What's going on here?

[swa110w]

Could somebody help me work out what's going on with my phone line?

I've recently moved into a new house. The previous owners were a little slapdash with, well, just about everything, including phone extensions. There are extensions throughout the house in walls, along skirting boards, under carpets etc. None of them have been put in very carefully, and we don't really need them with DECT phones, so we're going to take them out.

Anyway, I was trying to work out which is the master socket but I'm a bit confused. This is what I think is the master socket (on the left). It is downstairs near the front door of my property.

The master socket?

• swa110w
• 19 Aug 2013
• 1

As you can see immediately next to the master socket is an extension socket, which plugs into the master socket. There is also a sort of plate that holds the plug in place for some reason (partially lifted on the photo) - any ideas why?

So I unscrewed the socket, to find this mess, and I'm not sure what's going on...

Inside the master socket 1

• swa110w
• 19 Aug 2013
• 1

Inside the master socket 2

• swa110w
• 19 Aug 2013
• 1

And here's a close-up of the circuit board.

Close-up of the circuit board

• swa110w
• 19 Aug 2013
• 1

There are also numerous cables coming out of the master socket (as well as to the extension socket). These go off under the floor (not sure where yet!).

Extensions from the socket

• swa110w
• 19 Aug 2013
• 1

So my overall query is... what is going on here?

More specifically...
Is this definitely my master socket?
Is this an "old style" master socket?
Why is there an extension box immediately next to it?
Why is the extension box plugged in with a plate over the plug?
Is it okay for extension cables to be hard-wired into the master socket like that?

If anyone could shed any light on this, I'd be very grateful.

 

[sparkymarka]

Looks like a non standard bt master wired to the extensions via the fly lead, so the internal can be disconnected from the master socket. Nasty !

 

[swa110w]

Sorry, I'm not really up on all this. Could you explain further?

The master socket does have a BT logo on it, if that's any indication?

Why would they have done this?

 

[Bodgeitandleggit]

It looks a right mess... go to your local paper and you will see ads from ex bt engineers , disconnect all your extensions and just fit a nte5... or call openreach out but expect a hefty bill

 

[plugwash]

In th days after the introduction of plug in phones but before the NTE5 you were not supposed to mess with the master socket or any of it's wiring. So if you wanted to do things by the book you had to plug into the master socket.

The way it was usually done was to use a "converter with cable" that was included in an extension kit. This plugged into the existing phone socket, the phone at the master socket location plugged into the converter and then the extension sockets were wired to the cable coming out of the converter.

It looks like someone decided to use a conventional phone plug instead of a converter with cable. Maybe because it was what they had, maybe because they could get a locking bar to prevent it being unplgged.

It also looks like someone has wired extensions directly from the master socket (which is technically breaking the rules but a lot of people did it), this suggests that the current mess has developed over a period of time

It is also very strange that there are so many wires at the master socket. Normally only contacts 2 and 5 would be connected to the incoming line and contacts 2,3,4 and 5 to extensions

In short it's a horrible mess and it's going to take some work to figure out the exact details of what is going on. Personally i'd start by trying to figure out which cable carries the incoming BT line then redo stuff starting from there.

P.S. It's unusual to see a large size non-NTE5 master socket with BT branding. I guess the builders put a box in before BT installed the phone line or something.

EDIT: got the contact numbers wrong

 

[swa110w]

Many thanks for your helpful reply.

I've done a bit of exploring, and discovered what is going where.

There are two "hard-wired" extensions coming out of the Master socket - one of these goes to a room downstairs, the other goes to a room upstairs.

The extension box on the right, which is connected via the socket of the Master socket, goes solely to our burglar alarm. This is strange because we don't have it configured to call anyone! (Does anyone know why this might be?)

Thanks to DECT phones, we don't need any of the extensions, so my plan is to remove both of the hard-wired extensions from the Socket. I'd also like to remove the wire to the alarm and the extension box on the right, but I shall wait to see whether I need that or not.

I'd then like to get BT to upgrade my Master socket. I appreciate this will probably cost me. Is it true that they will upgrade the Master socket for free if I upgrade to Infinity? If I've removed the hard-wired extensions by then, will they know it has been tampered with?

