In reply to wercat:
i have no idea why i lost the connection. All i can think is there is some sort of loop that goes from the box in the spare room back out of the house and back into the main room. Almost like the main room is an extension, but you cannot tell.
I rewired the box a second time, but I was still getting no connection so gave up and just screwed the box up. Then all of a sudden a connection.
so basically I have no idea how i broke it or fixed it. Sorry i couldn't be more helpful