I'm in need of a phone bridge or something to bridge from the FIOS ONT to the elevator location. (No-wireless phones won't be an option)

Security guys and electricians wired the house before I could get in and fix it all, I had a day todo it before drywall and simply looked at the ONT location and saw two cat x cables and coax and assumed they both went to the elevator equipment/Demarc location.

Well turns out one cat 5 doesn't goes to the elevator where fios put their box (via conduit I had run) for my clients to get a CO and the elevator signed off they need phone working in the elevator. Simply no way to fish a wire now, is there a wireless "phone bridge" I can attach to the elevator line?

I don't have any specific model in mind, but if you need something quickly, just about any phone store or office supply store will have something.

You're saying that you need a working phone in the elevator at all times? Does it really have to be a "phone"? Or can it be as simple as a call button, as I've seen on some elevators?

Nevertheless, would even a wireless option be legal anyways? Since the use of this phone would be for emergency purposes. Such as a power outage, and when the power goes out. So does the potential of the base station for the wireless phone. You can put it on a battery back up, but with all the red tape it might be a lot of "what ifs". Such as what if the client plugged it into the wall bypassing the UPS for whatever reason. Including for when the battery died in the UPS, because of an outage and/or end of life of the battery.

Besides, if you ran the conduit for the purpose of your wires, then why not pull the FiOS wires out and the owner can have a talk with the FiOS people. Unless you put it there for that purpose. I know, I know. It a harsh move, but it is your material and labor that put the conduit there. I know, I know. You want to keep a client.

KOT

I know regulations vary by location, but the last time I worked on a residence with an elevator, there had to be a hardwired phone.

I thought it a bit strange that the elevator guys didn't and wouldn't run it. After all, they got paid 20K per floor for the elevator.

Must be hard wired, elevator guys wouldn't run it, electricians did.

Fios comes in at the other side of the house...

Looked on bestbuy, doesn't seem like they have anything. This can't be that hard....

I haven't encountered any elevator crews that run phone wires. I'm lucky if they even tag the phone terminals in their control box. Typically, I'm the only person on the project who is anal about a phone connection for the elevator. If not for me, the building inspector would be the first to attempt to use the phone.

3PedalMINI: As King of typos suggests, take care with that wireless connection. If there is an emergency and the wireless gadget fails, there could be some liability for you.

So you have a stationary point next to the elevator shaft. Now you just need to get that connection point to the FiOS device on the other side of the house.

Any means above or below those two points? Crawl space, attic? How far does this "hardwire" have to be? Still trying to protect you from purchasing a wireless device from connection point to FiOS point, and it be completely pointless if it doesn't pass inspection.

KOT

Sorry to hear about the elevator phone line , Brendon. I built (only) one house last year from the ground up - and it had an elevator. It was the first time I had ever dealt with the situation.

The builder and the HO were waaaaay on top of the hard line connection. To the point of overhearing that if there was no active hard line, the elevator would not get signed off on, and the Closing could not happen. You can imagine how frazzled I was when the Comcast guy couldn't terminate or punch down a wire for his own phone setup!

It all worked out in the end. However, the more I think about it, maybe a wireless trick will work for you. Up here, if someone has Comcast w/ phone, and the power does go out, I'm guessing the phone line does too... apparently How is phone is live isn't a big deal.

I hope it works out for you without too much more craziness.

Just this past week, Comcast announced that it will be installing back up batteries in their modem/phone at the customer's request. This will give them about 6 to 8 hours of standby time.

The nods on the telephone poles that Comcast uses only last 6 to 8 hours with their built in battery back up. So if that goes out, there is no point of the battery back up in the modem/phone to go any further as well.

KOT

We have always been required to run a hard wired phone line to a residential elevator. I lost count on how many homes we have done this in over the years. The elevator guys never have anything to do with this.

If you insist on using a wireless phone connection at the elevator location I would discuss this with your attorney. The chances of anything happening are slim, but it would suck to be you if something did happen and you have removed the wired phone connection. Honestly, I would try and get the rest of the house on the wireless phone connection.

Hard wired is the only way; done a dozen or so over the years. And there's always a way to get a wire in place; may not be cheap, easy or drama-free but there is always a way.

Use cellular for the elevator phone. Telguard has a unit that will integrate with a monitoring station.
[Link: telguard.com]

Another option:
[Link: mylinkline.com]

Maybe you can find a vertical chase somewhere in the house, running up to the attic from the first floor.

Another thing I ran into?


The elevator phone line, in my case, had to run directly from the demarc. It could not be an extension from any other existing phone jack.

Yah.

What; you don't want your call for help failing because Junior is tying up the line while on Dial-A-Date?