Phone REN problem

[cyberdyne]

Hi all.
Any BT guys about?

I have just installed a wireless network together with introducing a household to BT broadband.

They previously had 4 phones and a fax, but on three seperate lines (telephone numbers). A BT salesperson wrongly told them they could have all three service; fax, telephone and broadband down the one line AND keep all their existing equiptment.

The broadband and phones work perfectly, but when the fax is connected, the main phone which they use the most does not ring.

However, the REN of the 4 phones they have installed PLUS the fax, must be well over 4 as two of the phones are old-style rotary-dial phones, which I have read could, alone, have an REN of almost 2 each.

Now, I have advised them - on the strength of conversations elsewhere - that it might be a good idea to purchase a BT BT Telephone Extension REN Booster which will give them a REN ability of 11.

However, what im not sure is where to install it.

Can it be placed anywhere in the chain and the boosted REN will cover the whole system?
OR do i need to install it on the very first socket in the chain ?

Also, although the BT sales page says its fully compatible with ADSL, I have read elsewhere that since it is an analogue unit, it could affect the ADSL. Does anyone know if this is correct?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[plugwash]

if you unplug all the phones except the main one but leave the fax on does it work?

I'd advise putting the device after the ADSL splitter but before any phone equipment. Are there enough cores in the relavent wiring to do this?

 

[cyberdyne]

if you unplug all the phones except the main one but leave the fax on does it work?

I'd advise putting the device after the ADSL splitter but before any phone equipment. Are there enough cores in the relavent wiring to do this?

Yes, the fax is fine with just one phone in the system connected.

Sorry, you've lost me with 'cores'.

Thank you.

 

[Spark123]

The ren booster should be installed after the 1st phone in the line so in a power cut the first phone will still ring.
I have mine setup with an extension from the BT master to the computer desk, ADSL filter splitting broadband and telephone, both the phone and ren booster plugged into an adapter into the filter, other house phones plugged into the extensions wired from the ren booster.

 

[cyberdyne]

if you unplug all the phones except the main one but leave the fax on does it work?

I'd advise putting the device after the ADSL splitter but before any phone equipment. Are there enough cores in the relavent wiring to do this?

How does this etup look?

Thank you.

 

[plugwash]

that looks ok to me.

 

[cyberdyne]

that looks ok to me.

Great, thanks very much plugwash.

The ren booster should be installed after the 1st phone in the line so in a power cut the first phone will still ring.
I have mine setup with an extension from the BT master to the computer desk, ADSL filter splitting broadband and telephone, both the phone and ren booster plugged into an adapter into the filter, other house phones plugged into the extensions wired from the ren booster.

Ah, so you have to have all the phones connected after the booster - in a chain - via extensions (apart from the first)?

In other words, if I connect the booster anywhere in the house other than the at first socket in the chain (after the 1st phone), it wont necessarily boost the power throughout the whole system, only the lines which follow that particular socket - and more importantly, follow after the booster?

Thanks.

PS: there is 1 phone upstairs and there are 3 downstairs - where the fax and the wireless modem/router are also situated.

 

[Spark123]

iirc the ren booster gives an additional ren7 on top of the original ren4, (i.e. I think you can have up to 4 phones on the line before the booster and 7 after), I can't for the life of me find the instruction book so I may be wrong. I remember it has a connector on it to hard wire into if preferred and also a normal BT style socket.

 

[Adam_151]

You plug it in, and then you wire the extension points you want boosted to a set of terminals under a cover on the booster, as as been said, make sure you don't end up with all the phones on the booster

 

[cyberdyne]

iirc the ren booster gives an additional ren7 on top of the original ren4, (i.e. I think you can have up to 4 phones on the line before the booster and 7 after), I can't for the life of me find the instruction book so I may be wrong. I remember it has a connector on it to hard wire into if preferred and also a normal BT style socket.

Yeah, the BT site says it increases it to 11, but the booster itself has a REN of 1 so technically your property gets a REN of 10 instead of 4.

As for hard wiring, I've never done a telephone line before, so may just use a splitter on the socket.

However, thanks very much for all your help guys. If I decide to give the hard wiring a go, 'I'll be back' !

Cheers

 

[cyberdyne]

You plug it in, and then you wire the extension points you want boosted to a set of terminals under a cover on the booster, as as been said, make sure you don't end up with all the phones on the booster

Ooh..... what do you mean by the last bit please Adam?

make sure you don't end up with all the phones on the booster

Thanks.

edit:
=====
ah, you mean so that one phone still works in the event of a power failure as was mentioned earlier?

 

[cyberdyne]

Hi all.
Ok, so I went out and bought a BT REN Booster and connected it to the problem extension (as the master socket isn't a new style extension box, but a very old brown rectangular jobbie which would need hard-wiring, which I haven't yet tried).

Unfortunately, the problem still remains.
ie:
The telephone which is on the same socket as the fax and the broadband wireless modem - set up as in diagram below - doesn't ring when a call is received and the fax signal comes through the telephone. Also, faxes aren't getting through to the fax and are lost.

~A few questions:

a) Does a fax machine extension cable need to be a special type of cable or is a normal telephone extension cable ok to use?

b) Hard-wiring; where can I find instructions on which cable goes where please?

c) Can anyone else see any other possible cause for the problem im having?

d) Finally, a back to basics question: presumably on a broadband line, the distinction between a voice call and a fax call is made automatically? I don't need an additional piece of kit to filter the two do i?

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Spark123]

a) Does a fax machine extension cable need to be a special type of cable or is a normal telephone extension cable ok to use?

It uses a standard extension cable

b) Hard-wiring; where can I find instructions on which cable goes where please?

Unless you have an NTE5 style box you are not allowed to hard wire into a BT master socket.

c) Can anyone else see any other possible cause for the problem im having?

Faulty fax/phone?

d) Finally, a back to basics question: presumably on a broadband line, the distinction between a voice call and a fax call is made automatically? I don't need an additional piece of kit to filter the two do i?

Afaik the voice and fax use the same technology, you don't need another piece of kit to filter the two.

 

[cyberdyne]

Thank you spark

In that case, im stumped.

Ive added the booster box, checked that both the fax and phone work independantly and rechecked all my connections.

I wonder if the booster box is faulty? Is there a way to check it is actually boosting the REN ?

Any other ideas appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Spark123]

Try another phone, if this doesn't ring with the fax machine it is almost certainly the fax causing the problem. Just another avenue, when you have an incoming call does the fax pickup streight away and simulate the ringing? I have known some fax machines do this and others wait a number of rings before answering. The ones that answer immediately sometimes have a socket on the back for a telephone?