Why Cat5 phone wire?
[back to top] Traditional or “plain old” phone wire (Plain Old Telephone Standard or POTS) and Cat5 wire differ in several ways; (1) the number of wire pairs for separate phone numbers in a single casing, (2) the speed signals can travel over the wire (the more twists in the wire, the faster the speed), (3) where the incoming phone signal terminates inside the house (attic versus a closet) and (4) how the wire is run to each wall plate (single daisy-chain connecting all phones, versus individually homerun wire to a structured wiring cabinet). POTS is untwisted wire connecting each phone in a daisy(single) chain, typically running from the attic and then from wall plate to wall plate. When a single daisy-chain connects all the phones and one phone malfunctions, all phones in the house typically lose dial tone. Cat5 wire is typically “structured” or organized so each phone connection is home-run or individually run from each wall plate, to a structured wiring cabinet located in a closet.
