Faulty BT Line

[JBR]

This is a bit confusing. It sounds like the usual master socket has only one socket on the faceplate. If you want to plug in the router, and that socket it OK for the router, where do you plug in a phone?
Alternatively, is it possible to request a faceplate like Sunray's picture above, which has both a phone socket and a modem socket?
On the other hand, if there is an unfiltered socket behind the faceplate, which is usable for the router or my own extension cable to the router, is it permitted for me to take off the faceplate and plug in a cable to extend further away in the house? Will Openreach complain? (Obviously not if I don't tell them!)

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

This is a bit confusing. It sounds like the usual master socket has only one socket on the faceplate. If you want to plug in the router, and that socket it OK for the router, where do you plug in a phone?

The usual plugin filters, are like a double adaptor, on the back they have a socket for the modem and a socket for the phone, the two socket are different.

 

[JBR]

The usual plugin filters, are like a double adaptor, on the back they have a socket for the modem and a socket for the phone, the two socket are different.

Ah, thank you. Sorry if I'm being a little thick.
So Openreach would leave a master socket with a single socket suitable for the router to be plugged in directly. If I want to also attach a phone, I can buy an adaptor which will provide a pass-through without a filter for the router and another attachment, filtered, for the phone.
I hope I've got that right!

 

[winston1]

Ah, thank you. Sorry if I'm being a little thick.
So Openreach would leave a master socket with a single socket suitable for the router to be plugged in directly.

No, a master socket has a phone socket. To plug in a router you need an adapter. The easiest way is to use the supplied micro filter.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

So Openreach would leave a master socket with a single socket suitable for the router to be plugged in directly. If I want to also attach a phone, I can buy an adaptor which will provide a pass-through without a filter for the router and another attachment, filtered, for the phone.
I hope I've got that right!

No! The master socket has three total sockets. One of which, the test socket, is hidden behind a faceplate. The faceplate, which includes a filter, plugs into the test socket and two screws normal hold it in place. The faceplate then has socket to plug the router into and a socket into which you can plug your phone.

A further complication is that the back of the faceplate has a series of what are called IDC terminals, designed for you to connect an extension.

Take the screw out, unplug the faceplate and it will disconnect router, the phone and any extension sockets you might have, making it easy for you or the engineer to just test with a basic phone, directly onto the incoming phone line, whether the line is working.

 

[JBR]

No, a master socket has a phone socket. To plug in a router you need an adapter. The easiest way is to use the supplied micro filter.

Sorry, I am being a bit thick!
So I can plug the router directly into the master socket via a micro filter. I assume that either Openreach or - more likely - the router supplier will supply the micro filter.
I misunderstood and assumed that it was the phone which required a filter, but see now that it is the router which needs one. Sorry.

 

[JBR]

No! The master socket has three total sockets. One of which, the test socket, is hidden behind a faceplate. The faceplate, which includes a filter, plugs into the test socket and two screws normal hold it in place. The faceplate then has socket to plug the router into and a socket into which you can plug your phone.

A further complication is that the back of the faceplate has a series of what are called IDC terminals, designed for you to connect an extension.

Take the screw out, unplug the faceplate and it will disconnect router, the phone and any extension sockets you might have, making it easy for you or the engineer to just test with a basic phone, directly onto the incoming phone line, whether the line is working.

Apologies. Just seen this.
So Openreach would, hopefully, leave me with a master socket with a faceplate containing two sockets: one for modem and one for phone.
I won't need to buy any adaptors and won't need to remove the faceplate.
That would make life much simpler. Thank you.
Sorry to take up so much of everybody's time!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Apologies. Just seen this.
So Openreach would, hopefully, leave me with a master socket with a faceplate containing two sockets: one for modem and one for phone.
I won't need to buy any adaptors and won't need to remove the faceplate.
That would make life much simpler. Thank you.

You're welcome.

 

[JBR]

If I want to place the router/modem elsewhere, I could attach some additional cable to the phone socket of the master socket and attach my own filter at the other end where the router is to go. I assume that this is because I could not extend very far from the modem socket without losing signal to the router.
Sorry!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

If I want to place the router/modem elsewhere, I could attach some additional cable to the phone socket of the master socket and attach my own filter at the other end where the router is to go. I assume that this is because I could not extend very far from the modem socket without losing signal to the router.
Sorry!

Yes!

 

[JBR]

Thanks for persisting Harry.

 

[SUNRAY]

You won't need to buy anything to get up and running, everything will be supplied by BT/OR. and your internet provider.

If you wish to have your router a distance from the phone line (like mine), that will be at your expense.

 

[winston1]

Sorry, I am being a bit thick!
So I can plug the router directly into the master socket via a micro filter. I assume that either Openreach or - more likely - the router supplier will supply the micro filter.
I misunderstood and assumed that it was the phone which required a filter, but see now that it is the router which needs one. Sorry.

Routers usually come with micro-filters.

The phone requires the filter. The only reason the router requires one is because the RJ11 plug on the router will not fit a phone socket.

 

[winston1]

If I want to place the router/modem elsewhere, I could attach some additional cable to the phone socket of the master socket and attach my own filter at the other end where the router is to go. I assume that this is because I could not extend very far from the modem socket without losing signal to the router.
Sorry!

Only if the phone socket has an unfiltered feed.

 

[bernardgreen]

The phone requires the filter.

Correct, the filter prevents the ADSL signal from reaching the telephone, when ADSL does reach the telephone the noise ( of the ADSL signal ) makes conversations almost impossible

The only reason the router requires one is because the RJ11 plug on the router will not fit a phone socket.

If you fit a filter between the incoming line and the router/modem then the ADSL signal will not get to the router/modem and thus the router/modem cannot work