What do I have to do to get a BT Faceplate?

Hi

As far as I can see my phone line comes into the house and goes into a
rectangular 'rounded at ends' box about 2 inches x 1 inch with 1 screw in
centre, looking like its made out of something like bakelite (i.e. it looks
old). It then comes out on 2 wires, one goes downstairs to a BT phone Socket
and the other goes upstairs to a BT phone Socket. I'm sure this setup is
causing some bad 2mb ADSL effects. I live 1.5 to 2 Km from exchange but
according to the router my line attenuation is 42-46dB with an average noise
margin of 7dB, though this drops to 2 or 3 late evenings and sometimes goes
negative and the line drops connection. It is marginally better plugging in
the modem to the downstairs socket and about 3dB better noise margin when
removing a Binatone DECT phone (on a filter), though even with this removed
it is still sometimes bad enough in evenings to not be able to connect.

When I was with BT Yahoo and was upgraded to 2Mb, I complained about the
drop-outs and they just took it back down to 1Mb. I then 'downgraded' to BT
Broadband and again they put it back up to 2Mb, so the BT tests must be OK
for my line.

Is there anyway of getting a proper faceplate installed from BT (cheaply)
and would it help?. Or should I do something different with the wiring?. Is
it OK to split in a 'Y' formation which I think is what's being done? .Where
do BT consider their network to begin if I start messing with the wiring.

thanks

Paul

"Paul C" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi
>
> As far as I can see my phone line comes into the house and goes into a
> rectangular 'rounded at ends' box about 2 inches x 1 inch with 1 screw in
> centre, looking like its made out of something like bakelite (i.e. it
> looks old).

If the old bakelite housing was broken and in bad condition with the wires
exposed then BT will come out to repair it therefore replacing it with what
you want.

It would be terrible if something knocked against it and caused it problems!

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Paul C <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Hi
>
> As far as I can see my phone line comes into the house and goes into a
> rectangular 'rounded at ends' box about 2 inches x 1 inch with 1
> screw in centre, looking like its made out of something like bakelite
> (i.e. it looks old). It then comes out on 2 wires, one goes
> downstairs to a BT phone Socket and the other goes upstairs to a BT
> phone Socket. I'm sure this setup is causing some bad 2mb ADSL
> effects. I live 1.5 to 2 Km from exchange but according to the router
> my line attenuation is 42-46dB with an average noise margin of 7dB,
> though this drops to 2 or 3 late evenings and sometimes goes negative
> and the line drops connection. It is marginally better plugging in
> the modem to the downstairs socket and about 3dB better noise margin
> when removing a Binatone DECT phone (on a filter), though even with
> this removed it is still sometimes bad enough in evenings to not be
> able to connect.
>
> When I was with BT Yahoo and was upgraded to 2Mb, I complained about
> the drop-outs and they just took it back down to 1Mb. I then
> 'downgraded' to BT Broadband and again they put it back up to 2Mb, so
> the BT tests must be OK for my line.
>
> Is there anyway of getting a proper faceplate installed from BT
> (cheaply) and would it help?. Or should I do something different with
> the wiring?. Is it OK to split in a 'Y' formation which I think is
> what's being done? .Where do BT consider their network to begin if I
> start messing with the wiring.
>
> thanks
>
> Paul

Are your two sockets the same as each other, or does one have a removeable
faceplate? If it's been done 'properly', one will be a master and one a
slave - with the extension wiring brought from the master to the slave via
the junction box which you mentioned. If you take the lid off the junction
box, how many individual conductors can you see? If it's been done properly,
the cable going to the master socket will need *five* conductors - two to
carry the incoming pair to the master and 3 to bring the extension wiring
back to the slave.

If this *is* the case, and your master socket is an NTE5 with removeable
faceplate, you can replace the faceplate with one of the filtered variety
from Solwise or Clarity. This may well improve the situation. You would not
then, of course, be able to plug your ADSL kit into the slave socket because
this would automatically be filtered - you would have to use the master, or
a digital extension run from the master.
--
Cheers,
Tim
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In article <426cbdf2$0$540$(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) ...


> If the old bakelite housing was broken and in bad condition with the wires
> exposed then BT will come out to repair it therefore replacing it with what
> you want.
>
> It would be terrible if something knocked against it and caused it problems!

BT would charge, surely. After all, why should they pay for someone
else's 'clumsiness' in damaging said housing, which, after all, is what
you are suggesting, isn't it?

"wooosh" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:426cbdf2$0$540$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Paul C" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi
> >
> > As far as I can see my phone line comes into the house and goes into a
> > rectangular 'rounded at ends' box about 2 inches x 1 inch with 1 screw
in
> > centre, looking like its made out of something like bakelite (i.e. it
> > looks old).
>
> If the old bakelite housing was broken and in bad condition with the wires
> exposed then BT will come out to repair it therefore replacing it with
what
> you want.
>
> It would be terrible if something knocked against it and caused it
problems!
>
>
>
>
It would be better if the "lid was missing and had always been that way
since you moved in". You couldn't be charged for somthing you have no
control over.

PH

When I moved in, we have a box like you describe but no master socket. I
rang BT because I wanted to wire in some extensions and the came and
installed a master socket for free.

But don't assume that old style box means bad signal. It is possible that
you have bad cables but don't be too surprised if changing the box makes no
difference.

Paulm DS.

