Cost of replacing BT Master Socket?
Discussion
theboss said:
I replaced my master socket last year after I broke the one that BT had recently fitted (don't ask).
They wanted £200 + VAT to come out and replace it.
After seriously contemplating placing an order with them I decided to have a bash at it myself. I think the one I bought online cost £3.50 and it took me about a minute to fit it, just two wires clamped down by screws.
your taking the food from my childs plate doing that you bad person They wanted £200 + VAT to come out and replace it.
After seriously contemplating placing an order with them I decided to have a bash at it myself. I think the one I bought online cost £3.50 and it took me about a minute to fit it, just two wires clamped down by screws.
Its dead easy - the wire inside the box will have 3 pairs of wires, blue green and orange. Connect the blues. Forget the others, they are effectively spares or if you ever needed a second line.
The master sockets I've seen have screw terminals, so you won't need a krone tool for it.
You may need one to connect your extension wires though, these go in the cover of the master socket.
You can buy a plastic crappy krone tool type thing from maplin, currys or somewhere which will push the wires in OK, but is only good for a few uses. Look at their extension kits to find it.
Anyway you connect the extension wires into the lid, and when you screw the front on this connects it to the main incoming line, there is a plug inside the lid that goes into a socket inside the main box.
This is so BT can tell you to take the front off to disconnect your house wiring, then you plug a phone into the socket inside the box to test the line.
I don't work for BT by the way.
The master sockets I've seen have screw terminals, so you won't need a krone tool for it.
You may need one to connect your extension wires though, these go in the cover of the master socket.
You can buy a plastic crappy krone tool type thing from maplin, currys or somewhere which will push the wires in OK, but is only good for a few uses. Look at their extension kits to find it.
Anyway you connect the extension wires into the lid, and when you screw the front on this connects it to the main incoming line, there is a plug inside the lid that goes into a socket inside the main box.
This is so BT can tell you to take the front off to disconnect your house wiring, then you plug a phone into the socket inside the box to test the line.
I don't work for BT by the way.
Edited by Barkychoc on Friday 7th March 20:54
As the line is already working, the 2 line wires shoud be easy to identify.
Connect to 2 & 5 for the line.
Connect these + 3 for the bell circuit to any further internal secondary sockets. 2 & 5 + 3 should therefore be same colours on all sockets.
But if you have broadband filters on secondary sockets you wont need wire 3 to make the bells ring. In fact disconnecting 3 may improve broadband speeds if it is hooked up to secondary socket..
Connect to 2 & 5 for the line.
Connect these + 3 for the bell circuit to any further internal secondary sockets. 2 & 5 + 3 should therefore be same colours on all sockets.
But if you have broadband filters on secondary sockets you wont need wire 3 to make the bells ring. In fact disconnecting 3 may improve broadband speeds if it is hooked up to secondary socket..
Jimboka said:
As the line is already working, the 2 line wires shoud be easy to identify.
Connect to 2 & 5 for the line.
Connect these + 3 for the bell circuit to any further internal secondary sockets. 2 & 5 + 3 should therefore be same colours on all sockets.
But if you have broadband filters on secondary sockets you wont need wire 3 to make the bells ring. In fact disconnecting 3 may improve broadband speeds if it is hooked up to secondary socket..
not on an nte socket you don't ! the line goes to the screw terminals on the back all the extns go on the front plate .there are several wiring codes depending on type and age of cable .Connect to 2 & 5 for the line.
Connect these + 3 for the bell circuit to any further internal secondary sockets. 2 & 5 + 3 should therefore be same colours on all sockets.
But if you have broadband filters on secondary sockets you wont need wire 3 to make the bells ring. In fact disconnecting 3 may improve broadband speeds if it is hooked up to secondary socket..
This page should prove useful:
http://www.wppltd.demon.co.uk/WPP/Wiring/UK_teleph...
I rewired our master socket with a BT guy standing over me after they replaced the pole in our street and the witing to the house. He was an old guy and was struggling to get under my desk where I'd moved the master socket to!
http://www.wppltd.demon.co.uk/WPP/Wiring/UK_teleph...
I rewired our master socket with a BT guy standing over me after they replaced the pole in our street and the witing to the house. He was an old guy and was struggling to get under my desk where I'd moved the master socket to!
Hooli said:
furtive said:
Do you need a krone tool to rewire the master plug or can you do it with a small screwdriver or something equally dodgy?
Currently the master socket sends the phone and broadband upstairs and a second pair sends the phone extension back down the same bit of cable to the master socket. Sounds odd but it was a very early ISDN2 to ADSL conversion and that's how they wired it up. I need to move the broadband socket downstairs and would prefer not to have to pay BT to do it for me.
does that mean you've got a ADSL faceplate on the upstairs socket? one with the normal fone socket & the other i cant think of the name for but is smaller?Currently the master socket sends the phone and broadband upstairs and a second pair sends the phone extension back down the same bit of cable to the master socket. Sounds odd but it was a very early ISDN2 to ADSL conversion and that's how they wired it up. I need to move the broadband socket downstairs and would prefer not to have to pay BT to do it for me.
if so replace it with a normal front & you'll get broadband everywhere - will need filters for each socket in use though.
where are you? as ive got a 'few bits' leftover from when i worked for BT.
