BT Master Socket

[phoneignorant]

My BT master phone socket appears not to allow my wireless router to work well lately but when the phone is plugged directly into the socket, when the front of the socket has been removed, it works brilliantly.

My question is: is it dangerous to leave part of this socket uncovered? If yes, how and why?

Would it require specialist knowledge to replace it with a new one?

[MadGamer]

Only a BT Engineer can replace the master socket. Leaving the front faceplate off wont do any harm, because if you do have problems with your broadband, this is what ISP's use as a troubleshooting method, to rule out internal wiring faults.

[jb66]

Its easy peasy to replace, just copy the wires over.

[danielf]

Originally Posted by MadGamer

Only a BT Engineer can replace the master socket. Leaving the front faceplate off wont do any harm, because if you do have problems with your broadband, this is what ISP's use as a troubleshooting method, to rule out internal wiring faults.

Just to add to that. The fact that the OP's Broadband works better with the face plate off suggests there is something wrong with the extension wiring.

[phoneignorant]

Originally Posted by danielf

Just to add to that. The fact that the OP's Broadband works better with the face plate off suggests there is something wrong with the extension wiring.

Sorry to be that obtuse but what does OP stand for?

Also, do you mean the face plate is responsible for the communication of the signal to my phone and computer?

If that's the case, isn't removing it possibly "dangerous"?

[dilligaf1701]

OP = Original Poster = YOU

[phoneignorant]

Originally Posted by jb66

Its easy peasy to replace, just copy the wires over.

This, probably, sounds good to one who understands technology. To a mouse like me, who's totally technologically challenged, it sounds brave.

Is there a clear diagram, anywhere, that I could follow?

To make matters worse, the socket is in a very tight corner.

---------- Post added at 20:58 ---------- Previous post was at 20:56 ----------

Originally Posted by dilligaf1701

OP = Original Poster = YOU

Thank you.

[Paul]

The front plate of the socket connects the test socket (and marks the final demarkation of the providers responsibility for the line) to the internal (customer side) of the line. Your internal extensions should be wired onto the back of the plate that drops away when you unscrew the test plate section and by removing the bottom plate and exposing the test socket what you are in fact doing is removing all connections (if wired properly) from the line and leaving only the clean termination installed by your line provider.
Your ADSL (broadband signal) for your wireless router is carried on the telephone line into your home from the exchange, the filters you are provided with from your ISP are very important and must be used on all telephone sockets before anything else plugs in. What you may have going wrong is quite simply unfiltered sockets with something plugged in elsewhere on the line causing interference.

[phoneignorant]

Originally Posted by Paul

The front plate of the socket connects the test socket (and marks the final demarkation of the providers responsibility for the line) to the internal (customer side) of the line. Your internal extensions should be wired onto the back of the plate that drops away when you unscrew the test plate section and by removing the bottom plate and exposing the test socket what you are in fact doing is removing all connections (if wired properly) from the line and leaving only the clean termination installed by your line provider.
Your ADSL (broadband signal) for your wireless router is carried on the telephone line into your home from the exchange, the filters you are provided with from your ISP are very important and must be used on all telephone sockets before anything else plugs in. What you may have going wrong is quite simply unfiltered sockets with something plugged in elsewhere on the line causing interference.

Thank you, Paul, for your kind reply. How patient you, and everybody else who has tried to help me, are!

My fear is that by removing it, I expose my line to some weather danger. I do know that the wires are not connected to anything electrical in my home but I have read of BT lines being hit by electrical storms. Is this socket there to provide, apart from connection, some insulation? Regarding the phones themselves, both of them (the cordless and the "ordinary" one upstairs), as well as the internet work perfectly well when the front bottom half of the master socket is removed. If it's reattached, there's much noise on the phones and the internet connection is hit or miss.

I always use the filters, both for the telephones and the internet.

The socket was fitted by BT some years ago (about 7 or 8) and worked perfectly well until very recently.

Are my fears of impending doom(!) remotely founded??

[phoneignorant]

I should like to thank all of you who took the trouble to respond to my cry for help.


You may be interested to know that one of the Talktalk engineers to whom I spoke about the fault, suggested I should replace just the front removable (half) plate of the socket. Yesterday, I bought from Maplins a whole socket (£13), removed its front and inserted it into the back of the BT socket.

It works brilliantly!