This topic

Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 21:25:56 GMT

I have read a lot of the forum post regarding this, and it could be I am just too impatient, it's not midnight yet.

The engineer visited this morning at 8.30, and put in a new (extra) phone line which rings when I call it from my mobile but not the actual phone. I don't get a dial tone on the phone, and the hub has been mostly flashing purple (although I would say it's more a pinky colour) but earlier was flashing orange. The engineer didn't check that I was fully working as he was only allowed to stay in the house for maximum of 15 mins due to Covid, so I didn't plug my hub in until after he'd left. I got the text messages from BT to say I was all up and running, and my order has been closed. It's not a broadband move, it's a new second line for working from home.

Is there anything else it could be, does it really sometimes take until midnight to activate? Should I have a dial tone even if my broadband hasn't been activated yet.

The documentation for the purple light does say either cables not connected, or you haven't been activated so I am hoping there's no fault and it should suddenly start working. I have checked the cables, I am running through a microfilter.

Thanks.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

pippincp — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 10:45:49 GMT

You have a fault as you haver no dial tone. You need to ring in and report a no dial tone fault.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:41:36 GMT

Thanks - still nothing today, so have logged and reported a no dial tone fault with BT, they can't get an engineer out until Monday, line checks are all ok from their side so it must be something to do with the installation.

They are suggesting broadband will probably be fine once the dial tone issue is fixed.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:43:09 GMT

@Wildpaw

What does your master phone socket look like?

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:47:39 GMT

It's number 2

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:53:23 GMT

@Wildpaw wrote:
It's number 2

That one is known to give intermittent faults.

Please connect things up as shown below, and see if you get dial tone and broadband.

NTE 5C Test socket check

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 13:25:41 GMT

I have tried as you suggested. Last night I did just plug the phone straight into the test socket.

Today I plugged in exactly as the picture you attached. I still don't have a dial tone, and the hub is now flashing purple instead of orange.

Thanks

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 13:36:02 GMT

@Wildpaw wrote:

I have tried as you suggested. Last night I did just plug the phone straight into the test socket.

Today I plugged in exactly as the picture you attached. I still don't have a dial tone, and the hub is now flashing purple instead of orange.

Thanks

Then there is nothing else you can do, apart from wait for Openreach to visit.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 13:49:47 GMT

Thanks for trying to help.

I was slightly bemused by how the connection was made from the socket where the phone plugs in, to the cable coming in from outside, unless there's a connection behind the plastic that I can't see.

Also unscrewed the face plate to see if anything appeared to be not connected on the other side, just looks like a white and orange wire which look securely connected, the other wires aren't used.

BT already booked so will have to wait for Monday.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:00:59 GMT

@Wildpaw wrote:

Thanks for trying to help.

I was slightly bemused by how the connection was made from the socket where the phone plugs in, to the cable coming in from outside, unless there's a connection behind the plastic that I can't see.

Also unscrewed the face plate to see if anything appeared to be not connected on the other side, just looks like a white and orange wire which look securely connected, the other wires aren't used.

BT already booked so will have to wait for Monday.

The only connections should be behind the back plate, and that would just be a single pair of wires which would normally be blue and white/blue, which is the first pair that is normally used.

The second pair would be orange white/orange.

https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/helpandsupport/how-toguides/howtoguides/downloads/NTE5C_Instructions_CP.pdf

There would be no connections made to the extension connection block, unless you have other extension sockets.

Does your phone line come in underground, or from a pole?

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:03:04 GMT

The only connection is behind the back plate and is a single pair, orange and white (although I guess the engineer could have used whatever colours he wanted as long as he connected it the same at the other end)

It comes in through a pole, engineer had to climb up to connect.

Thanks,

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:10:57 GMT

@Wildpaw wrote:

The only connection is behind the back plate and is a single pair, orange and white (although I guess the engineer could have used whatever colours he wanted as long as he connected it the same at the other end)

It comes in through a pole, engineer had to climb up to connect.

Thanks,

So you have a drop wire coming from the pole to your house. That will not go straight into your master socket, there has to be another connection block somewhere, which joins the external cable to the internal cable.

Where does the external cable from the pole go to, into the loft, or down the outside if the house?

Is this a totally new installation, or was there some existing wiring that has been simply re-used?

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:23:02 GMT

I can't tell exactly which drop cable it is, as it's a terrace, there's cables everywhere, but this is an additional new line for home working, so the new socket is upstairs. As far as I know, the engineer did something at the pole to enable it, then I think he was going to run the cable from the downstairs main socket (from the outside - he didn't go anywhere downstairs) and up the front of the house and in through the upstairs room which is directly above the lounge. Main line still works fine, I am using it now.

So I think he's extended what was already in place.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:38:31 GMT

That is probably why he has used the second pair orange orange/white.

Its possible that the second pair in the drop wire is faulty, as it has two pairs.

There must be a disconnection somewhere, and as you are in a terrace, its not going to be possible for you to look at it yourself.

Hopefully it will be sorted on Monday.

Normally, if you have a new provision that does not work, you would expect a visit within 48 hours, to put it right, but I expect that Openreach are busy.

If you could please update this thread after the visit, to confirm that its now working. Thanks.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:58:58 GMT

Will certainly update. Thanks for your assistance and super fast responses.

I guess under normal circumstances the engineer would have stayed to confirm and test, but was unable to due to covid restrictions.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 14:44:32 GMT

Engineer arrived this morning, was from Openreach, apparently previous engineer was from a third party.

This morning's engineer said he would stay until the issue was resolved, checked the pole and and socket in the house, tested socket, confirmed all ok.

Turns out that the previous engineer hadn't connected it at the cabinet down the road....

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Keith_Beddoe — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 15:04:19 GMT

@Wildpaw wrote:

Engineer arrived this morning, was from Openreach, apparently previous engineer was from a third party.

This morning's engineer said he would stay until the issue was resolved, checked the pole and and socket in the house, tested socket, confirmed all ok.

Turns out that the previous engineer hadn't connected it at the cabinet down the road....

That is quite an omission 😉

I am pleased it is now sorted. There may be compensation payable for failure to provide service on time.

https://www.bt.com/help/account-and-billing/automatic-compensation

If we don’t activate landline or broadband on the day we promised, you’ll receive £5 compensation automatically
Plus you’ll receive another £5 for every extra day you have to wait, not including the day your service is activated
You are eligible for compensation if your service isn’t activated by one minute to midnight on the activation date we sent by email or post.

As you should have been activated on the 6th December then that would make four days not including today, so it may be as much as £20.

Re: Activation Day - Still no internet or dial tone

Wildpaw — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 15:49:42 GMT

Thanks, I did phone BT billing but they said I was a bit early, as the call hadn't been closed yet, as the engineer was booked for today, but that the compensation should be automatic and would appear on my next bill.

Currently running at 46Mb - will see how it settles down over the next few days, hoping for at least 50Mb (quoted 52-57Mb) stay fast at 47Mb

Thanks for all your help and prompt responses.