Author Topic: Cat6/Telephone  (Read 5138 times)

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Offline Invader75Topic starter

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Re: Cat6/Telephone
« Reply #25 on: February 03, 2019, 05:17:06 pm »
Ok, thanks. I think what's best is to stick to using the cat6 for internet only. Then I'll see how the DECT phone gets on or alternatively switch to VoIP.
 

Offline Invader75Topic starter

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Re: Cat6/Telephone
« Reply #26 on: February 03, 2019, 05:24:42 pm »
The install is done, cat6 was run underground with the rest of the utilities so I can't add another cat6 unless I just run it down there externally. Likewise with a phone line.


No conduit? Is that even legal?

There is weatherproof phone cable, of course. You can just run a new line.


The electrician wasn't chosen by us, he came with the people who were installing the annexe.

I just want a simple solution, or answer, to the problem.


The electrician was not chosen by you but what you wanted done was presumably specified by you. The time to ask for simple solutions was when you specified the work to be done.  Now the simplest solution is probably to just run another cable.

Chill out fella. Nobody's looking to score point or start an argument. I'm just after some "Beginner" advice. Which is why I posted it in the "Beginner" section.

Yes, it has conduit. The reason why a phone cable wasn't installed was because it couldn't be further from my mind as I never used a regular phone line. This is an annex for my elderly and disabled parents. It was an oversight on my side and not something they would've been thinking about.
 

Offline Ian.M

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Re: Cat6/Telephone
« Reply #27 on: February 03, 2019, 07:48:32 pm »
You f---ed up by not specifying two cables in seperate conduits, (not that you knew that) but the electrical subcontractor also f---ed up by not installing the conduit with mousing line through it to pull in more cables.  Usually, you can only mouse a cable through if there is no more than one 90 deg swept bend in the conduit, (or swept bends totalling 90 deg), otherwise there's too much friction, so if neither building has a cellar that would have required an access pit and cover.  It only has to be big enough to get your arm down, with enough room for a straight pull on the mousing line.

How to fix it?  Well as its a dwelling for disabled elderly, a high reliability telephone connection that will work if there's a power cut is a must for emergency use.  You may in the future need to install an elderly alert system, which *WILL* need a wired connection to its base statiion and has limited guaranteed wireless range.  A DECT cordless isn't reliable enough, especially at extended range, nor are VOIP systems reliable enough, even if you put the DECT basestation or the VOIP adapter, router and your ADSL modem/router on UPSes.

If you are willing to settle for  low performance and reduced security on the network, you may be to get away with a pair of 2.4Ghz WiFi access points with directional antennae acting as a wireless bridge between two wired network, to free up the Cat6 for the phone line.   However unless the annex is an outbuilding far from the main building, iit will probably be cheaper and simpler to run an appropriately rated four wire exterior phone cable.  Use the armoured direct burial type if it has to go under any paths etc. or run low down on exterior walls, or run on the outside of boundary walls etc. or regular exterior cable if you can run it so it isn't likely to get damaged.
 

Offline Invader75Topic starter

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Re: Cat6/Telephone
« Reply #28 on: February 03, 2019, 09:36:26 pm »
Yep, fair points. Last thing on my mind when taking care of a rather big build. Don't use landlines, and haven't for over 15 years so it slipped my mind. Will install a separate one and look at Alert Systems.
 

Offline edavid

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Re: Cat6/Telephone
« Reply #29 on: February 04, 2019, 12:33:40 am »
Well as its a dwelling for disabled elderly, a high reliability telephone connection that will work if there's a power cut is a must for emergency use.
In the US, most elderly alert systems are just cell phones with an emergency button.  Is it different in the UK?

Quote
If you are willing to settle for  low performance and reduced security on the network, you may be to get away with a pair of 2.4Ghz WiFi access points with directional antennae acting as a wireless bridge between two wired network, to free up the Cat6 for the phone line.
An Orbi set should give good enough performance at 15m distance.
 

Offline Ian.M

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Re: Cat6/Telephone
« Reply #30 on: February 04, 2019, 01:16:45 am »
As eDavid has just pointed out I may be out of date on current practice and method of communication to the monitoring company for elderly alert systems, so PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.  When parents are involved, second best is not good enough.   I'd still advise a landline and some basic wired phones just to have reliable emergency communications - no critical reliance on handsets being charged and not mislaid and they are much simpler for the less able to operate as long as they've still got reasonable use of one hand.
 

Online tooki

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Re: Cat6/Telephone
« Reply #31 on: February 05, 2019, 03:10:10 pm »
The install is done, cat6 was run underground with the rest of the utilities so I can't add another cat6 unless I just run it down there externally. Likewise with a phone line.


No conduit? Is that even legal?

There is weatherproof phone cable, of course. You can just run a new line.


The electrician wasn't chosen by us, he came with the people who were installing the annexe.

I just want a simple solution, or answer, to the problem.


The electrician was not chosen by you but what you wanted done was presumably specified by you. The time to ask for simple solutions was when you specified the work to be done.  Now the simplest solution is probably to just run another cable.

Chill out fella. Nobody's looking to score point or start an argument. I'm just after some "Beginner" advice. Which is why I posted it in the "Beginner" section.

Yes, it has conduit. The reason why a phone cable wasn't installed was because it couldn't be further from my mind as I never used a regular phone line. This is an annex for my elderly and disabled parents. It was an oversight on my side and not something they would've been thinking about.
If the conduit is big enough, it should be no problem to fish another cable through it, even if it’s just a thin Cat 3 or something, just for the phone.
 

Online richard.cs

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Re: Cat6/Telephone
« Reply #32 on: February 05, 2019, 07:46:15 pm »
Well as its a dwelling for disabled elderly, a high reliability telephone connection that will work if there's a power cut is a must for emergency use.
In the US, most elderly alert systems are just cell phones with an emergency button.  Is it different in the UK?


You'll be wanting EN 50134 :-)

Alert systems here need to comply to that standard, which does allow both a PSTN and cellular backhaul but mostly disallows VOIP. Usually there's a box connected to an ordinary phone line with a big red button on it that can also act as a speakerphone, fancier systems have fallback to cellular if there's a fault with the line. Usually there's also a wireless portable alarm button but it has to use a dedicated slice of spectrum for reliability - no ISM bands allowed.
 


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