I bought a new home that was pre-wired for landline phone service. But, because I'm not living in the 1940s, I have no use for an obsolete, overpriced landline. It sure would be nice to use those landline ports, though. Imagine being able to answer or make a cell phone call from anywhere in your house there is a phone jack without having to carry your cell with you.
If you complete this instructable you will be able to:
1. Make and receive calls over your cell phone using regular landline phone handsets (even with caller-id, sort of).
2. Access your voicemail using regular landline phone handsets.
3. Use up to three cell phones with the system at once.
4. Talk even if the power is out using a built-in UPS (optional).
This instructable does NOT require you to hack your phone (software or hardware), break the law, or do anything more technical than simple telephone wiring.
If you complete this instructable you will be able to:
1. Make and receive calls over your cell phone using regular landline phone handsets (even with caller-id, sort of).
2. Access your voicemail using regular landline phone handsets.
3. Use up to three cell phones with the system at once.
4. Talk even if the power is out using a built-in UPS (optional).
This instructable does NOT require you to hack your phone (software or hardware), break the law, or do anything more technical than simple telephone wiring.
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Signing UpStep 1: You will need
1. One or more bluetooth-capable cellphones. If you have an old extra bluetooth-capable phone sitting in a drawer somewhere, get it out, you can use it too.
2. An Xlink Bluetooth Cellular Gateway (this is the 'magic box', you need this).
3. Your home's existing telephone wiring, or supplies to do your own wiring.
4. A small UPS, if you want to be able to use the system if the power goes out (optional).
5. Some simple shelving supplies if you want to do a neat job and not have things tangled up in the closet.
6. Some basic tools, and an RJ45 or RJ11 jack to use as input.
2. An Xlink Bluetooth Cellular Gateway (this is the 'magic box', you need this).
3. Your home's existing telephone wiring, or supplies to do your own wiring.
4. A small UPS, if you want to be able to use the system if the power goes out (optional).
5. Some simple shelving supplies if you want to do a neat job and not have things tangled up in the closet.
6. Some basic tools, and an RJ45 or RJ11 jack to use as input.
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Use-your-cell-phone-through-your-home-phone-wiring/step3/I-paid-for-these-jacks-Im-gonna-use-them/
You said, "But, in theory I could use these same phone jacks for networking or VOIP phones, although I'd have to replace this dumb jumper block with a small network switch."
Here's my setup which works perfectly. I have Verizon's FIOS with a cable to wireless/ethernet modem. Into that broadband modem I have a Magic Jack Plus. It has three connectors. The LAN port is to the modem's LAN port, the USB port goes to a power device which is plugged into AC power at wall, and the RJ-11 phone port is plugged to a wall jack using a splitter so I can keep a standard phone on that jack too. I disconnected the incoming "landline" which makes my internal wiring free from the grounding out that was causing. All old style phones work just fine in the home same as when they were connected to Verizon's landline. This allows me to use Double Play with Verizon instead of needing Triple play. Into one phone jack I have a Panasonic DECT 6 station plugged and that allows me the use of 4 other phones around the house. Almost every room has it's own phone now, including those which don't have a wall jack, and all wall jack phones still work fine. In fact, the phone service is better now since the old copper landline wires coming to house were 50 years old and spazzed out almost every heaving rainstorm. This setup allows plenty of phones around the house with no long distance charges anymore, allows wireless connect for several computers used, and wireless service for my guests with a laptop. Furthermore, I tested the phone lines using a dialup modem on an older computer I repaired for a friend through this Magic Jack Plus system to connect to a Juno server and that worked great too.
great setup, I'm going to do something similar at home.
Yeah the landlnes are cheaper, until you look at Telstra's pricing.
There are these cords: RJ45 male on one end (for the jack) and RJ11 male on the other (for the device):
http://techstore.doit.wisc.edu/product.asp?login=P&itemnum=C17154
Hmm...I'm the exact opposite. I have a prepaid cell phone which I hardly use (mostly for "emergencies"), and a landline that I don't use much, but the rest of the family does. However, I am on the internet a lot and we do have DSL, which is just a hair cheaper than cable internet service, the last time I checked. I think we pay around $35 or so for monthly landline service...which is cheaper than regular cell phone service, at least the last time I checked the price of montly cell phone service.
I can't imagine paying for wireless internet broadband, or cell phone service when I'd use probably less than fifteen minutes a month. (I hate telephones).