Cat 5e

I am remodelling my basement and I have run this for telephone outlets.

But I was really reluctant too. I read everywhere that I should, but in a world of wireless networks have I completed wasted my time and money?

Wouldn't ordinary telephone cable have been as good?

With wireless networks, surely the future will not need such fancy cables.

The price difference between POTS wire and cat 5e isn't much. Either way though doing it now is cheap insurance should you decide to use it later. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

cable

What do mean by "ordinary telephone cable"? Cat3? You can never go wrong by overdoing it, since you do not know what your future use might be for them.

As stated above installling the Cat5 may give you flexibility down the road. I personally don't like running wireless on desktop computers, I'm all for maximum speed, at home I get up to 21mbps download and at work on a commercial cable line the most I've seen is 6 or 8 mbps.

Thanks for all the tips.

I meant the old 4-wire stuff which they still sell (POTS above?).

I'd run CAT5 (4 twisted pair) as long as you're in there. There are a lot of applications for it including phone and some home automation. Its even used for some advanced TV instead of coax.

I have a bunch of CAT3 left over from a job years ago
So I have wired the 1st floor & other areas using the CAT3 for phones
I work in the compuiter field & while we have a wireless setup I hardly use it
It's slower
I've also run CAT 6 to the same areas for computer connections
And Quad for cable
I didn't use a punch down block for the phone
I did for the CAT6 runs

I agree - use cat 5e (or 6 but there was a significant premium for this when last I looked). Even if you never use it for other than phones you have some spare pairs and it probably is not much more expensive. As opposed to getting a wire through the walls and floors if you need one. Wireless is not a panacea. It is relatively slow and coverage can get spotty throughout the house. There are also security issues if you do not understand what needs to be done.

If you use the cat 5, handle it properly. If you kink a piece, throw it away. Pay attention to manufacturers maxim pull force and turn radius. Don't attach it so that you compress the cable (i.e., regular staples). It won't matter to the phone, but data speed could be reduced if you ignore proper installation.