Thanks again.

 

[plugwash]

There are two "hard-wired" extensions coming out of the Master socket - one of these goes to a room downstairs, the other goes to a room upstairs.

Right

The extension box on the right, which is connected via the socket of the Master socket, goes solely to our burglar alarm. This is strange because we don't have it configured to call anyone! (Does anyone know why this might be?)

Some people like to have their burgular alarms call either them directly or an alarm monitoring station when the alarm goes off.

I guess this explains why they used a conventional plug and a locking bar rather than the "converter with cable"

Thanks to DECT phones, we don't need any of the extensions, so my plan is to remove both of the hard-wired extensions from the Socket. I'd also like to remove the wire to the alarm and the extension box on the right, but I shall wait to see whether I need that or not.

Makes sense.

I'd then like to get BT to upgrade my Master socket. I appreciate this will probably cost me. Is it true that they will upgrade the Master socket for free if I upgrade to Infinity?

If you upgrade to a FTTC service (BT infinity or similar) then a BT openreach engineer will be sent to install the VDSL filtering and modem. AIUI if you have anything other than the latest variant of openreach NTE5 they will replace the master socket as part of this process.

 

[swa110w]

The extension box on the right, which is connected via the socket of the Master socket, goes solely to our burglar alarm. This is strange because we don't have it configured to call anyone! (Does anyone know why this might be?)

Some people like to have their burgular alarms call either them directly or an alarm monitoring station when the alarm goes off.

I guess this explains why they used a conventional plug and a locking bar rather than the "converter with cable"

Hmm, perhaps the previous owners used to have this facility and have switched it off, or maybe they connected it to the phone line just in case the facility was added in future.

I might leave that one in then (I'll have a word with the alarm fitter). Presumably, once I've got an up-to-date Master socket installed, I'll be able to "hard-wire" the alarm extension directly into it (and remove the extension box)?

 

[kbdiy]

If you're going to call BT out anyway then I wouldn't worry about the hardwired extensions. It is quite possible that they were installed by BT anyway and there is no reason for you to mess with them.

Everything mentioned above is sound advice.

 

[swa110w]

If you're going to call BT out anyway then I wouldn't worry about the hardwired extensions. It is quite possible that they were installed by BT anyway and there is no reason for you to mess with them.

Everything mentioned above is sound advice.

I did wonder if BT might have been responsible. Each of the hard-wired extension boxes has the old BT "T" logo on them. Someone told me only BT fitted these. If it is them, they've done a pretty poor job!

Nevertheless, I'd like them out anyway, as they're now unnecessary and they look a bloody mess!

 

[kbdiy]

Remember that those sockets are likely to have been installed some 20+ years ago so the wiring may have been subjected to a bit of abuse in that time, hence not looking as pristine as they might

 

[plugwash]

It's possible that BT installed them but if they did it seems like either they did a really poor job or someone has messed with them since. In particular the combination of colors in the master socket terminals look really strange.

Sometimes BT branded parts end up being used by other installers eticher because they were ripped out of a property or because they were someahow acquired from BT (quite possiblly nicked)

 

[dannyboi2003]

Sometimes BT branded parts end up being used by other installers eticher because they were ripped out of a property or because they were someahow acquired from BT (quite possiblly nicked)

Not entirely true, i remember being able to buy BT or 'Telecom' as they were branded then, phone extension kits with the 'T' logo on the sockets, i fitted a fair few of them myself (i feel old now).

 

[mattylad]

If you are going to be having broadband then you will want them sorting, get rid of the extensions and get a NTE5 installed.
If you are going for fibre then they will fit a new socket anyway.

ISTR that BT are responsible upto the master socket.

If a wire was to come off would they repair it? And at the time would they fix it with a new socket? Tea/biscuits and a bung for the engineer that comes round might help.

 

[ImayKnow]

Sometimes BT branded parts end up being used by other installers eticher because they were ripped out of a property or because they were someahow acquired from BT (quite possiblly nicked)

Not entirely true, i remember being able to buy BT or 'Telecom' as they were branded then, phone extension kits with the 'T' logo on the sockets, i fitted a fair few of them myself (i feel old now).

Plugwash is correct in what he stated though.