Hmm, phone cable to cat5, not going to work

March 10, 2010 2:19 PM

Digital phone service hookup details?

I already have high-speed internet with the modem. Having digital phone service hooked-up next week. Obviously I can't plug a telephone handset into one of the cat5 ports on my router. So how does this work? Another modem with a telephone cable port? Couldn't get an answer from the provider guy who setup the appointment other than they don't provide a phone or cable. The tech will know, but just in case I'm not home when he comes to hook it up and need to leave a note on the door.

posted by hungrysquirrels to Technology (3 answers total)

My cable modem for a "triple play" has both cat5 and a phone jack (or two). And a battery backup, which your current cable modem might not have.
posted by smackfu at 2:34 PM on March 10, 2010

Best answer: Generally, you'll get some flavor of ATA (analog telephony adapter) that has an ethernet port and a phone jack or two on it, or replace your router with one with phone jacks. You can either plug a phone directly into the ATA, or you can plug the ATA into one of the existing phone jacks in your house, providing signal to phones you plug into the other jacks. To do that you'll have to disconnect your inside phone wiring from the NID, which usually just involves simply opening it up and unplugging the little phone cable that's inside. If the tech does the install that way he'll do that for you.
posted by zsazsa at 2:53 PM on March 10, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks zsazsa, that's the sort of info I'm looking for. My existing modem doesn't have a phone jack port.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 2:59 PM on March 10, 2010