Relocating master socket

It looks okay. Nothing much has changed since they started the FTTC installs.

If you're using existing phone extensions check they used twisted pair cable to install them.
 
bremen1874 said:
It looks okay. Nothing much has changed since they started the FTTC installs.

If you're using existing phone extensions check they used twisted pair cable to install them.
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Thanks will do. I basically can't run cat6 cable upstairs - she gave me this look when I so much as mentioned the word "drill" through an internal plasterboard wall ha. However, if I can relocate/extend the master connection to uptairs, I'll be able to route the smaller, more flexible VDSL cable from one upstairs room to another. Is there a max distance for the cable from the socket to the router? The master socket only has the flat phone style RJ11, not the smaller, squarer one. Would I be better replacing the faceplace as long as it does not require touching BT's end (which I understand is illegal)?
 
There's no maximum cable length. You're just adding to the length of BT's line so you'd need to add a lot to make any significant difference. Just make sure you use the correct cable type (usually CW1308).

A filtered faceplate could be worthwhile. It'll depend on what wiring you already have connected and how it's used.
 
bremen1874 said:
There's no maximum cable length. You're just adding to the length of BT's line so you'd need to add a lot to make any significant difference. Just make sure you use the correct cable type (usually CW1308).

A filtered faceplate could be worthwhile. It'll depend on what wiring you already have connected and how it's used.
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Ah course, makes sense.

Here's what the master socket downstairs looks like. It's not a dual socket one - just a single RJ11 socket:

 
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bremen1874 said:
So you've just got the single phone extension?

Where do you have phones plugged in?
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Into another socket in the living room. Looks the same from the outside, but I assume this is an extension wired to that master socket? Looking at that photo however, is it possible that that BT one is also an extension, and the Telewest one immediately below it (again, a single flat RJ11 socket) is in fact the master? Or will that simple be a Virgin Media faceplate from when the previous owners were in?
 
Thanks. I've just popped the RJ11 faceplate off where I would like to connect the router to. This is what is inside:

 
You'll only need/want the blue pair connected. The others serve no real purpose and can cause problems.

BTW it isn't a RJ11. They do have a proper name, but they're usually just referred to as BT plugs or sockets.
 
OK makes sense. I've had the master socket off and couldn't see the extension socket. I then unscrewed the entire box off the wall (making sure not to damage any of the BT wiring) and saw what I think is the extension socket. It was marked "AB" and had blue and white connected:

What's confusing me is working out what blue white wires come from which extension. As far as I can tell thus far, it seems that all I need to do on the extension that I want to plug my VDSL router into, is to remove the two orange leads?

In this photo, are the clear plastic things just bridges to connect to wires together?
 
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bremen1874 said:
The AB terminals will have BT's incoming line connected to them.
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Yup just worked that out. :/ Doesn't look like it's possible to do what I want with the current setup then, unless I'm missing something obvious - not on "my end" anyway. It looks like all the connections to extension sockets are not done via the faceplate, but instead are spliced in behind the master socket in the wall. Does this sound typical for BT/Openreach?

I might just have to compromise with SWMBO and run the VDSL cable from the master BT socket by the front door, upstairs to the office. At least this cable will be easy to hide and tack under the carpet. I'll be looking at a good 30m.
 
Just another thought - the previous owners had VM, hence the Telewest box. Is it likely that the extension boxes are half BT/Openreach, half VM? I'm at work so I can't easily test it.

EDIT: spoken to a colleague and we think that the line from BT is going to the rest of the house extensions via the Telewest box. I need to see the wiring between the two, but now I think all I need to do is to crimp the blue/white cables between the two boxes, then remove the orange leads from the extension upstairs.
 
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Your better off leaving the socket where it is, and running ethernet cant you route the CAT5e/6 via the outside of the house? thats what I done, drilled one hole to the outside, which was sealed either side, then back in to the room you want it to?
 
DJMK4 said:
Your better off leaving the socket where it is, and running ethernet cant you route the CAT5e/6 via the outside of the house? thats what I done, drilled one hole to the outside, which was sealed either side, then back in to the room you want it to?
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I could but she really doesn't want holes drilled and it's her house. I can't really be bothered to do it also, so I'll either extend the socket or just route the ADSL cable internally upstairs.
 
DJMK4 said:
Your better off leaving the socket where it is, and running ethernet cant you route the CAT5e/6 via the outside of the house? thats what I done, drilled one hole to the outside, which was sealed either side, then back in to the room you want it to?
Click to expand...

Oh and just to clarify, I'm not relocating the master socket itself, I just want to extend the DSL connection so I can connect my router to a phone socket upstairs that is much nearer the PC.
 
Got it sorted :) Basically the house was split between the two master sockets. The downstairs socket was 'patched' to BT, and the upstairs socket was to Virgin. I simply connected upstairs socket to the extension pins 2/5 matching the layout of the downstairs socket. I didn't have the krone tool but I used the back of a very thin scalpel blade (about 0.2mm thick) to connect the pins. I made sure to disconnect the ringer wire (3) at the master socket too. I'm still tempted to get a filtered faceplate but I don't think I need to really.

Getting these speeds:

Downstream: 79987 kbps
Upstream: 19994 kbps

How can I tell signal strength etc using the HH5?
 
You might not need one, but I would get one (a Mk3 VDSL faceplate) just to avoid any future issues or interference. :)
 
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