FTTC and faceplates

lamboman

lamboman

lamboman

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Joined
7 Apr 2008
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Hi all,

I currently have one of these faceplates in the house:
faceplate.png


It's the only socket in the house. Currently we have a terrible ADSL connection and are moving to Plusnet's 76/20 fibre. The extension cable in the picture runs under the carpet for 3 metres or so to some cabinets, then there's an ADSL filter on the end which my modem is plugged into.

It isn't at all viable to move everything in order to change cables (hi-fi, TV, computers, cabinets, and finally carpet would have to be moved) and there aren't power sockets near that phone socket. So I basically need to keep this setup as it is, just swapping out the ADSL modem for the Openreach box.

Would it be possible to have a non-filtered faceplate installed (NTE5) and use the ADSL filter as per usual? As far as I understand it is technically possible and that the faceplates they commonly use simply move the filter into the faceplate, however whether BT offer options that meet my requirements is a different matter.

Thanks all!
 
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If an engineer visits to install FTTC they'll install a NTE5 master socket. If the socket pictured is the master socket then that'll get replaced.

If the extension cable you're referring to is the one plugged into the left socket then it looks like junk anyway. There's a very high likelihood that it isn't twisted pair. If it isn't twisted pair then it'll be no good for FTTC and is probably already crippling your ADSL connection.

If you want FTTC make the effort and do it right.
 
lamboman said:
Hi all,

I currently have one of these faceplates in the house:
JN9razjHNCKqB7aSXZb48VisiavKDyDvW6sc7QvzVV8


It's the only socket in the house. Currently we have a terrible ADSL connection and are moving to Plusnet's 76/20 fibre. The extension cable in the picture runs under the carpet for 3 metres or so to some cabinets, then there's an ADSL filter on the end which my modem is plugged into.

It isn't at all viable to move everything in order to change cables (hi-fi, TV, computers, cabinets, and finally carpet would have to be moved) and there aren't power sockets near that phone socket. So I basically need to keep this setup as it is, just swapping out the ADSL modem for the Openreach box.

Would it be possible to have a non-filtered faceplate installed (NTE5) and use the ADSL filter as per usual? As far as I understand it is technically possible and that the faceplates they commonly use simply move the filter into the faceplate, however whether BT offer options that meet my requirements is a different matter.

Thanks all!
Click to expand...

When arriving the engineer will replace the socket picture (IF it's the master socket) with an NTE5 with a MK2 Faceplate so there's a fixed point which is your responsibility and to provide the ability to connect your VDSL Equipment up.

Even if you had an NTE5 with no VDSL Filter, you'll get the MK2 Faceplate.

There are IDC terminals (2) behind the initial bottom plate which you can patch your extension cable into AFAIK.

Have a chat with the engineer when he arrives because he will give you a hand setting your connection up and in order to do that, he'll have to make sure your modem is placed suitably first. It should be a 2 minute job to patch things in.

What he might do is install an NTE5 without the MK2 Faceplate to replace the one pictured and just put the MK2 Faceplate on the other end of the extension cable along with a supported box for it.
 
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Can't see your picture

Technical info:
The twisted pair coming into the house can go on almost any phone jack socket and work with VDSL or ADSL ok. If you then have a pstn jack extension going to a DSL micro filter then yes your VDSL (fttc) service will work and your phone service will work.

Enginerring info:
If your Service provider booked a visit with a Managed Install then openreach or their agents must provide service, if no power is near the NTE they must shift the NTE or run a data extension kit (kinda what you have already done)

Openreach and their agents can only surface mount and will not be able to guarantee carpet fed wiring, since I can not see the site I can not see what the suitable surface mount route is... needless to say the missus almost never likes it

If you are booked an "activation" where the FTTC service goes live then no worries, your setup will work

And if they do fit a mk2 face plate (this is a NTE build on DSL filter that filters DSL from PSTN at the demarcation point) then let them test it and then leave and take that face plate off and put the nte 5 back together.

Best of luck
 
Sorry about that, image is now fixed.

Thanks for the replies, was rather urgent as the £100 cashback offer finishes soon (apparently it alternates sometimes between Quidco and TCB but I'd rather be on the safe side!).

The cable in the picture is a bog standard 5m long phone extension cable, not a proper extension to another wall socket. I'm assuming that the cable would be OK to a point, however as bremen1874 said, ought to do it properly. For some reason it completely crossed my mind, just going to run a long RJ-11 twisted pair cable along the edge of the room (bit like the Data Extension kit without the socket on the end) and use the filtered faceplate, and leave the old cable for the phone.
 
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Sounds like the options are good, if you have a visit you should have various options, just make it easy for the engineer and he should do it for you :)
 
If you use Cat5e (or similar) you have a cable with multiple twisted pairs. This allows you to keep the voice and VDSL signals separate but going down a single cable.

If you use solid core you can connect the cable to the connections of the back of the NTE5 faceplate and avoid having anything external plugged in. Terminate the other end of the cable with a double faceplate and you've got a nice neat job.
 
bremen1874 said:
If you use Cat5e (or similar) you have a cable with multiple twisted pairs. This allows you to keep the voice and VDSL signals separate but going down a single cable.

If you use solid core you can connect the cable to the connections of the back of the NTE5 faceplate and avoid having anything external plugged in. Terminate the other end of the cable with a double faceplate and you've got a nice neat job.
Click to expand...

It'll be just an off-the-shelf CAT5e cable with RJ11 connectors, the cable needs to go directly to a cabinet and to the modem inside, so no other sockets needed. The current cable is under the carpet so I might as well use it, less effort, however at least if that cable goes bad I could terminate behind the cabinet (or even in the cabinet to be weird).

Thanks :)
 
lamboman said:
It'll be just an off-the-shelf CAT5e cable with RJ11 connectors, the cable needs to go directly to a cabinet and to the modem inside, so no other sockets needed. The current cable is under the carpet so I might as well use it, less effort, however at least if that cable goes bad I could terminate behind the cabinet (or even in the cabinet to be weird).

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

Replace that cable, or expect poor sync speeds.

Do it right from the beginning tbh.
 
bremen1874 said:
Be aware that the modems need a decent amount of air as they tend to run hot. They're really designed to be wall mounted.
Click to expand...
How hot are we talking? I've got a Speedtouch 546 at the moment that runs burning hot in the cabinet if it's put down normally, but runs acceptably warm once propped up on its side.

EVH said:
Replace that cable, or expect poor sync speeds.

Do it right from the beginning tbh.
Click to expand...
Am doing so, new cable's in the post :)
 
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