BT Master socket and Plug

Joined
10 Jun 2018
Messages
80
Reaction score
0
Country
United Kingdom
Wonder If I can get some help.
This is my master socket sited on a coat, shoe cupboard ( right under Consumer unit ) as we enter the house. When we bought the house there was a Tel Extension socket in a good few rooms. These have been blanked off as we decorated the house. As you can see on one attached photo the wiring for extensions seems to have been a DIY affair using terminal blocks. We now just have 2 sockets left. One is in the down stairs Lobby where the main telephone is. The other is in small down stairs bedroom the other side of the Cupboard which we use as an office with PC and Router. The routers plugged into this and works ok. You'll see that there is a socket plugged into the master socket after the filter that has another plug into that, but there's no plug in the filter for Modem. The Plug that's in the back of this "Connector"? seems to unclick but wont pull out. This has been the way it was since we bought the property. I want to start tidying things up and wonder if I can get the answers to following questions

What type of master socket is that and can I upgrade the face plate to any advantage.
Should my router extension socket be plugged into the ADSL plug on the filter. Given the way things are, how do Identify what wire goes to bedroom / router socket
Do I need that plug that plugged into the filter.
 

Attachments

  • Mater socket 1.jpg
    Mater socket 1.jpg
    257.8 KB · Views: 143
  • Master Socket 2.jpg
    Master Socket 2.jpg
    316.7 KB · Views: 126
Sponsored Links
Hi,
You have what looks like an NTE5a master socket.
It's up to you how to tidy things up, but for the fastest broadband speed, it would be best to get an ADSL faceplate, something like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solwise-ADSL-NTEFACE-SOL-ADSL-Faceplate-Splitter/dp/B003H6GUNA
The modem would then connect straight into the ADSL socket with as short a lead as possible.
It would still be possible to clean up your existing wiring, but wouldn't be as optimal!
I hope that helps :)
 
Hi Thanks
I am sure we are on a FTTC connection although a good distance from the cabinet. I have Talktalk Fibre Broad band 35mbs. Max poss speed from cabinet is 20.5mbs and I get 15-17. ADSL or VDSL face plate required or does it make no difference???
Also, with these face plates is it possible to hard wire the Modem extension socket in office straight into the face plate using Cat 5e. The cable run would only be approx 2-3 m. Like wise, can I just start from scratch with the telephone extension socket wire and hard wire this also into face plate so no need for plug ins to the face plate.
 
Ok,
Then a vDSL faceplate (it's compatible with ADSL anyway!).
This version (cheaper elsewhere, but good info on the website), allows for hardwiring of an extension to the vDSL line.
https://www.run-it-direct.co.uk/adsl-vdsl-faceplates/btvdslfaceplate/
Cat5e will be fine for the extension, but you only need one of the twisted pairs.
It's perfectly possible to use the spare pairs for the telephone extension.
If your lower face plate is lost, you might need a: https://www.bcedirect.co.uk/products/bt-openreach-replacement-front-lower-nte5a-faceplate
This is where the voice extension runs from.
(Edit: or, I believe this unit replaces both https://www.run-it-direct.co.uk/adsl-vdsl-faceplates/vte2015filteredfaceplate/)

You could then terminate with a secondary faceplate in the office, probably neater with euromodules and a 2 module faceplate.

It could also be worth investing in an idc insertion tool:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Telephone-Professional-Quality-Insertion-MOUNTING/dp/B003KEOMRA

I hope that makes sense!

...also, don't worry too much about the telephone extension. Most telephones will be network connected VOIP units in the not too distant future! :)

...and just relooking at the photos, it might be worth taking your existing faceplate off. Something odd might be going on underneath!
 
Last edited:
Sponsored Links
Hi again,
Thanks for the links and advice. I'll probably be ordering the item from Run-it-direct which replaces both just in case. I have a cheapo punch down tool as I've just run data cable from my router to dining room tv, and some spare cat 5e. Your last comment "something odd " has spurred me into taking some more photos with the face plate off. When the micro filter is unplugged from the face plate, the existing phone in the Lobby was dead and no internet so I guess these are the only 2 wires in use on this face plate plug. There were a good few extensions in the house original ( even to the Garage ) so I'm surmising that all the other mess of cables and block connectors can go ?. The Blue-white / white-blue wires to the face plate are actually coming from one of the block connectors. The orange white / white orange that are not terminated run from the block connectors also. I really want to get rid of these connector and just make a tidy job of it. Anything odd in the photos ?
 

Attachments

  • 20210926_144732.jpg
    20210926_144732.jpg
    227.1 KB · Views: 116
  • 20210926_144949.jpg
    20210926_144949.jpg
    235.3 KB · Views: 84
  • 20210926_145004.jpg
    20210926_145004.jpg
    251.1 KB · Views: 120
  • 20210926_145029.jpg
    20210926_145029.jpg
    199.7 KB · Views: 108
  • 20210926_145754.jpg
    20210926_145754.jpg
    194.2 KB · Views: 93
It wasn't clear that there was a terminal block in your original pics.
I think that looks fine. As long as it is only the blue/white pair that is connected and the orange/white pair are disconnected, that can all be removed. It would only be an issue if any of those cables was going into the back of the nte5 box (the side that shouldn't be touched! ;))
 
Just a bit confused. if the blue white - white blue from terminal block are feeding the face plate, what's feeding the terminal block ? shouldn't these to wires come from the Master socket ?
 
Sorry if I caused confusion. I meant as long as it is only the blue/white pair that is currently connected to the faceplate, then the whole terminal block can be removed (including the blue/white pair!).
The nte5 box should be fed from a BT cable inside the box.
I hope that makes sense.
 
Yep, Perfect sense ( I think ) The wires coming from the Face plate are what's feeding all the extensions. They are only fed when the face plates plugged in
Thanks again
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top