[SML] OT: networking through 20 conductor wire from '70s?

[Ben Hain]

My house, built in 1968, has 10 or 12 pair phone wire. Not sure of the twist. Never used more than 2 pair. No sheathing, just the bundle. 

It was 'just' a farm home; not sure why my parents had it wired that way. Their electrician must have had grand visions of the future. 

Ben
Rochester MN

-----Original Message-----
From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft-bounces at theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Dale Farmer via Stagecraft
Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2014 4:33 PM
To: stagecraft at theatrical.net
Subject: Re: [SML] OT: networking through 20 conductor wire from '70s?

On 12/7/2014 2:40 PM, Scott C. Parker via Stagecraft wrote:
> Hello All,
> I'm working on adding network points in my house. The house was 
> re-wired for phones sometime past, perhaps 70's, with a thick 20 
> conductor cable. Likely for mutiple phone lines. The 20 wires are 
> color coded in pairs, etc. but don't appear to be twisted pairs. Any 
> idea if this will work for whole house networking for computers?
> I'm also thinking about using a couple of pairs for HDMI over Network 
> to get a TV signal from the living room upstairs to a bedroom.
>
> Thoughts?
> I'd prefer to avoid fishing new wire everywhere. Yes, I could go 
> wireless, but wire is so much faster as I have thick stone walls here 
> and there.
>
> Second option is to explore Networking over Cable as the place is 
> completely wired for cable.
>
> THanks, Scott

Phone cable uses twisted pair, but the twist rate in plain old phone 
cables was pretty low.   Catagory 1 actually.
They did make ten pair cables, but they were pretty unusual. Commonly you saw the single pair or two pair, with a red/green and a 
yellow/black.    In the 80s up to now, two and four pair cable is 
standard in residences,  with white/blue, white/orange, white/green, and 
white/brown.     Offices wired with multiline phones used 25 pair gable 
or 50 pair cable.    Nowadays, multiline phones are typically running on 
regular ethernet UTP cables.  In the older days of the bell system, there were also six and eleven pair cables, but these were lead sheathed, and if you find them you rip them out and recycle them.

     I will guess that this was some kind of home wiring job done with found cable.  So I wouldn't try to use it, except as a pulling string.

   --Dale


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