"wooosh" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:426cbdf2$0$540$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Paul C" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi
> >
> > As far as I can see my phone line comes into the house and goes into a
> > rectangular 'rounded at ends' box about 2 inches x 1 inch with 1 screw
in
> > centre, looking like its made out of something like bakelite (i.e. it
> > looks old).
>
> If the old bakelite housing was broken and in bad condition with the wires
> exposed then BT will come out to repair it therefore replacing it with
what
> you want.
>
> It would be terrible if something knocked against it and caused it
problems!

What and cost the OP £135 for BT to repair it?

Stephen

Paul C wrote:
> Hi
>
> As far as I can see my phone line comes into the house and goes into a
> rectangular 'rounded at ends' box about 2 inches x 1 inch with 1
> screw in centre, looking like its made out of something like bakelite
> (i.e. it looks old). It then comes out on 2 wires, one goes
> downstairs to a BT phone Socket and the other goes upstairs to a BT
> phone Socket. I'm sure this setup is causing some bad 2mb ADSL
> effects. I live 1.5 to 2 Km from exchange but according to the router
> my line attenuation is 42-46dB with an average noise margin of 7dB,
> though this drops to 2 or 3 late evenings and sometimes goes negative
> and the line drops connection. It is marginally better plugging in
> the modem to the downstairs socket and about 3dB better noise margin
> when removing a Binatone DECT phone (on a filter), though even with
> this removed it is still sometimes bad enough in evenings to not be
> able to connect.
> When I was with BT Yahoo and was upgraded to 2Mb, I complained about
> the drop-outs and they just took it back down to 1Mb. I then
> 'downgraded' to BT Broadband and again they put it back up to 2Mb, so
> the BT tests must be OK for my line.
>
> Is there anyway of getting a proper faceplate installed from BT
> (cheaply) and would it help?. Or should I do something different with
> the wiring?. Is it OK to split in a 'Y' formation which I think is
> what's being done? .Where do BT consider their network to begin if I
> start messing with the wiring.

You've got an old plan 1a there, which is not standard anymore, if you did
raise a fault the DSL engineer who visited should uplift your internal
wiring to include a NTE5a (& with a cup of tea & a bicuit, normally not
needed) they would fir a faceplate filter to that (it all comes under the
banner of 'best efforts').

Your biggest problem will be just where they put the darn thing as where you
may want it, may not be a BT logical place to put it...

Tiscali Tim wrote:
> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> Paul C <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> As far as I can see my phone line comes into the house and goes into
>> a rectangular 'rounded at ends' box about 2 inches x 1 inch with 1
>> screw in centre, looking like its made out of something like bakelite
>> (i.e. it looks old). It then comes out on 2 wires, one goes
>> downstairs to a BT phone Socket and the other goes upstairs to a BT
>> phone Socket. I'm sure this setup is causing some bad 2mb ADSL
>> effects. I live 1.5 to 2 Km from exchange but according to the router
>> my line attenuation is 42-46dB with an average noise margin of 7dB,
>> though this drops to 2 or 3 late evenings and sometimes goes negative
>> and the line drops connection. It is marginally better plugging in
>> the modem to the downstairs socket and about 3dB better noise margin
>> when removing a Binatone DECT phone (on a filter), though even with
>> this removed it is still sometimes bad enough in evenings to not be
>> able to connect.
>>
>> When I was with BT Yahoo and was upgraded to 2Mb, I complained about
>> the drop-outs and they just took it back down to 1Mb. I then
>> 'downgraded' to BT Broadband and again they put it back up to 2Mb, so
>> the BT tests must be OK for my line.
>>
>> Is there anyway of getting a proper faceplate installed from BT
>> (cheaply) and would it help?. Or should I do something different with
>> the wiring?. Is it OK to split in a 'Y' formation which I think is
>> what's being done? .Where do BT consider their network to begin if I
>> start messing with the wiring.
>>
>> thanks
>>
>> Paul
>
> Are your two sockets the same as each other, or does one have a
> removeable faceplate? If it's been done 'properly', one will be a
> master and one a slave - with the extension wiring brought from the
> master to the slave via the junction box which you mentioned. If you
> take the lid off the junction box, how many individual conductors can
> you see? If it's been done properly, the cable going to the master
> socket will need *five* conductors - two to carry the incoming pair
> to the master and 3 to bring the extension wiring back to the slave.
>
> If this *is* the case, and your master socket is an NTE5 with
> removeable faceplate, you can replace the faceplate with one of the
> filtered variety from Solwise or Clarity. This may well improve the
> situation. You would not then, of course, be able to plug your ADSL
> kit into the slave socket because this would automatically be
> filtered - you would have to use the master, or a digital extension
> run from the master.

Actually that wiring diagram is a no no nowadays as BT can't have network
(the line running to the master) & extensions running in the same cable,
it's against the licencing agreement they operate under nowadays (not saying
anything about all or yesterdays you understand)

The wiring, if as stated, is substandard, hell it could even be called star
wired even though there are only 2 sockets.

The OP should be able to get it remedied FOC, the problem is going to be how
to get the engineer there to do it without raising an artificial fault for
which he will be charged..

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
kraftee <kraftee@spamoff&die> wrote:

>
> Actually that wiring diagram is a no no nowadays as BT can't have
> network (the line running to the master) & extensions running in the
> same cable, it's against the licencing agreement they operate under
> nowadays (not saying anything about all or yesterdays you understand)
>
As of when? Mine does *just* that - and was installed by BT less than a year
ago. When my HH was upgraded to ADSL, the NTE5 was put in the HH box
location - and the HH CAT5 (or whaatever) cable was used to bring the
incoming pair up to the master - and take the extension wiring back down to
the pre-HH master location.
--
Cheers,
Tim
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