Where to put a new master phone socket

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.

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?

However in practice Openreach dont give a s*it.

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

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 (

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?

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.

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

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.

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

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

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...

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?

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.

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?

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

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

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

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

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

If its the right sort of cable.

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

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