ADSL master socket..

[Spuddy]

Ok so to cut a long story short, been having some problems with our internet disconnecting. The modem/router for our adsl connection sits in my room plugged into a phone line in there.

Our ISP have sent us one of their own brand routers, but the problem is still persisting, even worse with this new router actually. Because now rather than just the internet disconnecting, it also kicks us off the router and we lose the wifi completely as if the router is rebooting or something? Never occurred on the old one, just a loss of actual internet. Anyways, next step now is to try the new modem in the master socket, located behind the front door to check if it is the extension phone line in the bedroom that has suddenly become faulty (been working fine for last 15 years?) or if the fault lies at the ISP end.

Now I've just done a speediest from the master socket and the connection is MUCH faster in comparison to when its located in the bedroom, but obviously its not practical to keep it behind the front door due to wires everywhere and such like. What are my options for either relocating this master socket to the bedroom or somehow preserving this faster speed into the bedroom to relocate the router back there again? Can it be done with ethernet (cat5) cables somehow?



Im a total networking noob! I should stress aswell that the gains are almost 50%.

Bedroom speediest is around 6, sometimes 7Mbps. Master socket is 11Mbps.

 

[Spuddy]

Thanks for the advice guys, although think Im going to be in the minority here in that OpenReach have nothing to do with mine, as far as I know.
As I live in Hull and BT aren't available here, we only have Kingston Communication phone lines.


Anyways yeah there is no way the router can stay next to the master socket as its literally right behind the front door sat on the radiator and its gonna end up getting damaged and looking an eye sore.


So with that in mind is it better to run cat5e cable (or cat6?) from inside the master socket to the bedroom and have an ethernet socket there, to future proof myself for when my property finally gets fibre? Or does that not use the master socket at all?

Im not jumping to the conclusion that the telephone socket is faulty yet, the router has only been in for a couple of hours and I've hardly used the internet to notice if there was a disconnection at any point. Although the loss of speed has obviously always been present and I'd like to rectify that anyways.

 

[Spuddy]

Thanks, I'll install some cat5e solid core then as the master socket seems fine, but it's definitely poor quality cable on the extension anyways because the speeds have always been very low compared to the master socket.

Where's the best place to get it from? It's a shame the bedroom that it needs to be installed in as at the back of the house rather than straight above

Also, any handy how-to guides about? I assume it's not too hard of a job or I might just have to call in the professionals! An expense id rather live without tbh.

 

[Spuddy]

Ok thanks, now I just need a how-to noob-friendly guide on how to do this?

Because I assume an engineer will charge ridiculous amounts for whats apparently an easy job?

 

[Spuddy]

Thanks, we have several extensions. one in the living room, one in the kitchen and one in the bedroom.

The kitchen one we do not use.

However tonight I got a phone call on my mobile saying why aren't I answering my house phone. Apparently its just ringing and ringing, but its not at my end and there is no dialling tone when I pick it up, it is plugged into the living room extension.

This has all occurred since plugging the router into the master socket last night as the phones were working fine during the day, is this normal for this to happen?

Not been able to unplug the router and check to see if the phones start working again, although I presume they will as I have an uninterruptible download going on currently.


So I will have to daisy chain the living room and bedroom extensions, unless I can just run them separately? or is daisy chaining the best?

I presume it will lower my speeds even further though by having more than 1 extension daisy chained?

 

[Spuddy]

Assuming you have a master socket that's reasonably modern remove the lower part of the faceplate to expose the test port. Check that you have a working phone connection and that it's quiet.

If you haven't got a working and quiet phone line then you've go a line fault to report and get fixed.

If the line is okay then you need to start looking for internal line faults.

For broadband you're best keeping the internal wiring as simple as possible. If you need multiple phones then DECT works great.

Thanks, I'll give that a try when I get home from work tomorrow night.


Excuse my ignorance however, but what is DECT?

We only have one house phone, plugged into the living room extension. The phone in the kitchen connects to the dock in the living room and only uses an electrical socket, the phone line in there is redundant.

 

[Spuddy]

So now that we've discovered you have a fault somewhere this could account for the drop in speed between master and extension.

I forget exactly what causes lines not to ring so this may be something at the exchange, or something internal. By clearing down and using the test socket your remove your internal wiring from the circuit, so plug in there with the router and a phone via the microfilter and see if the problem persists. The fact that you have significantly lower speed on your extension suggests there is an issue with the extension but it may not be related to the ringing.

Does your broadband fluctuate or drop when you have incoming or outgoing calls?

I was always hesitant phoning my line provider because they used to charge if the problem was found to be internal. Maybe they don't do this anymore?

Is it normal /should it happen - that I cant use the extensions when having the router plugged into the master socket? Does using the master socket block all extensions from working whilst a device is plugged in?

Not noticed it fluctuating but it may well do, it doesn't drop though.

My ISP charges I think I read on their website a few weeks ago.

Plug a phone (ideally corded) into the master socket, can you ring out? Hang up. Now ring it from your mobile, does it ring? If so calling your telco will likely result in a chargeable fault call as the master socket works.

