Whats needed

[swampydrill]

Got a telephone point in a flat i bought, the photo shows whats behind the old plate, orange, green, blue and brown wires. Does a new face plate comes with all the wiring connections, if so i can fit and then test? The main bt point is on ground floor from what im told.

 

[Iamchamps]

A new plate comes with connection points to connect the wires to. More modern plates require a krone tool rather than a strip and screw setup. I can't quite tell from the picture what colours connect to the opposite side of the blue and blue and white coming out of that connection block but the assumption is they are the 2 live for the line which someone has just extended.

 

[swampydrill]

The white and blue is connected to the blue, the blue amd white is connected to the orange

 

[Iamchamps]

Ok get rid of the connection block unless you really need it for cable length and connect the blue and orange to the new socket.

 

[swampydrill]

I connected the blue and orange wires to numbers 5 and 2 on the new socket. Im pretty sure the people before had no phone, now connected to the socket i have plugged a phone in but nothing. In the distribution point on each level, it shows cables connected, would i need to check with bt, should i get any sort of voltage down any cables to prove connection?

 

[bernardgreen]

would i need to check with bt,

If BT is the phone service provider you intend to use contact them and ask them for service. OpenReach own and maintain the cables rom the exchange and the Master Sockets in homes but you cannot speak to them directly, you have to go via the service provider.

If the line was "in service" there would be 50 volts DC on the pair. A line can be "in service" but not have a number or service provided allocated to it at the exchange, without that allocation the line will not provide telephone service.

In the distribution point on each level,

You should not be interfering with that, it belongs to OpenReach and while "inspecting" it you may disturb cables and ( accidently ) disconnect some one's phone line. That could be expensive for you.

 

[swampydrill]

I believe that the main distribution point is on the first floor and only bt have acces, then there is distribution points on each level which the distribute to each flat. So there should be 50v through these phone cables, seems a lot

 

[bernardgreen]

then there is distribution points on each level which the distribute to each flat.

Which are also the property of OpenReach.

The 50 volts is perfectly normal. It is fed to the line by 400 ohms of resistance so is current limited to 125 mA if shorted. With the phone off hook current flows and the voltage drops to about 9 volts

 

[JohnD]

Which are also the property of OpenReach.

Who do you think owns Openreach?

Who do you think owns the network and assets?

clue:
https://www.openreach.co.uk

 

[bernardgreen]

OpenReach took over all the cable and equipment assets of BT and operate independently of BT. BT even have a special office through which all communciations between BT and OpenReach must go through

 

[JohnD]

independently

haha

 

[omega015]

Might be a bit late to this but what do you intend to use this line for? Are you going to get it activated for calls or thinking about adding broadband to it or fibre etc...? In any case if you don't get have an active telephone line (i.e. your not paying for line rental) then I would wait for BT/OpenReach to fit an appropriate socket to it that way you get exactly what's needed and wont have any issues down the line that BT could refuse to fix/charge for.

Also some old apartment blocks have funny distribution setups and what looks like a telephone socket is actually used for the intercom system.