Master Socket - new wire now going slow

[Gazzab]

Knowing I shouldnt touch it I pressed on as really needed to get furniture back into the hallway etc post decorating. Telephone works but the internet is slow and maximum of .47 mbps.

We have a drop wire coming through the wall and into a connector from where standard BT cable leads to the NTE5 master socket.

So I have replaced the connector box which was yellow and fragile with a new one. The old one had the BT drop wire crimped to the standard 3 pairs telephone cable (rather than IDC'd in the connector box). The old 3 pair cable was very old and covered in years of paint and wall paper. So I simply used an IDC tool to connect the 4 drop wires to just 2 of the 3 pair wires in the new connector box (as I just need blue and white/blue for A/B connectors in an NTE5 master socket (as fitted by BT a couple of years ago)).

I assume I have done something wrong! I have rebooted the ADSL router. Strangely the telephone light was always yellow before and is now blue. The wiring is connected exactly the same as it was before.

I am going to pop out and buy some replacement cable, a new quality IDC tool and a new junction box.

When back I will try the old wire before replacing everything with new.

Any ideas...? Or I may just call BT and book a 'move master socket' job to get it sorted (the drop wire is a bit messy outside anyway).

[Gazzab]

Oh and by the way..we are in a rural setting and so our broadband is under 2 mbps anyway. Have just run another speed test and got a fast ping (33ms) but 0.24 download but strangely a 1.27 upload.

[Pheo]

You know you aren't meant to screw about prior to the master socket right? That's open reach equipment not yours.

If you mean you've done something after the nt5, take the front plate off and use the test socket to see if it's your local wiring.

[Gazzab]

Yep I know I shouldn't legally touch it as its open reaches.

[bimsb6]

The old block terminal was crimped as the idc terminals corrode in the back .

[Gazzab]

oh ok thanks. The idc connectors were missing in the old box anyway. I have the BT forum looking at my router stats. Suspect the decorators turning stuff on and off plus me replacing cables has caused the service to be turned down at the exchange / upped the noise margin. Hopefully they will reset it.

[Camoradi]

Gazzab said:

oh ok thanks. The idc connectors were missing in the old box anyway. I have the BT forum looking at my router stats. Suspect the decorators turning stuff on and off plus me replacing cables has caused the service to be turned down at the exchange / upped the noise margin. Hopefully they will reset it.

BT do this all the time. If they detect any sort of disturbance on the line they reduce the IP profile to a lower level. It will recover after about a week. You can run a test here http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/. Run the initial test then do "Further Diagnostics" and your IP Profile is on results page.

Alternatively if you call them they will try and blame it on your equipment whilst resetting it at their end (if you are persistent)

[Gazzab]

Camoradi said:

BT do this all the time. If they detect any sort of disturbance on the line they reduce the IP profile to a lower level. It will recover after about a week. You can run a test here http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/ and see what your IP Profile is (on results page)

Alternatively if you call them they will try and blame it on your equipment whilst resetting it at their end (if you are persistent)

Thanks yes its set to 0.5 Mbps!

[megaphone]

Do you have filters in place?

[Gazzab]

Its an NTE5 socket and so doesnt need a filter. The socket is the same one from before I fiddled with it. I will try a filter in the test socket bit later and retest.

[Murph7355]

Camoradi said:

...
Alternatively if you call them they will try and blame it on your equipment whilst resetting it at their end (if you are persistent)

This. Be persistent.

Rural location here and have had this happen twice. After much persistence, an engineer allegedly checked some stuff and magically got 8mbps again.

Fibre is allegedly coming close to me soon. Will be interesting to see whether it offers any faster options (I Think I'm about 1.5mls to the cabinet).

[Gazzab]

Murph7355 said:

This. Be persistent.

Rural location here and have had this happen twice. After much persistence, an engineer allegedly checked some stuff and magically got 8mbps again.

Fibre is allegedly coming close to me soon. Will be interesting to see whether it offers any faster options (I Think I'm about 1.5mls to the cabinet).

Yeah its been 'coming soon' to me for a while but then after a year or so they changed the status to under review. Its now maybe never.

[bimsb6]

Gazzab said:

Its an NTE5 socket and so doesnt need a filter. The socket is the same one from before I fiddled with it. I will try a filter in the test socket bit later and retest.

An nte5 is the standard socket i assume you mean it is ssfp with a seperate port for the router lead ?

[Alucidnation]

Gazzab said:

Yep I know I shouldn't legally touch it as its open reaches.

They generally no longer give a toss who touches it, however, there can sometimes be voltage present at the terminals.

[guindilias]

I was told that if they even have a suspicion that you have touched it, it is something like a £129 charge for the engineer callout, plus £90 an hour (or part of) for any "remedial work" they deem necessary.
And apparently Openreach are very keen indeed on doing "remedial work".
For instance, the guy will say "I can change that master socket while I'm here if you like, it looks a bit dated?" - next thing you get a hefty bill for what you thought was "free" work - and they have your signature saying that the work was authorised and carried out!

[bimsb6]

guindilias said:

I was told that if they even have a suspicion that you have touched it, it is something like a £129 charge for the engineer callout, plus £90 an hour (or part of) for any "remedial work" they deem necessary.
And apparently Openreach are very keen indeed on doing "remedial work".
For instance, the guy will say "I can change that master socket while I'm here if you like, it looks a bit dated?" - next thing you get a hefty bill for what you thought was "free" work - and they have your signature saying that the work was authorised and carried out!

Bloke down the pub said ! Any signature the engineer asks for does not mean an authorisation for charges as the engineer is there on behalf of the service provider not the householder so any openreach charges go to the sp the householder cannot authorise chargeable work ,the sp may pass their own charges on for any chargeable work .

[btcc123]

After reading this thread did my first broadband test.

Copy and paste.

23.77 Mb/s 5.84 Mb/s

[Alucidnation]

guindilias said:

I was told that if they even have a suspicion that you have touched it, it is something like a £129 charge for the engineer callout, plus £90 an hour (or part of) for any "remedial work" they deem necessary.
And apparently Openreach are very keen indeed on doing "remedial work".
For instance, the guy will say "I can change that master socket while I'm here if you like, it looks a bit dated?" - next thing you get a hefty bill for what you thought was "free" work - and they have your signature saying that the work was authorised and carried out!

Never had this issue.

I've been to many jobs where BT OR have been out to sort phone issues, and some even down to the home owner and i have never known for them to have been charged.

Its also down to how you treat them when/if they turn up.

[guindilias]

That's good to know! By the way, am I right in thinking that when phoned, the A+B wires should show approx. 48V AC across them? My phone is totally dead, and shows no voltage at all across anything!

[bimsb6]

guindilias said:

That's good to know! By the way, am I right in thinking that when phoned, the A+B wires should show approx. 48V AC across them? My phone is totally dead, and shows no voltage at all across anything!

50v dc , 75 ac when ringing . Voltage will drop a bit the further you are from the exchange.

Edited by bimsb6 on Wednesday 5th August 12:48