one to power the new outlet. Check out YouTube tutorials on how to install an electrical outlet. There are many methods available.
Consider adding a new (edit: I mean old!) work box. The main challenge will be getting electrical wire to that area. If there isn’t an outlet right next to it, and you can’t drill through a stud, you’ll need to come from the top or bottom plate.
Matt Liam What do you think about using an old work box?
Haha, my bad, definitely an old work box.
Take the disconnected wires, push them into the wall, fix the hole, and paint over.
Hey , it could be a good plan because I doubt anyone will use a phone jack
Hey, the power outlets should really be enclosed in a box. What you currently have is a single gang box cover screwed to the stud and open to the wall cavity. This setup poses a fire hazard for the electric outlet.
Yeah I was gonna unplug it, wrap in electrical tape, cap it and chuck it against the wall, then repair the drywall, patch it up and repaint
Is amazing
If you have internet through a fiber optic line, it’s possible to switch to Ethernet.
Unfortunately I’m one of the few who can’t get fiber optic installed in my condo
No problem!
WATCH OUT FOR SECRET GOVERNMENT LISTENING DEVICES!!!!
It’s not really resembling a “smart phone” 🤷♂️
Regarding electricity, it’s a no unless you pull new wire. As for ethernet, it’s also a no unless you pull cat 6 wire.
You have what’s known as a mud ring, which was installed for low voltage applications. The wire consists of 3 pairs, and you can strip the jacket back to where they are still twisted. Typically, you would cap each conductor, coil them, and use some tape. Alternatively, you could trace back to the box on the side of your house and disconnect it from there.
If you manage to obtain the electrical wire, a cable, or CAT 5, 6 – whatever is currently being used – to connect to the box, go for it. I’m assuming there’s an electrical box in the wall. If there isn’t one, you’ll either need to install a box for the electrical wiring or only run a cable for internet, TV, or other low voltage wiring like CAT 5, 6 – whatever is currently being used – as long as it’s low voltage. Alternatively, you can simply leave it as it is or cover it with a blank cover if you don’t want to see the phone jack. I’d personally just leave it as is.
Do you have an intercom or phone by the front door for building entry? It seems like some wires broke off so it might not work anyways. If you’re thinking of running new electrical outlets in a condo, you’ll need approval from the condo association and it should be done by a qualified person. I’m not sure what else you can do since running new cat6 cable to your router might be difficult.
The wire is not suitable for electrical use and would only work for internet if you had internet through the phone company. In that case, I would recommend running a new line instead of using the old one.
I’m sorry, but you’ll have to reroute some new wire in the wall.
You’d need to install new wire. The easiest option is to simply contact your cable provider and they will run it along the exterior of the house.
I recently removed 6 old cables from the outside of my house, some of which were there for over 40 years. After renovating, I buried the main power cable and now all the wires are run internally. It looks so much neater now with cable and ethernet connections in every room.
It would be ideal, but not usually feasible.
I changed all my phone jacks to electrical plugs.
You could try attaching CAT6 or other internet-friendly wires to this old wire and pulling it through the wall, like with tape. It hasn’t been converted yet.
That’s daisy chained cat 3. It’s barely capable of carrying a DSL signal. It’s not good. If you try to use it for Ethernet, you would be fortunate to get 10-15mbps. I work as a custom integrator/Automator and encounter this issue regularly.
Just cut it off and patch up the hole. While you’re at it, cut the lines from the outside too. Just 9v, nothing more.
The talk battery for phones is -48VDC, while the ringing voltage is roughly 90 VAC (although it can vary).
Are you referring to the line from the road??
Copper phone lines are used for POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service), like regular home phones. They are not for carrier services, interoffice facilities, or radio tie lines. POTS lines typically have a talk battery of -48 volts DC, which powers the circuit for speaking and is produced by a rectifier and battery bank in the central office. The AC ringing voltage fluctuates but is approximately 100 volts and has very low amps. It’s also about 50Hz, so it can be a bit painful to the touch :-). In the past, the ringing current was responsible for ringing the mechanical bells in phones.
Wait, so I can connect that to a 48v system and utilize their power?
Hey there, the voltage drops to -48 volts DC when all the devices are not in use. Once you answer a call, it will decrease to approximately 5 volts. The current is in milliamps, so you can’t really power outdoor lights or other equipment with it.
If you’re able to make repairs in your condo, then cut it (using electrical tape on the end for extra safety), push it back into the wall, and patch/paint it. If you can’t do the repairs, then cut it, push it into the wall, and cover it with a solid plate.
I wouldn’t immediately cut it if you’re looking to use a different Ethernet cable there. You could tape your new Ethernet cable to it, then pull the new one through while pulling out the old one.
You’ll have to patch the sheetrock.
You can’t turn that wire into Ethernet. However, you could use it to guide the correct one up the wall. Ethernet, anyway. The electrical Romex may require larger holes in the wood or whatever material the wire is passing through.
It could possibly be transformed into ethernet depending on where it’s connected (probably not close to your modem/router). It CANNOT be transformed into a 120-volt outlet
PoPL
Power over phone line until it goes up in flames :p
Ethernet has 8 ports. Just cover it up. That opening could come in handy later for threading wire for a different project