Red/green/black/yellow has actually been gone for quite some time. Most electrical device manufacturers have their phone jacks made in China or Taiwan. There are so many millions and millions of them out there that this color standard will probably never go away. Not to mention that it's been the standard for over 75 years. In the grand scheme of things, is the color code really a big deal? Probably not if everything is wired correctly. The relationship between older and newer wire pairing has been the same since at least the 1950's, if not even earlier.

Some US manufacturers (the ones who still manufacture in the US) offer jacks with either color pattern you want. You just have to ask for it.

Rule of thumb: If it's screw-terminal terminations, then it's most likely the imported stuff and not rated for any category (ie: CAT1,2,3,4,5,5e, etc.). If it's quick connect (IDC), then it is possible that it can carry a category rating.

Now, I have a question: Why do people think that they need to run CAT5 cable for voice? That is the functional equivalent of running 8/3 Romex for a bathroom fan. Talk about overkill and wasted money. Voice (phone lines) arrive to the premises via "category nothing" cable that runs for miles and miles. Using CAT5 or better for the last 100 feet isn't going to do anything to improve the signal quality. It will certainly empty wallets a bit faster though.


---Ed---

"But the guy at Home Depot said it would work."