Plug the router in (remember to use a suitable micro filter if required), re-test, if it works the extensions are faulty as was said previously (I half suspect you hadn't plugged the phone back in). Either get someone in to fix it, or disconnect them but from your other replies I'd suggest you at least get some competent help, as with respect this doesn't' seem to be a subject you know that much about.

I'll try this tomorrow night when I get home from work, whilst at work today the router has been moved to the kitchen extension so that we can use the home phone in the living room extension.

So far, touch wood there has been no internet drops in this extension but internet speeds are back to around 7Mbps from the regular 10.8 - 11 I received in the master socket.

I might also test the router in the living room extension to see what speeds are achieved there as literally they are more or less back to back (within inches) on the same wall so presume that whoever had the house before us wired this extension up as the first in the chain.

Yeah you are quite right, I don't know much about it at all. Willing to learn though and have a go if its not too difficult. Just checked the price on Yell for local telecommunication engineer in my area and they charge £90 to fit a telephone extension!

 

[Spuddy]

Do you have DSL filters in the master and all extension sockets in use?

Any sockets in use (including the master) need a microfilter connected.

Filter on the master with the router for sure and Im 99% sure there is one on the phone too in the living room.

 

[Spuddy]

Thanks guys, Im gonna have to get these uni exams out the way with then spend a day/couple of days tackling it.

As the router cut out tonight and completely kicked me off the wifi (as if the router is losing power) I have to reconnect to the network each time and this was whilst plugged into the kitchen extension.

Think I'll have all extensions removed and then complete new one put in. Master > living room > bedroom.

Oh and I checked, living room phone DOES have a microfilter on.

 

[Spuddy]

Ok so little update, tonight I tried the router in the living room socket which is on the same wall as the master, just on the other side of it. I think somewhere this is the probably cause for fault on the lines.

Running a speediest the results were all over the place, one minute it could barely reach 2.0Mbps and the next it was sitting steady at 6.0Mbps (still slow for the 11 I should be getting). Ping was also very erratic, one minute it was 19ms, then 100+.

I don't think Im gonna be able to tackle this problem alone though as this is the state of the inside of the master socket







I think Im just going to get all extensions in the house removed/killed off. And have one new one put in again in the living room with some decent cabling next to the old one and have the router there for now. All devices will just have to go wireless.

Presume that shouldn't be too much of a problem for online gaming and such? nothing competitive, just don't want to introduce lots of latency.

 

[Spuddy]

Oh right ok, so the telco side of the wiring is from behind the faceplate where it says "kingston communications" ???


Yeah 3 extensions, don't want to use any of them to be honest as they all seem to cause the internet to frequently disconnect (never used to, just started recently) ...or ridiculously slow speeds.

I have tested my speed in there and left the router in it for a couple of days with absolutely zero problems. Speeds in the test port have a 50% increase over the internal extensions.

Can a new faceplate be fitted with a socket in the front for use on the master? Rather than the test socket which stops all the internet extensions from working whilst its in use or "unplugged" like in the pictures above.

 

[Spuddy]

From the looks of things you also may have the ring wire connected? It's worth removing that as that can cause interference and cause a drop in speed.

Ok thanks, excuse my ignorance which one is the ring wire?

It is worth pulling all of the wires except for the blue pairs. That would leave all of the extensions live but with the least chance of interference.

Thanks man, another stupid question here - I presume "blue pairs" includes the white wires with small blue tags and not just the solid blue wires?

 

[Spuddy]

I'll just take a pair of snippers to all the other numbers then.

See how that goes I guess. Doubt it will give me my 4-5Mbps back that Im currently 'down' in the extension sockets?


EDIT: so all the other wires are just ring wires?

 

[Spuddy]

Shall do, tomorrow... Then I'll report back, see if its helped.

If I fit a new box, literally on the other side of the wall, Im pretty sure I could do it myself now I know what all the wires are for. Doesn't seem so daunting.

 

[Spuddy]

Sorry should have mentioned more clearly, the phone was NOT ringing when plugged into the living room extension WHEN the router was being used in the master socket.

At the time I did not realise that using the test socket basically disconnects all the extensions whilst in use. A phone in the test socket or when the router is removed from the test socket does work.



Anyways little update, friend of the family (well its my mothers cousin) is a (just) retired telephone engineer. He's coming round tomorrow to take a look and do any work I want. Probably just going to get the 3 extensions removed for now and one new one put in, or rewire the living room one and disconnect the others as that is the closest one to make it simple.

I will provide my own materials, so now I need some good cabling about a 6-7ft length to be on the safe side. I presume he has all the tools he needs still, I just need to provide materials and the job is free essentially.



So can anyone tell me what cable I need and where I can buy it from to ensure best quality, I just want the best end product to maintain the high speeds of the master and be future proof/long lasting ???

Also do I/should I fit some new faceplates at the same time?




Thanks in advance.

 

[Spuddy]

UPDATE:

I am officially at my wits end with this internet!!!


Got the living room extension rewired today using cat5e.

Speeds have improved from the 3.8 I did get in this room to 5.5!!

Still no where near the 11Mbps second I am getting 5 foot away at the master socket. What on earth is going on?