Wiring up a BT socket for Broadband.

Charles Middleton wrote on Monday (01/03/2004) :

It should make no difference to your broadband. The wires are not intended to be twisted together, just push them into the connectors with an IDC insertion tool. You can buy plastic versions of this tool for about 50p and they are often supplied with a phone socket extrension kit.

On 1 Mar 2004 05:18:37 -0800, in uk.d-i-y snipped-for-privacy@btinternet.com (Charles Middleton) strung together this:

Are the terminals in the back of the socket IDC, (push on type), or screw terminal? If the latter then yes. If the former then no, you'll need the proper tools for the IDC insertion, funnily enough called an IDC insertion tool! The theory part's correct though. ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

If the existing socket has IDCs (insulation displacement connectors) - where the wires are forced into slots in small metal plates - you can connect another extension cable in the same way, so that each metal plate has two wires going into it. BUT you need a special tool to insert the wires satisfactorily.

If the existing socket has screw terminals, you can again connect two wires to each terminal in order to daisy chain a second socket off the first. You

Use the same wire colours (e.g. blue with white marker) to carry the connection forward to the equivalent pin on the new socket. You will need to connect 2-2, 5-5 and 3-3 - and you might as well connect 4-4 for good measure. The wires to pins 2 and 5 *must* use a single twisted pair (X + white marker and white + X marker - where X is one of blue, orange or - perhaps - green).

Make sure that you fit microfilters to *all* the sockets which have analog devices (phones, faxes, analog modems, etc.) plugged into them.

Most phone sockets will have the push in IDC terminals these days. Hence you just need to push the new wires into the terminal using one of the special tools (if you are doing a "one off" then one of the plastic tools you get in the phone socket extension kits will be fine). If you find yours has screw down connections then you can do as you suggested.

Use proper phone cable (either buy an extension kit - or you can get suitable 4 core cable from Maplin). Connect the new cable by matching the same colour wires at the existing extension socket. As long as the total amount of cable from the master socket does not exceed 100m then you are unlikely to have any difficulties.

When you get broadband you will also need a plug in micro filter at each socket position that has an analogue device plugged in (i.e. phone, fax, answer machine, or ordinary modem).

In my experience, I've managed to always make a good IDC connection using a thin bladed screwdriver pushing the wire into the IDC connector. Sometimes I just need to push it in the middle, other times I then need to push either side of the metal 'cutters'.

This has worked for me every time (including 100Mbps network). Okay, I know it would be easier to use the proper tool - but if you've got the wire/boxes but forgot the tool - then you may be able to do without the tool.

David

It can work in an emergency but the problem of using a screwdriver is that the tapering blade can push open the leaves of the terminal and result in an unreliable connection at some point in the future.

Proper metal bladed tools are £15 or less and diagnosing a failed CAT5 connection a PITA

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

I agree - in my case, it was a one off CAT5 socket under the kitchen sink (and fixing dodgy flying lead telephone extensions when I was at Uni).

On Mon, 1 Mar 2004 14:20:00 -0000, in uk.d-i-y "David Hearn" strung together this:

Do-able but technically a second class bodge. A proper professional IDC tool is only about a tenner. You get cheap ones for pennies from diy stores and the like. There's no reason not to do it properly. Having punched down thousands of IDC terminations and had to do fault finding because of other peoples Inoperable Dodgy Connections I can say there is nothing worse than finding bad practice to be the cause of a fault. ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

I wholly agree, but when you're spending £2.25 on a single CAT5 outlet spending £10 on a proper tool is a bit OTT. If I was doing anything more than a couple of boxes at home - then I'd get the proper thing. And certainly, if it was doing it for work here, I would get one (and bill it to them!).

This page might help you.

I know we all get a bit carried away sometimes but surely ^^^ NO NEED!!! ;-)

I always use a suitable thickness feeler guage to push my cables into the IDC, as it is not tapered and will not damage the connector.

If you have loadsa money to burn you could always buy the 'proper' tool which does exactly the same thing but wears out after a couple of dozen insertions.

Dave

Ah that's different and of course completely legitimises the technique. :-)

How come you had a telephone while at Uni?

You'll be telling us you used it to call for room service next ;-)

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

You should see what they have these days Andy - phone, ethernet, ensuite bathrooms, cable TV...

In my day (erm, 10 years ago!) we had to make do with a shared bucket and a piece of string.

On Mon, 1 Mar 2004 15:45:16 +0000 (UTC), in uk.d-i-y "Dave Gibson" strung together this:

Mine have all done hundreds, if not thousands without any trouble. You must have got yourself a dodgy one. ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

I know what most of these things are - but what's a bathroom?

Yes, but spending 50p on a limited-use plastic version would seem entirely reasonable.

Quite right...ours is under the breakfast bar!

Yes, if thought of at the time... other wise £2.50 delivery from Maplin.

David