Where to put a new master phone socket

Currently, the incoming phone cable terminates in a small junction box on the front wall of the property, from where a separate cable runs some thirty feet to the master socket. The phone and wired router are both located on a desk very close to the master socket.

The builders doing some renovation work on the house have suggested putting the master socket on the front wall and then running two cables to the desk area. Is there any technical reason why that shouldn't be done? Will the internet performance be affected if the router is further from the master socket than it is at present?

Thanks.

Reply to
Bert Coules
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all the cabling before the master socket (and the socket itself) are the property of BT. You (or your builders) are not allowed to alter them.

Reply to
charles

Interesting, thanks. I wonder then why the master socket wasn't placed by BT where the builders are suggesting putting it now. Is it usual for the incoming cable not to run directly to a master socket but to terminate in a junction box just inside the property and then run on from there? Doesn't that junction in the cable affect the quality or performance of the line?

Reply to
Bert Coules

However in practice Openreach dont give a shit.

I took my overhead into the new build loft, and connected it to some cat

5 and ran it down to a master socket where I wanted iot. Ehen I had issues with the line, the Openreach engineer said 'it checks out OK - the fault is in the road, but I've put a proper BT junction box in the loft for you :-)

Not so as you would notice, no.

Corroded joints are the problem, or huge runs on cable that isn't some semblance of twisted pair.

Good joints are unnoticeable up to the sorts of frequencies that ADSL runs at (

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Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Thanks for that. So apart from the need to run two cables from the front of the house to the desk rather than one as at present, moving the master socket should have no appreciable effect?

Reply to
Bert Coules

It's fine, but generally a single cable will be OK too (it's how BT often do it) use one pair for the filtered phone side and another pair for the unfiltered xDSL side, probably best to omit the bell wire unless you have ancient wired phones.

Barely, the extra distance within a house is negligible compared to the exchange to house (ADSL) or cabinet to house (VDSL) distance, though the internal cable is likely in an electrically nosier environment, route it away from other cables or mains sockets.

Reply to
Andy Burns

You should *definitely* omit the bell wire, and keep your router as close as poss to the master socket.

Reply to
Tim Streater

True.

True, but often ignored. If you are convinced that you or your builders can do a "proper job" of moving it, it's vanishingly improbable that BT will ever notice.

Not usual these days, the "lozenge" was typical before sockets when the all phones were fixed wiring. I think a standard BT install now is generally to have the master socket within a meter of where it enters the property, any thing else is chargeable, or the customer's responsibility.

Insignificant.

Reply to
Andy Burns

My very recent experience is that having your master socket next to the router can double the download speed.

Reply to
Tim Lamb

That can be taken to extremes. I recall on a project where we demolished a Pub in the days when phones were still the property of BT with hard wired junction boxes we deliberately left a pile of brick rubble in a 10ft high mound, sitting tidily on top was the cream 700 series phone which still rang out occasionally from its perch . BT had been informed but not acted quickly enough.

G.Harman

Reply to
damduck-egg

New house - master socket is just inside the garage. Yes, within a metre of the entry point. If only they'd upgrade the feed to fibre...

Reply to
polygonum

In message , charles writes

Ah! I'm heading straight for this problem. The incoming phone line is right where the new roof trusses need to go.

Due to bereavement the phone use is suspended. Previously, electricians working for the builder have dealt with simple re-positioning.

What is the proper procedure and how much might it cost?

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Reply to
Tim Lamb

Nope.

Proper screw or crimped connections, proper BT or CAT5 style cable, and as long as you aren't running past a radio transmitter, you wont notice anything.

Use a nice ADSL filter equipped master faceplate, too.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Ah. If the master socket is relocated as the builders suggest, the router will of necessity be some thirty feet from it. Is that likely to be a problem?

Reply to
Bert Coules

My consistent experience is that that is utter rubbish, unless you have a wiring fault as well.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

The proper procedure is to connect it via a quality junction box to some more phone cable and stick it wherever you want.

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No Openreach engineer is going to argue with what appears to be a BT installation.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Its a historical quirk that if the wiring to the master socket was done in prehistory by BT engineers then they remain responsible for it. You could ask BT to move it elsewhere but they will charge for doing it (unless the reason for moving it is failure of their wiring).

New installations or additional lines they tend to put the master socket where it comes into the building (in my house in the loft!). House owner is responisble for all wiring after the master socket.

Unless you run the signal cables parallel with mains wiring it won't make a blind bit of difference. I can't measure any difference (ie

Reply to
Martin Brown

What speed difference do you predict for an extra 30' of cable?

Reply to
Andy Burns

If its the right sort of cable.

'extension wires' are not great. Proper cat 5 or BT twisted pair is good.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Which suggests "faulty" wiring has been removed in the process of moving it, did you have star-wired extensions or multiple master sockets beforehand?

Reply to
Andy Burns

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