Is this an NTE5 master socket?

Sumanji · 4 May 2013 at 16:24

Hi,

We have a really old BT master socket, but I wanted to check if it is an NTE5 or not. It's branded with the super old British Telecom "T" symbol! We've made an appointment with BT to get a new NTE5 fitted - is it worth it in this case?

I have the ADSL Nation XTE-2005 filtered faceplate, which seems to fit (can't check exactly without disconnecting the cables which I don't want to do yet). Could someone confirm whether it will / won't fit the existing socket please?

I would like to wire all of the messy extensions below into unfiltered socket on the the back of the XTE-2005 - is this possible? I'm not entirely confident with doing this myself, so if anyone could recommend a good guy around the Stafford area, that would be great!

Cheers,

Su

MagicBoy · 4 May 2013 at 16:28

Yes, it's an NTE5.

Hyburnate · 4 May 2013 at 16:32

Looks it. Don't see why BT are fitting it, I fitted ours, it's a little bit of a fiddle but pretty easy...

Sumanji · 4 May 2013 at 16:44

Hey,

I actually thought we had an old school hard-wired socket (from what dad told me on the phone). So BT agreed to come and fit and NTE5. I don't think you are legally allowed to fit one yourself...

The two main problems are:

1) ADSL SNR/Attenuation is pretty bad, despite being <600m (straight line) from the exchange. Router reporting lots of errors on the line and we get frequent disconnections.

2) The extension wires are disgusting, messy and are probably not helping the signal at all (hence wanting to tidy them up with an XTE-2005 so the router gets the best connection).

Since the current master faceplate is pretty old, there is no harm in getting it replaced right?

Thanks,

Suman

Hyburnate · 4 May 2013 at 21:40

Openreach had no problem taking out the one I fitted and fitting a new one a few month ago.

I'd get it replaced, there really is no harm.

pepp77 · 4 May 2013 at 21:52

I'm curious what the wire in pin 6 is for.

Orcvader · 4 May 2013 at 22:03

pepp77 said:
I'm curious what the wire in pin 6 is for.

Possibly bell wire. OP, play around and remove one of the wires, you really only need two wires for phone/broadband: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/faq/sections/radsl.html#235

scoobyrichuk · 8 May 2013 at 11:14

Op it looks like your nte isn't wired directly to the drop wire/lead-in cable which could explain instability. If your nte is fed by poor internal wiring (not to mention the myriad of extensions you have) then that won't be helping. Make sure your new nte is wired directly to the main feed cable and think about removing some of your extensions (what's wrong with cordless phones?). I am an openreach engineer so I offer this advice from experience...

Sumanji · 8 May 2013 at 11:57

@Scooby:

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "directly wired" - could you annotate the picture and send it to me please (email in sig).

The problem with the BT master socket is that it is in a downstairs cloakroom, and the nearest power outlet is about 20ft away

so the extensions go to where the actual equipment sits (one is for cordless phones, and one is for the actual router).

Cheers,

Su

demonix · 8 May 2013 at 15:57

Sumanji said:
1) ADSL SNR/Attenuation is pretty bad, despite being <600m (straight line) from the exchange. Router reporting lots of errors on the line and we get frequent disconnections.

I think that might be more because none of the items plugged into the extensions are connected to a microfilter first, but that wiring setup does look rather messy (I can't even make heads or tails of all that wiring beyond the first extension).

One thing I would suggest is to try and get the master socket moved to where the equipment is located (the engineer might not do it, but it doesn't hurt to ask).

Sumanji · 8 May 2013 at 16:11

The first thing coming out of the socket is a microfilter - all the non-ADSL cables are coming off the filtered socket, and the extension to the ADSL router come from the unfiltered socket.

I assumed the location of the Master socket was limited by the location of the entry point of the BT line into the premises? Where it is currently is ideal for everything, but as mentioned, there are no power sockets there!

Cheers,

Su

[edit] This is a simplified diagram I knocked up ages ago, on a similar thread (lol). By "hardwired" I meant, that it is wired into the back of the master socket itself. Pretty sure that fax machine isn't there any more... would removing that extension provide any benefit?

MagicBoy · 8 May 2013 at 17:25

You tried connecting the router directly into the NTE5 test socket? Bad DIY wiring can seriously affect the speed.

I'm about 400-500m from the exchange and get a rock solid 22.5Mb.

Sumanji · 9 May 2013 at 19:54

Hey,

Haven't tried that yet... probably should give it a go, but moving the router etc. during the day when everyone is working is a no go (small business).

Cheers,

Su