Home phone jacks are plugs to which home phones are connected. The basics of phone jack installation involve knowing a little about your phone's wiring, which is fairly basic. There are typically four colored wires inside your phone jack. The red and green wires are the most important since they run your primary line. The yellow and black wires inside your phone jack are only used if you have a second phone line or a fax line. If you do not have either in your home, they do not have to be connected.
Instructions
1. Open your phone access panel outside your house and unplug the test jack by squeezing the plastic tip and pulling it out. If you are uncomfortable doing this, or if your local telephone company keeps the box locked, simply disconnect all phones in your house from their jacks.
2. Use a screwdriver to unscrew the face plate on the phone jack you wish to replace.
3. Tear a sheet of paper into four pieces. Mark them "R" for red; "G" for green; "Y" for yellow and "B" for black.
4. Open your new phone jack and examine the four terminal posts. Look at the old jack while the wires are still attached. Attach the pieces of paper to the corresponding terminals on the new jack so they are color-coded. This will help you to be able to connect the right wires to the right terminals.
5. Use your screwdriver to loosen the terminal screws on the old jack and then remove the wires from them.
6. Use your wire strippers to remove about an inch of the colored, rubber sheathing if the wires are frayed or extremely short. If the wires appear to be in good working order, you may skip this step.
7. Wrap the red wire to the corresponding terminal on the new jack. Twist the wire around the screw several times clockwise and then tighten the screw down with your screwdriver. Follow this procedure to install the green wire, and then the black and yellow wires too if you have a second line or a fax line.
8. Place the faceplate against the wall where it mounts and insert the mounting screws through the mounting holes on the faceplate. Tighten the screws down with your screwdriver.
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