Phone socket to Ethernet conversion

[stevenlfc26]

Hi all

Just moved into a new build flat which has FTTP and standard telephone sockets in the bedroom and living room. I'd ideally have preferred Ethernet sockets and was wondering if this is an easy conversion based on the attached photo? Is it something I could do myself with little knowledge (with yourselves and Google on my side) or would it need a professional in to do a complete rewiring job?

Thanks in advance.

[iniltous]

AFAIK you need 8 wires ( 4 pairs ) so if the cable that runs between sockets isn’t at least that size (phone cables could be 4 or 6 wire ) then the cable may not be any good , if it were you would need to swap the faceplates and be able to terminate the wiring , if the new faceplates are the same as the phone ones, it may be IDC ( insulation displacement connection ) and you may need an appropriate tool to make the connections, plus the wiring diagram, not my area TBH, so I may be schooled by those more knowledgeable 

[licquorice]

Looks like the cable is 4 pair so it is possible to just terminate an RJ45 socket in place of the phone socket. Bear it mind the cable will only be Cat 3or 4 quality not Cat 5e.

[stevenlfc26]

Thanks. So presuming i might as well just stick with WiFi. Out of interest, what makes it cat3/cat4 quality and not Cat5e?

[licquorice]

Number of twists per cm, lack of screening.  Your cables were only installed for voice rather than data.

[Devon_Dave]

Looks like the sockets are "daisy chained" so you may struggle to convert both to ethernet. 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@stevenlfc26 

If you fit double Ethernet sockets to each point, and terminate the incoming to one socket and the outgoing to the other, then you can intercept each position by installing a small Ethernet switch.

One port of the switch connects to the incoming socket, and another port connects to the outgoing socket.

The spare ports on the switch are then used to connect Ethernet devices in that room. My son had a similar issue in a new build (ADSL), and connected each room to his router. Those rooms that did not need connection, were simply looped with a short Ethernet  patch cable.

The initial problem was working out the order of the sockets, that was done using a simple continuity tester.