Using existing Bt sockets with virgin

[carpetduck]

Hi this is my 1st post i'l try to be articulate :)
My house currently has what would be a master BT socket and two extension sockets in different rooms, when I was with BT these worked fine.
Now being on virgin they fitted a new master VIRGIN socket next to the master BT one.
Now My Question
Is it possible to take the phone cable that comes from the entry point for virgin(the rectangular box with a phone wire and a coaxial cable for TV) and connect it to the old BT master socket which would in turn allow me to use the two extensions that are wired to the master BT socket??

Sorry if the wording is confusing, if you could actually see the set up it would be so much easier to understand!

Any help appreciated !

Sorry the reason im going to all this trouble is due to sky multiroom requiring a working phone line!

[dave_dph]

No, what you need to do is switch the extension wiring from the BT socket to the VM one.

Remove the front lower cover from the BT socket, note which wires connect to which terminals and then disconnect the wires from the cover. Feed this disconnected extension wire into the VM socket and connect onto the same terminals on the removable lower front cover.

The small plastic tool required for connecting the wires onto the push connectors can be easily obtained from hardware stores.

[Graham M]

The tool needed is called an IDC/Punch-down Tool, the cheaper variety look like this
http://www.tamarelectrical.com/images/uploads/IDC_Press_Cheap.jpg
But don't trim the ends of the wires off, the more expensive version looks like this
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2009/05/4.jpg
And has a pair of cutters to trim the ends of the wires off, note that you don't need to strip any of the wire, the IDC connectors have internal "blades" which pierce the wire when you press it in, this can also be done with a flat-bladed screwdriver but the connection isn't always that great.

[carpetduck]

Thanks alot for the reply's at least i kno that it can be done i just wasnt sure about the process,
my uncle is a "high up" with BT so hopfully he'll be able to implement your ideas.

thanks again!

[TheOne]

I think im in a similar position and would like some advice.

I am currently with VM for landline/tv/BB and have 1 master socket in the living room and 1 working extension socket in the main bedroom. However, we had an additional 2 extension sockets fitted by them in the other 2 bedrooms back in the days of dial-up, but they had to be disconnected from the box outside of the house, after some problem a few years back

In the next couple of weeks, i will be moving to an ADSL provider. I currently have an inactive BT socket in the living room, which will be getting re-activated

Question is:
Will i be able to get the engineer to hook up the disconnected VM extension socket up to the BT connection, so i can use it as a BT extension socket in the other bedroom...and thus have the router closer to the desktop PC's.

[BexTech]

Thanks a lot for the reply's at least i kno that it can be done i just wasnt sure about the process,
my uncle is a "high up" with BT so hopfully he'll be able to implement your ideas.

thanks again!

Surely he'll have known then, though depends on his job.

[turbofeet]

I was searching google for a solution to this as I am facing the same situation and found this useful thread....

I have just had virgin media installed yesterday and am also keen to leave all of my existing BT wiring just as it is in case I move back to BT at some point or if some other ADSL service becomes better.

I also have and extension that is physically wired directly into the back of the BT socket leading upstairs where I needed the line for Sky Multiroom.

I was determined not to have to get the wirecutters out but finding the cable I thought I needed did not seem possible. I was looking for a BT to BT connection and just connect virgin directly from it's socket into the BT socket.

This is what I have come up with as a solution...

1. Get 2 x BT to RJ45 Adapters:

http://www.run-it-direct.co.uk/bttorj45paypal.html
http://www.run-it-direct.co.uk/rj45tobt1user.pdf

2. Next Get a standard RJ45 to RJ45 coupler:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skytronic-RJ45-Line-Coupler/dp/B000MQM2FS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1244194638&sr=8-4

3. Plug each end (i.e. the BT ends) into VM one end and BT on the other.

Yeah OK, so it's a bit elaborate but it means that you can leave everything just as it is and you can just get BT to re-activate the BT socket if required in the future.

It should also mean that all of your extensions can stay as they are.

Can anyone see any technical issues with this as I haven't tried it out yet?

:)

[Graham M]

It's not something I would want to even contemplate trying, could end up blowing the ring capacitor or worse

[turbofeet]

It's not something I would want to even contemplate trying, could end up blowing the ring capacitor or worse

Well that explains why I not a telecomms engineer then!

Is that because it would effectively connect two seperate providers and since they both have seperate networks it would cause issues?

---------- Post added at 13:14 ---------- Previous post was at 12:10 ----------

I should also add that the BT socket will be switched off soon before I was thinking of trying this....or even getting a BT Male to Male Cable made.

I'll investigate further but heed your advice as you obviously know more about it than me.

[KingDaveRa]

Well yes. There's a chance you'll be sending 50 volts up the BT line... in theory it would be disconnected, but there's no knowing what BT do with the other end, so it could cause you problems, BT problems, and VM problems.

It's better to do it properly, and move the extension wiring.

[on in an hour!]

VM's telco lines are carried at 37.5volts ;)

[turbofeet]

Thanks for the advice guys - i'll give the wiring a go instead. ;)

[KingDaveRa]

VM's telco lines are carried at 37.5volts ;)

Well OK fine :p

Still break things (probably). Just less smoke ;)

[on in an hour!]

hehe ;)