# Forum Home Renovation Television, Computers & Phones  Test for phone cable active?

## ForeverYoung

Greetings, 
Recently moved into a new old home and amongst the list of things being compiled is: 
I have a phone cable tacked to an internal corner that has been painted over and I want to remove it if I can before I repaint the room.
How can I tell if this cable is in use?
Can I stick a probe in?   
The previous owner did a bunch of renovations including new telephone points, 2 upstairs and another downstairs. These 3 are active (plug a landline and get a noise/static) and 2 I have tried out for NBN modem connections so I know they are active. 
There is a phone connection socket upstairs that this wiring could be going to, but all of the other wiring (TV, 240v, Phone) done during his renovations is concealed (in stud walls or ceiling spaces with no access). It seems odd that this wire is still there.
In addition about 1.5 metres along the skiting from this wire is a telephone socket and that seems to be inactive.
So on the one hand I think it is obsolete (for the skirt connection) but on the other it might be being used to get the line upstairs.

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## droog

If I understand what you are asking there is no socket on the cable ?, so no can’t just plug in.
If you have an Fset tester it will help you trace the cable, but unless you have one handy it is probably a lot easier to physically chase the cable to where it goes.

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## ForeverYoung

> If I understand what you are asking there is no socket on the cable ?, so no can’t just plug in.
> If you have an Fset tester it will help you trace the cable, but unless you have one handy it is probably a lot easier to physically chase the cable to where it goes.

  Cable comes up from behind skirting, runs up the wall (it's an interior wall) and into ceiling space, which is actually the floor of the second story.
I have no access under the ground floor in that part of the house -  stone floor.
So, long story short, can't physically chase the cable, at either end. 
Did a search on Fset tester and that is what I need.
Thanks.

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## Jon

That looks like figure 8 cable in the photo, is that correct?  That would not be normal for phones but would make tracing easy, can you see figure 8 in any socket? 
Also, if you are on NBN for best performance you only want socket active and any sockets beyond that point should be disconnected.  
Sk

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## ForeverYoung

> That looks like figure 8 cable in the photo, is that correct?  That would not be normal for phones but would make tracing easy, can you see figure 8 in any socket?

  No, sorry, but it does looks that way in the photo. Looks to be phone cable to me.   

> Also, if you are on NBN for best performance you only want socket active and any sockets beyond that point should be disconnected.  
> ...

  True that. I have tried my modem in 2 of the 3 connections to date, one upstairs and one down, and NBN has been fine on both.
Maybe because the cabling is not that old, less than 10 years, or maybe because I am on a slow speed plan, but either way I am more than happy with the NBN connection. 
The mobile signal, what there is of it, is something else altogether.

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