Piggybacking ethernet/phone on Cat5e

communicationethernettelephone

I've got a phone line on the blue pair, and VDSL on the brown pair. Leaving the orange and green pairs available.

But when I try and connect a router in one room, and a laptop in the other room, I don't get a connection and also the phone line goes off. VDSL stays on.

Why is it even touching the blue pair? I thought Ethernet only used the green and orange pairs. Or have I got something wired incorrectly? I haven't seen any indication that I have.

Best Answer

Many ethernet devices short out the unused pairs. So if you want to use those pairs for something else you need to make sure you don't connect them to the ethernet device.

Also regarding your comment on the other answer you don't want to have any wires branching off the pairs you are using for ethernet. Even if that branch doesn't go anywhere it will still do horrible things to the signal integrity.

Finally note that while 10BASE-T and 100BASE-TX only use two pairs 1000BASE-TX uses all four pairs.