Telephone socket extension wiring question

[jg321]

just to assure you that I know what I'm talking about here.

The master socket is wired incorrectly in the first place.

Embarrassingly, due to focussing on the flat stranded cable, I did not notice he had the faceplate in his hand, not the back of a socket. I'd hazard a guess that it's not wired incorrectly, and he's actually seeing additional extension wiring onto that faceplate, not the incoming line. Of course it's not impossible/unseen that the incoming line is going onto the back of the faceplate, but in my experience it's far less common than an extension that is no longer in use.

andyman123 - what is your current internet speed? Do you have standard or "fibre" broadband?

 

[andyman123]

Hi all, I will get some more pics and I do still have the cable reel so I will take a pic of that also.
I am on fibre broadband (sky) and would say it's around 20mb I think.

This is definitely the master socket and at the top of the socket there is like a plate where two wires are screwed in. It's not an old house 16 years approx. It's a BT line. Again - I will take more pics once home so you guys can see.

Many thanks for all your input

 

[jg321]

OK here's what you have. The master socket is an NTE5. The back part which screws onto the backbox is the actual socket part, and it has a pair of wires going into it - this is your incoming line from outside. The bottom half, once the faceplate is off (the bit you had in your hand is the faceplate), contains the test socket. If all is wired correctly, with the faceplate off you should get a dial tone and broadband sync in the test socket, and all other extensions should be dead.

As you've seen, the extension wiring connects to the faceplate, which then plugs into the test socket. You clearly have an existing extension (the white/orange/blue wires connected to the back of the faceplate. This looks to be CW1308 twisted pair cable - which is the correct cable to use. Do you know where this goes to? Could you change your plans to put all your stuff on the end of this cable?

Here's what I'd do:

1) Remove the faceplate to expose the test socket
2) Plug a phone into the test socket and check for dial tone - you should get one
3) Plug the known working phone into all other extension sockets - they should be dead
4) Plug your router into the test socket (using a filter as normal).

You now have two options - depending on how comfortable you are accessing your router stats.

5a) Best option - connect to router web interface (192.168.0.1) in a web browser, click on 'Maintenance', log in with username admin and password sky and record the sync speeds. They should look something like:

Modem StatusConnected
DownStream Connection Speed 13107
UpStream Connection Speed 1105

5b) Less good option - do a speedtest on speedtest.net and record.

6) If you don't use the original extension, I'd remove this wiring from the faceplate. You'll probably then be able to get your new extension wiring into the faceplate.

7) Plug the faceplate back in.

8) Plug a phone into the new extension, and check for dial tone.

9) Plug the router in the extension and repeat step 5.

** I've just realised, you said fibre broadband at 20mb. You're already on a long line from the street cabinet (around 1km), so any additional cabling inside your house will seriously reduce this speed. If you do try the above, please only do it once, and make sure you disconnect the router from the line before you start making connections. Openreach systems continuously monitor the line, and will reduce the speed if instability is detected.

Is there any way you can keep the router at the master socket? This will allow you to get the VDSL filtered faceplate (mentioned before as interstitial faceplate), which keeps your broadband signal as clean as possible.

In fact, I imagine that just having that existing extension connected, even with the router in the master socket, will seriously impact your speed.

Cheers,

Jon

 

[ericmark]

Centre pair are the ones that matter, there is a correct way around, if wrong the bell will not work on phones without a power supply, the twist on the pair is for matching so that centre pair do need to be a pair not any random two wires, the outer wires also cause the telephone to ring when no power supply to phone. The capacitor in master socket is used to ring the bell as polarity swaps on centre pair, it will have a valve of 5 REN i.e. it will ring 5 bells at on REN each.

However with modern phones getting centre pair wrong way around does not seem to matter, they only use centre pair the other 4 wires are not used, same with PC and modem or router only centre pair now used.

I have tried using old phones and so often the centre pair are wrong way around so no bell, but phone still works, and cordless phones still ring.

 

[SimonH2]

Is there any way you can keep the router at the master socket? This will allow you to get the VDSL filtered faceplate (mentioned before as interstitial faceplate), which keeps your broadband signal as clean as possible.

You don't have to use the modem socket on the filter plate - they have (or at least, the decent ones have) a pair of terminals on the back for running a separate (unfiltered) pair to another socket for the modem.

 

[andyman123]

Update!!!!

Firstly, thank you to all those helpful contributors. I have looked into the black cable that I have, sadly I don't have the reel. It is a flat black sheeth with four wires which are coloured as discussed earlier. These are stranded wires and simply wouldn't stay in the connectors at all, though I did for a short period of time manage a connection and managed to get a tone and dial etc.

So, I have taken the advice and I purchased proper telephone wire CW1308 and I have taken what I now learn is an extension out of the master socket and I have run a new wire to the location that I needed.

I have tested this and all is working well. My broadband is pulling 28mb/s consistent with neighbours and my Sky HD, and router is working well.

Thank you so much for your help and support.

I now am left with a 4 stranded wire running from the front to the rear of my house - being a bit of a geek I don't not want to use it Any thoughts on what this could be used for?

 

[SimonH2]

It is a flat black sheeth with four wires which are coloured as discussed earlier. These are stranded wires ...

Sounds like flexible cord - the sort of thing that connects the phone to the wall socket.

So, I have taken the advice and I purchased proper telephone wire CW1308 and I have taken what I now learn is an extension out of the master socket and I have run a new wire to the location that I needed.

I have tested this and all is working well. My broadband is pulling 28mb/s consistent with neighbours and my Sky HD, and router is working well.

Just be aware that for best performance on the broadband, you should fit a filter at the master socket and use a separate pair to run the unfiltered line to a separate socket for the modem. Failing that, don't connect anything to pins 3&4 in the master socket - pin 3 is the bell line, and leaving it connected causes an imbalanced line that affects the high frequencies used by xDSL.

I now am left with a 4 stranded wire running from the front to the rear of my house - being a bit of a geek I don't not want to use it Any thoughts on what this could be used for?

None at all !