This topic

Master socket

hula — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:11:01 GMT

I regraded my broadband and switched to digital voice today. 20 odd years ago pre Wi-fi, BT installed my broadband via a socket they set up in the bedroom as that's where I had my PC. I think they bypassed the master socket or it was an extension. However now I want to connect my smart hub to the master socket in the hall. As there would be a better signal. I have used a microfilter as it's an old style socket. But I just get the flashing amber on the Smart Hub, no connection. Does it need rewiring?

Many thanks

Re: Master socket

licquorice — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:22:48 GMT

If you have Digital Voice you don't need a micro filter for a start.

Without knowing how your internal wiring has been carried out, it is impossible to give advice.

Re: Master socket

hula — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:27:02 GMT

The grey bt internet cable from the router cannot plug into the master socket without a filter. It's the router I want to connect. Looks like I'll have to try and contact BT.

Re: Master socket

licquorice — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:33:41 GMT

Nothing to do with BT, internal wiring is your responsibility.

I suspect the master socket isn't connected to line.

Post pictures of the inside wiring of any sockets you have.

Re: Master socket

iniltous — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:37:24 GMT

It sound as though you basically had the master socket relocated upstairs which made the previous master socket redundant, that’s why you can’t get your router to connect …

BT won’t be interested unless you want to pay and engage Openreach to re-establish this now redundant socket as the master socket, there is a fee for doing this …the fact it may have been BT that relocated the master initially is irrelevant…obviously getting DV makes no difference to your situation , your phone was plugged in upstairs previously and it still will be , just in the router rather than the wall socket , the downstairs old socket was obviously never used , to get it usable isn’t a free service , you could have asked for this socket to be made ‘live’ at any time before you switched to DV , the switch to DV in effect is nothing more than coincidental …

Re: Master socket

hula — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:47:03 GMT

No the phone was plugged into the master socket in the hall before today. That's why I don't understand why I cannot connect the router to the hall socket.

Re: Master socket

licquorice — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:52:43 GMT

Possibly a faulty filter.

The current socket that the router plugs into is possibly a filtered socket and the previous master socket back wired from the filtered side rather than the unfiltered. Thus a phone would work but not broadband.

Re: Master socket

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:50:37 GMT

Faulty ADSL filter?

Re: Master socket

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:54:45 GMT

@hula

"The grey bt internet cable from the router cannot plug into the master socket without a filter. "

Two options:

Either buy an adapter so that you can plug the RJ11 cable you already have in to the telephone socket, (called a BT431), or buy a new RJ11 to BT431 cable to replace what you were previously using.

Re: Master socket

iniltous — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:54:45 GMT

If the socket in the hall did provide dialtone before the switch to DV , but now won’t allow the router to connect, then , as stated , the issue must be the way you have connected, or something like the filter ….the socket apparently is connected to the copper cable pair otherwise it wouldn’t have provided dialtone prior to DV migration

Re: Master socket

hula — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:04:39 GMT

Thanks I'll try that. I did buy a new ADSL filter that didn't work. I'll try the BT431.

Re: Master socket

licquorice — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:12:30 GMT

Is the socket the router works in a filtered socket, i.e does it have 2 sockets, one for phone and one for broadband? If so, it is very likely the other socket is wired from the filtered side.

Re: Master socket

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:14:05 GMT

@hula

"I did buy a new ADSL filter that didn't work. I'll try the BT431. "

You didn't mention that! Unlikely that two filters, (one new) are going to be faulty.

More likely the way that the sockets are wired, as @licquorice mentioned.

Re: Master socket

hula — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:45:55 GMT

This is where the phone plugged into in the hall. Presumably the master socket. This is where I want to connect my router as its central and will provide a better signal. I live in a flat. It won't plug directly in due to shape of socket so I bought a new filter. But the router didn't connect. I will post picture two below to show where the router is currently connected.

Re: Master socket

hula — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:54:18 GMT

this is where the router is currently connected in my bedroom. This was set up 20 plus years ago. I just want to connect the router to the socket in the hall where the telephone was connected.

Re: Master socket

imjolly — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:31:52 GMT

does you phone still work in downstairs socket? if downstairs socket was the original place for the master socket then openreach have rewired it to make upstairs socket the master and it would help if you removed front of downstairs socket and posted photo

Re: Master socket

iniltous — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:41:34 GMT

You basically have two master sockets ,this isn’t really a good idea but it’s not uncommon , the upstairs master socket has two ports , the lower one for a phone that presumably you never used , and the upper one is pre filtered so the cable from your router can plug directly into it without a separate ‘block’ type filter .
To use the downstairs master socket for the router , you need a separate block type ADSL / VDSL filter , plugged into the single (only) port of the master socket , the block filter has two ports , one for the router and one for the phone , the one for the phone is now redundant as your phone connects to the router not the filter ….no reason why that shouldn’t work , if you have tried a block ADSL filter like this and the router didn’t connect, obtain a new filter and try again, if that doesn’t work , the ground floor master socket has a removable lower section held in by two screws , remove the lower section, behind it is a test socket , plug the ADSL filter into the test socket and try that , removing the lower section and using the test socket the upstairs socket should be completely disconnected

Re: Master socket

licquorice — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:00:55 GMT

As I keep saying, your downstairs socket is wired from the filtered side of the master socket upstairs.

Move the 2 wires that are in slots 2&5 of the removable faceplate and transfer them to the data extension terminals instead.

Re: Master socket

licquorice — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:20:54 GMT

@iniltous I suspect the OP has only one master socket ( the filtered one) and the downstairs one is backwired from the filtered terminals.

Re: Master socket

iniltous — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:52:54 GMT

Yep , I think you are correct, the upstairs is the ‘proper’ master and the downstairs run as an filtered extension, hence why the downstairs socket is not usable ( currently ) for the router , with or without block filter ….hats off to the BT tech that did this for doing it properly , OP needs a little adjustment to get it working as they want