Kitz ADSL Broadband Information
adsl spacer  
Support this site
Home Broadband ISPs Tech Routers Wiki Forum
 
     
   Compare ISP   Rate your ISP
   Glossary   Glossary
 
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Author Topic: BT master socket  (Read 7603 times)

IDH

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 18
BT master socket
« on: August 02, 2008, 06:12:57 PM »

Hi, first post here,
I have a BT master socket that is something like 20 years old (along with the wiring outside) and when removing the bottom part of it to access the test socket the other day to test my line from there I found that the only wiring is right in the back of the main part left on the wall. I was under the impression from what I had read and seen in diagrams posted here and on other sites that there were, or should be, wires attached to front part that I removed. Is this correct or have I misread / understood. If there should be wires attached to this front part could this be because the Master Socket is so old? 
Any comments or help much appreciated,

Ian
Logged

tarka

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 46
Re: BT master socket
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2008, 06:25:49 PM »

Yes there should be wires attached to the front part if it is the newer NTE5 master socket, and then you plug into the socket inside (behind the faceplate) for testing. It sounds like you have an older one for sure. I dont know how you go about upgrading this as its BT's property. Dont quote me on that though. If it were me i would wait for more advise from here but i think possibly a call to BT is needed to get them to update it.
Logged

roseway

  • Administrator
  • Senior Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 43467
  • Penguins CAN fly
    • DSLstats
Re: BT master socket
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2008, 06:39:23 PM »

Hi IDH and welcome

If your master socket is actually an NTE5 (see this page) then any extension wiring should be connected to the removable faceplate, but the incoming wires from BT connect into the back of the socket. So there won't be any wires connected to the faceplate if you don't have any extensions.
Logged
  Eric

IDH

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 18
Re: BT master socket
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2008, 07:00:33 PM »

Eric,
Thanks for your reply (and tarka). I appear to have an NTE5A socket the same as the one shown in the top row of pictures following your link on to the BT sockets page.
As I only have a microfilter attached to this for my broadband and phone I see now why there are no wires attached to the faceplate.
I have an ongoing problem with my ISP which is why I had to access the test socket to check that there was no difference in my router stats/connection speed over using the standard socket. There wasn't, but I will start another thread about that later this evening or in the morning.

Ian
Logged

Ezzer

  • Helpful
  • Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 1713
Re: BT master socket
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2008, 07:12:09 PM »

Roseways info is spot on

The 2 main ideas of the face plate is so that you can add your own extention wiring to the socket and secondly should you have any problems with either normal telephony or broad band then by taking the plate off you can try the test socket to eliminate your wiring and avoid a possible call out charge if the fault was with your internal wiring.

Other wise there are 3 main reasons to have an existing nte5 replaced.

1 corrosion. if there's any fuzzy green bits or rust (by green I don't  mean the plastic over behind the socket although you can find that the same cover can be black or white)

2 to have a face plate with a choked bell wire, if you get a difference with and without the bell wire (no.3) connected with your broadband performance then it's the new alternative to disconnecting the bell wires to improve performance.

3. sorry not going there because If I mention this one then I know this will lead to people going on a wild goose chase.

If theres no wiring comming off the face plate and you have working: extention sockets, external bells, alarm systems then you are star wired which if causing an issue with broadband, leaves you stuck in discounting if it's your wiring which causes the problem and it's one of the things I keep an eye out for of any fault
Logged

IDH

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 18
Re: BT master socket
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2008, 07:57:16 PM »

No, I do not have any extensions, bells or alarms wired in so I guess its how it should be. As I said, I just have a microfilter plugged in with one cable going straight to the phone and the other straight to the router. The plastic casing of the socket is a bit yellow now but I expect I would be if I'd been hanging on the wall for 20 years ;D.
I am reluctant to touch the bell wire at the moment in case BT do come out so would an SSFP to replace the removable part of the socket have the same effect as removing the bell wire.

Ian
Logged

mr_chris

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 3774
Re: BT master socket
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2008, 02:42:16 AM »

Quote
I am reluctant to touch the bell wire at the moment

Given you don't have any extensions, you can't do anything with the bell wire anyway, as you basically don't have one!! In Ezzer's post above, the bell wire on connection number 3 refers to if you have any extension sockets wired into the faceplate.

As regards whether you should try a SSFP (filtered faceplate), if there isn't any difference when using the test socket, and there isn't any difference whether you have a phone plugged into the filter or not, then given you haven't got any phone extensions, a filtered faceplate would be a waste of money for you, IMO.

Removing the bell wire only applies when you have extensions wired in, where the bell wire can act as an antenna, picking up all sorts of electrical noise which interferes with your ADSL.

Behind the master socket itself is BT's property - don't touch any wiring behind the master socket. That is why there is a removable faceplate - to allow people to install "hard-wired" extensions themselves without messing with BT-owned wiring.

Not sure what your broadband problem is, but if you've tried different routers, connecting leads etc, then with your phone setup consisting of a single master socket, it's unlikely to be anything at your end. Without knowing more details I can't comment further of course.

Hope that helps :)
Logged
Chris

IDH

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 18
Re: BT master socket
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2008, 11:49:30 AM »

mr chris,
Many thanks for your very informative reply. I now understand a lot more than I did before I made my first post. My present ISP wants to get BT to check the connection from the master socket to the exchange which is why I am very wary of messing about with anything. As I said in one of my earlier posts I do have a problem but I will start a new thread in a more appropriate place for that one.

Ian

PS: now continuing in 'Technology' section as 'speed problems'.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2008, 03:26:54 PM by IDH »
Logged