BT Star wiring issues and problems with new ISP

[smirge]

First, hello all. I have a question and was wondering if this might be the place to get it answered?

I recently changed my ISP. I previously enjoyed 15-20mbps, uninterrupted service 24 hours a day 365 days a year (and only got rid of it when the company was bought out by Sky). I'm now with BT and, needless to say, it has all gone horribly wrong. Nothing has changed on my side, other than the hub and ISP, but I now only receive the above speeds during daylight hours - in the evenings and on the weekends, it drops to unusably slow.

BT Technical support have been trying to sort this out with me for about a month now but they are pretty stumped. We're on the verge of just having an engineer sent out, which will cost me a fair bit of money... However some research today gave me food for thought, which is where I hope someone on here can help.

As per the photos in the below album, the BT line coming into my house wires into a small junction box in my porch. There are then two cables running to the socket in my lounge (which I use for net/phone) and the other to a redundant location upstairs, which I guess was plastered over years ago. I understand this is known as 'star wiring' and is ancient. What's interesting is, the wiring inside the working lounge socket doesn't seem to be correct. Also, the test socket inside the box doesn't work at all. Oddly, my phone/internet continues to work when I remove the faceplate it's plugged into.

BT say they can't tell me why my Broadband is slowing at night until they have a working test socket. However I'm wondering if this might be easier to resolve myself than be paying an electrician to re-wire my house and run a new line in from the telephone pole to a new master socket.

Could any telephone electricians possibly advise, please?

Thanks so much

//www.diynot.com/network/smirge/albums/16938

 

[Bodgeitandleggit]

First, hello all. I have a question and was wondering if this might be the place to get it answered?

I recently changed my ISP. I previously enjoyed 15-20mbps, uninterrupted service 24 hours a day 365 days a year (and only got rid of it when the company was bought out by Sky). I'm now with BT and, needless to say, it has all gone horribly wrong. Nothing has changed on my side, other than the hub and ISP, but I now only receive the above speeds during daylight hours - in the evenings and on the weekends, it drops to unusably slow.

BT Technical support have been trying to sort this out with me for about a month now but they are pretty stumped. We're on the verge of just having an engineer sent out, which will cost me a fair bit of money... However some research today gave me food for thought, which is where I hope someone on here can help.

As per the photos in the below album, the BT line coming into my house wires into a small junction box in my porch. There are then two cables running to the socket in my lounge (which I use for net/phone) and the other to a redundant location upstairs, which I guess was plastered over years ago. I understand this is known as 'star wiring' and is ancient. What's interesting is, the wiring inside the working lounge socket doesn't seem to be correct. Also, the test socket inside the box doesn't work at all. Oddly, my phone/internet continues to work when I remove the faceplate it's plugged into.

BT say they can't tell me why my Broadband is slowing at night until they have a working test socket. However I'm wondering if this might be easier to resolve myself than be paying an electrician to re-wire my house and run a new line in from the telephone pole to a new master socket.

Could any telephone electricians possibly advise, please?

Thanks so much

//www.diynot.com/network/smirge/albums/16938[/QUOTE]

Firstly with your speed it could be a number of factors that slow it down and it may just be a coincidence that it has happened while you have changed sp,s... it does look like the extension wire for the bt80 in your porchis teed on or star wired as sometimes referred to... and if its just plastered over its will be a problem as you have a signal going down that cable so its needs taking off..as for your master socket (nte5) it looks like a bodged job as somebody has wired it into the faceplate which is for extension use only?? that is why it still works when you take it off the socket and that box on the o/s wall looks like a ebay item....not one bt would use... any way to save you a few quid what I would do is in the bt80 in the porch disconnect the incoming line or dropwire as its called from the other wires and use jelly crimps off ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-x-Gel-...t=UK_Phones_PhoneLeads_RL&hash=item3f246f7166
and crimp the incoming feed wires to the wires going to your master socket or nte5 and that the eliminates you extension , then wire up the nte5 correctly,take the 2 wires off 2 and 5 and put them inside the nte on a+b
see
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=h...ng%2FUK_telephone%2Fuk_telephone.html;443;227

Not sure if this will boost your speed as it could be quite a lot of things but at least it will be wired correct,,,unused extension plastered over would be very suspect to me

 

[smirge]

Allo,

Cheers for your response. Does indeed sound like a a pretty lazy job was done with the faceplate, was long before I moved in

