Options for relocation of a phone line

[bcjames]

At the moment, our phone line from the box where it enters the house (photo 1) is a crusty paint covered cable that runs from the front door to the kitchen at the rear of the house (photo 2), following the skirting and looping up and over all the door frames. It all looks old.





The previous owners (we only bought the house recently) drilled a hole through the skirtings and wall, and poked a phone extension cable through to the sitting room at the front of the house.

I'd like to permanently move the phone socket in to the sitting room, routing the cable via the basement beneath the sitting room, rather than around the skirtings. From there, I can run some cat5 up to the study. We are currently decorating all the aforementioned rooms, so a good time to make holes or fit sockets.

We've had an electrician in fitting some outside lighting, and he mentioned replacing the cable from the box to the socket with cat5. Is that advisable? Otherwise, am I likely to encounter any problems doing a like for like install, but with the phone socket on the other side of the wall?

Thanks for any input.

 

[bcjames]

Hmm just read that we shouldn’t move the master (only?) socket as it belongs to the phone company.

 

[bcjames]

How does the cable get into the box in photo #1?

Through the wood. That’s the bit above the front door. The other side is outside.

 

[bcjames]

I assume it's an overhead line then? Is there a joint box where the cable lands at your house, or does it come straight down the wall?

It looks to go from the telegraph pole straight to the house and down to that white box

 

[bcjames]

yer, your not supposed to touch the master socket - you can ask openreach to do it for you but they'll charge about £150 for the first hours work. If however there are line faults and your getting a rubbish broadband speed you may be able to get them out to investigate and ask them nicely if they'll move it while they are there...

We get about 8mpbs down on a good day. Basic Sky, edge of village, semi-rural location doesn't help.

I'm a bit worried that, given how crusty and shaped the existing cable was over doors etc, it's going to break if we tried to refit it. The box feels quite exposed in it's current location, especially with a cable sticking out the front. I'd much prefer to hide it somewhere behind some furniture.

I ended up putting my master socket under the stairs. well out of the way
under the stairs is where all of the "magic" happens lol

I got my network switch, RAC, router, TV amp etc under there.

then I put an additional socket in the front room for future use, my only regret was not to run lots of HDMI cables + put the SKY cables there as potentially I could have put the SKY HD box and or PS4 all neatly tucked away.

What sort of cable did you run between where it enters the house and your new socket?

I had this years ago, I contacted BT about it they would not move the master socket for nothing, so I just I just ran some cat 5 from where it fixed to the front of the house in the little juction box
through the loft to where I wanted it. My broad band was a lot more stable doing away with a mile of fugly painted over [and frayed in places] phone line.
Never bothered me that BT may not like what I have done and don't really care.

Quite the attitude I'm willing to take

Do you have any more details on how you wired it up? I've only been able to find one example of a BT to cat5 crossover, and I can't find anything to verify it against. I don't suppose it matters so long as both ends match, but if there's a particular way of doing it, I'd prefer to. I'm not averse to running the cable myself if I can confirm what's what.

Is this what I'll need to replace the horrid brown existing box?

 

[bcjames]

Wow, great replies guys. Loads of info!

While the in bound cable does meet the house up near the gutter, my intended new position is in the middle of the house, so not really suitable for accessing from the attic.

Here's a basic diagram of (red dot) where it comes in, (blue dot) the new proposed location, and (green line) the route via the basement. The blue dot it actually in the middle of the house, not on an external wall.



Here's a wider shot of the front door, showing the BT junction box at fanlight level. From there, I'm thinking of dropping it straight down and behind the skirting, into the basement. Would it be a good idea to use the external-grade cable in this environment? It's not far off outdoors down there.

Excuse the mess, lots of work currently in progress, most recently finishing plaster!



I've only had a cursory glance at it up close, but any ideas how to get in to the junction box on the door frame?

 

[bcjames]

DXP55 I like your thinking there. I think bringing the cable in to the house and terminating to a master box sooner rather than later is probably the route I'll take.

Right now, I'm thinking of two options:

1. Keep the cable coming in the way it does, but run a new cable from it straight down, into the basement, and then come back up in the top right (as you look at the diagram) corner of the sitting room, terminating in the socket.

2. Follow the outside cable up the wall a bit, add a junction to a new cable (is that even possible/advisable?) and drop it down the outside of the house straight down to come in to the sitting room where the arrow is.

Bonus third option:

3. Option 2, but take the cable down, run it at low level to the bottom left corner of the sitting room, and in there. Low level as I'd rather not have any more cables visible across the front of the house.

I'm comfortable changing the current set up, just need to decide the best option now.

 

[bcjames]

Good to hear

My CW1308 cable has arrived, so I might have a go this afternoon at rerunning it.