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[Max Dread]

Hi all

Quite some time ago I was having some problems with my really slow internet connection.  One recommendation I had was to try disconnecting the ring wire as described on this page:

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/socket.htm#ringwire

About a year and a half later I've finally got around to giving this a go! 

So I opened things up this morning and took a look.  All looked a bit different so I didn't meddle with anything.  One way or another though I managed to loose the internet for a few hours.  I'm back on now though and looking for a bit of advice.

Turns out that i have a adsl filtered NTE5 Faceplate; the type with two sockets.  Am I right in saying that the adaptation doesn't apply to this type of box?   I could not see how it would, so if it can be please could someone explain how. 

A couple of other things:

-  Someone recommended I get some XF-1e microfilters.  Is that not an option with the type of box I have?

-  There were no wires in the IDC terminals on the back of the faceplate (labeled 2,3 and 5).  Is that how it should be?

Apologies in advance if these are silly and basic questions but I know very little about such matters, as my endeavors earlier today demonstrated! 

Any advice would be fantastic.

Many thanks

Max

[roseway]

Hi and welcome

If there are no wires connected to the back of the faceplate, then you presumably haven't got any extensions, so the question of removing the ring wire doesn't apply. (If you have got extensions, then someone has wired them up incorrectly, and this needs attention).

If you did have extensions wired to the back of the faceplate, there wouldn't be much to gain from removing the ringwire, because the connection is filtered in the faceplate. Some would say that it's still worth doing, for a possible small gain.

[Max Dread]

Hi

Many thanks for the quick reply. 

There is an extension in the bedroom which has never been used.  I just removed the phone from the main socket and plugged it into that.  Nothing.  So I presume it is disconnected....

There is a wire going right around the outside of the house to feed the bedroom socket.  How can I be sure that it is disconnected then?  At what point would that wire lead to nothing?

Cheers

Max

[roseway]

There are two possible ways that an extension might be connected (apart from the correct method of connecting it to the back of the NTE5 faceplate): it could be connected directly to the base of the NTE5 where the incoming cable connects, or it could be connected to a junction box which the incoming cable passes through on the way to the NTE5. If neither of these situations exists, then the extension cable must have just been cut off somewhere, and it's not connected to anything.

[Max Dread]

or it could be connected to a junction box which the incoming cable passes through on the way to the NTE5.

I think we've got a bingo there.

There is a small junction box right next to the front door being fed by the main phone line and the extension cable comes out of it as well.  The NTE5 box is around 3 metres into the house from the junction box.  I've attached a couple of photos of the junction box...

I'm a bit frightened to mess around with all those tiny cable in case I dislodge something so I have left well alone.  But I cannot tell just by looking how things are wired up and whether the extension is connected or not.  Do the photos give an answer to the more experienced eye?  If not is there any other way to tell?

Huge thanks for all the help.

Max

[roseway]

There do appear to be three wires that are snipped off there - a green/white pair and an orange wire. If the wires connected to the extension socket are the same colours then it seems likely that somebody has disconnected the extension by snipping the wires in the junction box. If you don't need the extension then there's no more that needs doing (and officially you aren't allowed to fiddle with the wiring at this point).

[sheddyian]

If that were me, I'd be tempted to have a gentle prod and see what's connected and what isn't, and to tidy the spare wires out of the way.

BUT they're solid core wires, and are liable to snap from too much flexing, which will cause you unending misery trying to get it fixed, so I'd really recommend against this. 

It's just that I like tinkering and fixing stuff, so it'd annoy me 

However, your earlier question about XF-1e filters :

If you're already using a filtered NTE5 socket then you don't need any extra filters anywhere, even if you had working extensions correctly wired from the NTE5 - all the filtering happens at the NTE5.

It seems to me from your pictures and what you've said that there isn't anything else you could do to improve your setup.

I take it that the modem is quite close to the NTE5 (ie nice short cable) and away from other sources of interference (power supplies, LCD TV/monitor etc)?

Ian

[Max Dread]

@roseway - I'll check the extension socket when I can and see what's in there.  Good thinking!

@sheddyian - thanks for the further thoughts and advice.  I'll do the above first and if things look unclear still after that, maybe I'll have a VERY GENTLE prod.  "Unending misery" doesn't sound like my idea of fun!

I take it that the modem is quite close to the NTE5 (ie nice short cable) and away from other sources of interference (power supplies, LCD TV/monitor etc)?

The only thing near the modem (is that the router???) is the cordless phone sitting on its little dock.  Would that cause any probs. 

As for the cable, I'm just using the one that came with the router (a Thomson 585v7).  It's a lot longer than necessary so is currently just reeled round and held with a cable tie.  It's something I was going to go on to ask actually......  Would a shorter better quality cable help things a little and is so any suggestions please?

Thanks so much to you both for the help

Max

[sheddyian]

It can't hurt to experimentally move the cordless base station away from the modem/router, and make a note of the modem stats before and after.  Probably won't make any difference.

Likewise the cable itself - I was mainly checking that you haven't got the modem/router on the end of a long telephone extension cable.

I've tried a variety of RJ11 modem cables, curiously a fancy shielded one didn't do as well as a cheap flat standard cable, but the difference between them was quite marginal really.

Ian

[Max Dread]

It can't hurt to experimentally move the cordless base station away from the modem/router, and make a note of the modem stats before and after. 

Why the hell not, it's worth a punt.  I'll give it a go and see what happens.... 

But what modem notes should I be noting for comparison?

Incidentally, I read with interest your recent post about removing the bell wire for improved speeds on your friend's set up.  Looking into doing that was exactly what got me here in the first place.