Setting up office phones [Telecom]

Okay so every person that I have talked to, I have confused on this issue, so I'm asking for help.

What I know; I have 2 phones, each capable of 2 lines, 2 phone numbers, and 2 splitters(L1/L2)

What I need; I need my phone and my staff's phone to be able to pick up line 1 or line 2, also if I am on a call, I can put a caller on hold, and answer the other line.

I can set it up so that 1 phone can answer both lines, but the other phone can only answer 1. I need to know which cords go to which splitter and which phone jack, and which line.

Also it may need to be noted that I am on a rotary setup, when calls come in they are routed to my number first. If I do not answer it will go to my colleagues phone, but if I walk away from my phone she has to come running to my desk to answer my phone.

Am I in a hopeless situation, or can somebody out there help me.

Devin Wentzell snipped-for-privacy@clearwatersuitehotel.com

It sounds to me like you don't need the splitters. Each phone needs to connect to both lines. Normally a single 4-wire modular cable carries both lines (one on the inner pair of wires and one on the outer). Make sure it actually has 4 wires.

If you need to "split" a single wall socket so you can plug both phones into it, then instead of a splitter that separates the 2 lines, you want an outlet multiplier that connects all 4 wires to each of its outlets, such as Radio Shack 279-432.

(A splitter is for when you have 1-line phones that need to work in a 2-line environment. And even then, only if you need to get to Line 2, since normally if you plug a 1-line phone into a 2-line socket you will get Line

1, the one that is on the inner pair of wires.)