I'll look into what you recommend. Dunno how much you know about this kind of thing (?) but regardless of how my internal wiring might be awry, it seems very weird that my internet only ever slows down in the evenings/weekends. I would've expected a constant issue if there were internal problems on my side - or at least, not daily fluctuations that are massively regular and predictable.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Bodgeitandleggit]

Allo,

Cheers for your response. Does indeed sound like a a pretty lazy job was done with the faceplate, was long before I moved in

I'll look into what you recommend. Dunno how much you know about this kind of thing (?) but regardless of how my internal wiring might be awry, it seems very weird that my internet only ever slows down in the evenings/weekends. I would've expected a constant issue if there were internal problems on my side - or at least, not daily fluctuations that are massively regular and predictable.

Thanks for your help!

W hat happens in the evening /weekends that you do different...is this when something electrical is switched on?? cables running parallel with electric cables can affect your signal!!!!!! also if your wireless is there anything that is switched on that may cause this problem!!!!!! bt have thses issues with customers lines and it is called rein issues which is due to electric interference..it could even come from a neighbour..get it wired properly and see how it goes

 

[smirge]

No worries, cheers for the info, very interesting - I'm at home 24/7 at the mo due to studying, and nothing changes in my habits when I start to use the internet in the evening. I'm assuming interference could be a real ball-ache to resolve if it isn't caused by something isn't my own home.

This all said, it's still running at a reasonable speed at second I type this - for the first time - let's see what happens...

 

[Monkeh]

Get all that crap ripped out and have BT install (at their expense) a new master socket in a suitable location. Once that's done, if there's still an issue, it becomes very much their problem.

 

[smirge]

Not really in a position to get BT to do it at their expense though, am I?!

Especially as it seems someone tinkered with the internal wiring when fitting an extra socket (see pics). Pretty f*cked off I inherited all this when I moved in.

 

[Monkeh]

Not really in a position to get BT to do it at their expense though, am I?!

Especially as it seems someone tinkered with the internal wiring when fitting an extra socket (see pics). Pretty f*cked off I inherited all this when I moved in.

You did not put the installation in that state, and BT must provide the customer with a suitable location to connect their equipment.

Tell them they can either come out and fit a new master socket or you'll take your business elsewhere.

 

[smirge]

I'm tied into a year of BT phone and 18 months of Broadband, which they'll no doubt point out immediately if I say as you just advised. Still, I like your thinking... Guess I can only try.

 

[Monkeh]

I'm tied into a year of BT phone and 18 months of Broadband, which they'll no doubt point out immediately if I say as you just advised.

A service you are not receiving.

You'll likely find the 'engineer' (installation technician would be more appropriate, though) very understanding and easily plied with a cup of tea. They see installs like this all the time, and half the time they were done by previous BT employees..

 

[smirge]

And regarding the bodged wiring in my would-be master socket? They'll surely look at that and say because of whoever did that (presumably no-one with anything to do with BT), I'm now fully liable? I can make a good cup of tea, don't get me wrong.

Edit - to clarify - the test socket isn't presently working due to the aforementioned wiring, so the engineer will surely put the responsibility on me as a result?

 

[Monkeh]

And regarding the bodged wiring in my would-be master socket? They'll surely look at that and say because of whoever did that (presumably no-one with anything to do with BT), I'm now fully liable? I can make a good cup of tea, don't get me wrong.

You didn't do it, and they can't prove you did. Nor is the socket and wiring your property or responsibility.

 

[smirge]

Ok, that's really helpful advice in that case fella, much appreciated.

 

[kbdiy]

You need to insist on a visit from BT. They will warn you it may cost but that is standard warning. You need a new NTE5 so that you can separate the broadband from any telephone wiring.

As said above, it's their wiring not your's, and they can't prove to the contrary, so get them out.

 

[smirge]

Just got off the phone to BT.

They have categorically insisted that every single customer who has required a visit to update star wiring has been charged, and that I will be the same. I demanded an explanation but they said they cannot offer one.

I threatened legal action and cancelled my engineer's appointment, but I'm really starting to get fed up with this now and can foresee that in the long run, I'm just going to have to ****ing swallow this one.

In the meantime, I'll make my experience abundantly obvious on BT's social media and make a mental note never EVER to use their products again *sigh*...