Telephone outlet for implementing a local area network over telephone lines and a local area network using such outlets

A network for transporting digital data and analog telephone signals over multiple telephone wire pairs, the network comprising:

• first, second and third telephone wire pairs, each comprising two conductors connected to conduct analog signals in an analog telephone frequency band and digital data in a respective digital data frequency band distinct from, and higher than, the analog telephone frequency band;
• a digital access multiplexer device connected to said first, second and third telephone wire pairs, said digital access multiplexer device being connectable to a fourth digital data unit and to an analog telephone service and being operative for standard-based packet-based full-duplex communication with the fourth digital data unit, said digital access multiplexer device comprising a router operative to couple the digital data in the digital data frequency bands of said first, second and third telephone wire pairs to the fourth digital data unit, and said digital access multiplexer device being operative for coupling said analog signals in at least one of the analog telephone frequency bands to the analog telephone service;
• and
• first, second and third remote devices, each connected to a respective one of said first, second and third telephone wire pairs, each of said remote devices being connectable to a respective one of the first, second and third digital data units and to an analog telephone set, and each being operative for standard-based packet-based full-duplex communication with the respective one of said first, second and third digital data units, and each remote device being operative to place digital data to and from a respective digital data unit in a respective digital data frequency band and to place analog signals to and from a respective analog telephone set in a respective analog telephone frequency band;
• and
• wherein said digital access multiplexer device and each of said first, second and third remote devices is housed in a respective single enclosure.