Found something I don't recognise - What IS this?

SteeleyScott · 2 May 2022 at 12:46

In the house of never-ending surprises. During a recent room strip we found this panel on the wall.

2 cables run into it, from under the floor (assuming phone line??) and 2 cables run from it up some trunking which I assume runs all the way to the router / network switch on the top floor.

Im assuming its something to do with phone lines and asking about it because the entire wall it resides on will need to come out in the near future. So wondering if I even need it all.

WHAT IS IT?

thanks

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redstar1 · 2 May 2022 at 12:51

ISDN terminator?

Jokester · 2 May 2022 at 12:56

That's just standard telephone cable termination blocks I think, seen a lot of that sort of stuff in the older exchange panels offshore. I would imagine it was used for ISDN in the past if you've got it in your house.

the-evaluator · 2 May 2022 at 13:37

It's an MDF - Main Distribution Frame.

Generally you only see them on commercial or larger installations where instead of a single phone line or a couple of phone lines being brought into a property there's a multipair cable that's punched down into the MDF. As and when phone lines are needed they're punched in at the exchange end and then an internal phone line is run from the MDF to wherever the phone line termination is needed.

Rroff · 2 May 2022 at 13:46

Don't know but the ISDN mention above reminded me the only time I've seen something like that was back in the day working for companies who had like 3 bonded ISDN lines.

EDIT: Googling suggests those are BIX wafers or blocks? I've heard of them but not seen before.

SteeleyScott · 2 May 2022 at 13:54

Thanks for all the input - so Is it easy enough to do away with?
Does the fact we have this mean we have 2 phone lines running into the property?
As far as I know we only use one for the SKY Router on the top floor.

Jokester · 2 May 2022 at 14:07

If it was me, I would chop the two cables coming up through the floor and poke them down into that void and rip the rest out.

SteeleyScott · 2 May 2022 at 14:11

But isnt the two coming up from the floor likely to be my main phone line coming in from external?

concern is if i rip out that box i'll have no phone / internet.

Jokester · 2 May 2022 at 14:18

In that case, best to check - do you not have a separate master phone socket for the phone line coming in?

SteeleyScott · 2 May 2022 at 14:45

I haven't found one of those anywhere no.

Closest I could find is up in the loft where the switch/ skyrouter are. Some phone line must be obviously running into the switch and sky router for us to get internet. Though i've never been able to trace where that cable is coming from. What i've always found odd is that the router / switch are on the top floor on the far right hand side of the property (pic below circled in red) where as the telegraph pole runs directly into the garage situated on the far left of the property (pic below in blue)

Lots of odd quirks as this property apparently was a bungalow at some point. So i'll perhaps never track down where that phone line is coming from really. But it definitely goes straight into the garage wall from the telegraph pole. After that i've just presumed it runs under ground and pops up here on the ground floor where this odd Main distribution frame is situated. Then I assume from there it goes UP the trunking all the way to the top floor to the router/switch, as i've also found in that trunking 4 cat5e are running down from the switch so this room has hardwired internet connections.

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Sparx · 19 May 2022 at 11:43

I would just contact Sky and ask to book Openreach to run you a new cable and master socket so you can start over. Just explain you're having building work done and they need to rip out the wall where the socket is currently located. They may or may not say a charge will be incurred, but worth it imo.

They should just cut the entry point and feed in a new cable and socket then, this also allows you to locate the socket/router where you like then within reason if you have a more suitable location for it. After which you can rip all that old tat off the wall, cut the cables and rip out what you can get to. Then you don't have much if any redundant cables left over.

Jokester · 19 May 2022 at 12:27

Was going to say similar at the time but forgot to post. The openreach guy will be able to identify whether that’s still live phone lines as well I would think.