HELP: How many wire runs do I need?
Generally speaking, one for each device to be connected to either the network or the phone system.
Example #1: Let's say you have 3 home/office computers and a network printer on one local area network (LAN). In this case you would need 4 "data" drops of category 5E cabling as a minimum standard.
Example #2: Let's say you are in an home or office environment and you are using a phone system or central office lines and you would like to add 6 telephone sets located though out your location. In this example you can assume that you are going to need 6 "voice" drops; each on category 3 wiring.
Example #3: Let's say you need a phone and a data connection at the same place, this would be considered one dual drop. In this example you would have one category 3 cable and one category 5E cable in one jackbox