I'm near Canary Wharf...
Oooh, just doing some googling and found this:
http://www.adslnation.com/products/xte2005.php
Would I be right in thinking I can just replace my downstairs faceplate with one of these and take the wires that are currently going to the upstairs extn and connect them up to this faceplate to give me phone & ADSL downstairs (with no need for external filters) and a dead extention upstairs (don't need it any more anyway)?
http://www.adslnation.com/products/xte2005.php
Would I be right in thinking I can just replace my downstairs faceplate with one of these and take the wires that are currently going to the upstairs extn and connect them up to this faceplate to give me phone & ADSL downstairs (with no need for external filters) and a dead extention upstairs (don't need it any more anyway)?
Buy one yourself, the master socket is only 2 wires, low DC voltage, no risk, you'd have to be a serious mong not to be able to fit one. Can get one with a built in ADSL splitter too.
http://www.solwise.co.uk/adsl_splitters.htm
http://www.solwise.co.uk/adsl_splitters.htm
furtive said:
Oooh, just doing some googling and found this:
http://www.adslnation.com/products/xte2005.php
Would I be right in thinking I can just replace my downstairs faceplate with one of these and take the wires that are currently going to the upstairs extn and connect them up to this faceplate to give me phone & ADSL downstairs (with no need for external filters) and a dead extention upstairs (don't need it any more anyway)?
that sounds about right.http://www.adslnation.com/products/xte2005.php
Would I be right in thinking I can just replace my downstairs faceplate with one of these and take the wires that are currently going to the upstairs extn and connect them up to this faceplate to give me phone & ADSL downstairs (with no need for external filters) and a dead extention upstairs (don't need it any more anyway)?
David87M3 said:
buy a master socket with screw terminals. No need for Krone tool.
Dave
ps
there could be more than 2 wires in back of a master socket if secondary sockets are connected to it. the main incomming bt circuit connects across pins 2 and 5
hope that helps
got here a bit late chap,Dave
ps
there could be more than 2 wires in back of a master socket if secondary sockets are connected to it. the main incomming bt circuit connects across pins 2 and 5
hope that helps
Right I've bought myself one of those faceplates with the built in splitter and just took the faceplate off my downstairs socket to find this:
There is nothing connected to the faceplate and the wiring seems to vanish into the bit still screwed to the wall. That wiring goes upstairs where my current faceplate with splitter is, and when I take that faceplate off there are just 2 wires connected.
Does this mean I need to get BT in to sort it out or is there something I can do myself?
There is nothing connected to the faceplate and the wiring seems to vanish into the bit still screwed to the wall. That wiring goes upstairs where my current faceplate with splitter is, and when I take that faceplate off there are just 2 wires connected.
Does this mean I need to get BT in to sort it out or is there something I can do myself?
)marlinmunro said:
Watch BT get any quotes in writing, they repaired a fault on my mums phone line. Whilst there she asked them to look at her up stairs extension. They replaced the box and checked the wiring. A very nice man , mum said (she is 83).
The bill for this work £320.00 they even tried to justify it by an hourly rate of £90 and booking 2 visits when they were only there for a morning. Rough traders don't even come close to these a
holes 
I have it on good authority that they charge as much as they can expecting to have to refund if people notice, oh and of course they will do the extra job then tack the bill to your phone billThe bill for this work £320.00 they even tried to justify it by an hourly rate of £90 and booking 2 visits when they were only there for a morning. Rough traders don't even come close to these a
holes Yes you need to take the next bit off.
I had a similar problem where someone has moved the master socket in the past and installed a junction box between the master-socket and telephone pole. There was dreadful inference on the line.
BT said that they would come out and as I had not done th work there would ne charge as long as the fault was up to the master socket. If the fault was beyond the master socket the call would be chargeable.
My solution was to cancel that phone line and just rewire of our second line which comes in at a different point in the house.
Mind you have yet to see if cacelling the main line causes the second one to be cut off. Will be able to tell you tomorrow!
I had a similar problem where someone has moved the master socket in the past and installed a junction box between the master-socket and telephone pole. There was dreadful inference on the line.
BT said that they would come out and as I had not done th work there would ne charge as long as the fault was up to the master socket. If the fault was beyond the master socket the call would be chargeable.
My solution was to cancel that phone line and just rewire of our second line which comes in at a different point in the house.
Mind you have yet to see if cacelling the main line causes the second one to be cut off. Will be able to tell you tomorrow!
Just in case anyone has not used the magic words yet, the master socket and the wiring behind it is BT's property, and not yours. It is illegal for you to replace it.
But if you're dead set on doing it yourself, get a BT branded master socket off Ebay. If you fit a generic one and BT see it in the future, they'll know you've fked with it which means you'll be in trouble (repair bill)
But if you're dead set on doing it yourself, get a BT branded master socket off Ebay. If you fit a generic one and BT see it in the future, they'll know you've f
ked with it which means you'll be in trouble (repair bill)
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