Where to put a new master phone socket

[Bert Coules]

[Bert Coules]

The builders have told me they will use Cat 5.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Cat 5 is better electrically than BT wire...

[Clive Page]

Yes, I thought it was standard practice now to put the router right next to the master socket.

That gives us a problem in upgrading to use FTTC, as I assume it would involve putting an ugly new box on the wall near the master socket which is currently in the hallway, as was common practice 30 years ago. Unfortunately there's no mains socket nearby except a single one on the other side of a doorway (and that's needed from time to time for a vacuum cleaner). Does anyone know whether OpenReach are willing to install a new master socket in a new location if one upgrades to FTTC without charging an arm and a leg?

[Andy Burns]

That's good, they don't need two cables though, just use two of the pairs in a single cable. You could use another pair to give a phone extension back to the entry point, or both remaining pairs for a wired ethernet, e.g. for an IPcamera.

[Bert Coules]

Ah, thanks. So presumably the single cable would terminate in a double socket at the desk?

[Andy Burns]

Depends on which "package" the ISP orders from openreach, there used to be two options,

leave the master where it is, just replace the faceplate.

move the master socket up to (30 feet?) from present location and make the old master into an extension.

There is now a "wires only" install where the engineer just visits the street cabinet and never touches anything inside your house.

Presumably the 2nd option still exists, and you'd need to ask your ISP to order that, if not then DIY.

[Andy Burns]

It really depends what you want, and what type of faceplate you have (or a prepared to replace it with).

You can have the master socket in the hall (with nothing plugged into it) and all wiring taken from behind the faceplate to

phone extension(s) for BT631A plugs and xDSL extension with "RJ11" or "RJ45" socket.

or you can just have a junction box in the hall, running to where you actually want the master socket (which will have a faceplate with phone and xDSL sockets) if you want additional phone extensions they can be taken from behind the faceplate there.

[Tim Streater]

Not a lot, probably.

[spuorgelgoog]

Openreach Standard Visit Charge (first hour) 96.11 External Shift on same building 105.60

Openreach Network Relocation will quote before doing the work

Owain

[Bert Coules]

Andy,

Thanks for that. If the master socket is moved to the front of the house then I won't be using its sockets for anything: I have no need of a phone or router at that location. So in fact it really might just as well be a junction box, connecting through to the spot where things *will* be plugged in - in other words, exactly the situation at present.

Which is why the builders' determination to move the master socket struck me as slightly odd.

[Andy Burns]

But make sure it's a correct type of junction box BT would fit if they were doing it, e.g. if you've got a metal back box there already, you could use "jelly crimps" and put a blank faceplate over it.

If you want a genuine junction box, try rather than something from B&Q.

If you've not got a suitable junction box, then putting an unused extension socket there serves the same purpose, and again is one of the ways BT do it, so won't look out of place to a future engineer.

Is your present extension wiring plugged into the front of the faceplate, or (more neatly) wired to the rear of it?

[Andy Burns]

So why keep it as close as poss?

[Bert Coules]

Thanks for the advice regarding using a quality junction box.

Where the cable enters the house, do you mean? There is no faceplate: the existing cable just comes through the wall and into one end of a rather basic (and indeed cheap-looking) surface-mounted box, about 3" x 2" with rounded edges, before the separate cable comes out of the other end and heads off to the master socket.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Again the actual cable to the socket is only UTP so cat 5 can be used to extend.

It's just a shift from ADSL to VDSL IIRC

So frequencies are up from 2.2Mhz to around 12Mhz.

I don't think there are any ugly new boxes. Just a VDSL faceplate on a BT master socket. e.g.

And a VDSL router instead of ADSL

e.g.

[The Natural Philosopher]

You can do that, but really it confuses everybody.

Run two cables. The extra cost is peenutz.

[charles]

the centre of the surface mounted box cover is probably moulded with either BT or, if very old, GPO.

[Andy Burns]

Cost isn't the issue, being less conspicuous might be ...

[The Natural Philosopher]

No idea.

I'm running of a 20 meter untwisted extension here and it has made a bit of difference. It is a cheap and rubbish extension. Its on my todo list to sort that out.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I assumed it would be properly behind the walls surface..