Broadband Master Socket Extension Problem??

[dmackay41]

I have been having broadband outage problems since I moved into my property 6 months ago and despite having the hub replaced, still have outages lasting about a minute, every half hour, sometimes within shorter periods, and always when the weather is bad.

Our home is rural and we have simple broadband. The usual download and upload rates are 3.5mB/s and 0.5mB/s respectively. I know my neighbours have similar broadband problems.

During the many livechat reports to BT Customer Services about the troublesome service, it was suggested that the location of the master socket and the extension may be the problem, and that if I paid £130 or so for an engineer to come, the problems may be solved.

In summary, the photo above is of the master socket which is located in the roof space. There is a power socket nearby if necessary. The other photo is of the phone socket in the downstairs living room to which the master socket is connected to, and into which the HH5 is connected.  The cable runs down from the attic through the wall space and into the socket.

I presume that if there is any problem due to the wiring in my property as a result of this configuration, this is the cause of all the outages, and not as I originally suspect the fault of the rural exchnge we are connected to, which is a few miles away.

In the opinion of the experts on this forum, would there be any great benefit having an engineer attend?

Are there newer types of socket, or anything else that would improve things?

Any advice appreciated.

[Devon_Dave]

Maybe worth trying to connect your hub for a while into the socket in the loft. I know not ideal if you have equipment plugged direct into the hub. but may worth giving it a go.

[dmackay41]

Thanks for that.

I will have to try that at a later stage as there is only one electrical socket that I could plug the hub into, and I use a homeplug for my Apple TV, so will have to thnk about replacing the single socket with a double one before I try that.

However, I am not sure if the wifi signal would be strong enough from the loft to where we use our wifi devices either because of the construction of the property. I already use a BT wifi extender to get a decent signal in the bedroom, which is adjacent to the living room where the hub is currently positioned.

Just one of these things about having an old house in the sticks !

[dmackay41]

Can the mastersocket even be extended down through the space where the white extension wire runs? And would that require a BT engineer, or an electrician?

[imjolly]

what is currently connected to the master socket?

[dmackay41]

The phone extension cable as in the pic. That cable runs down the wall space into the BT phone socket in the living room (other pic), into whoich the hub is plugged. Is that what you mean?

[dmackay41]

Or do you think the socket would benefit from a booster (I was sent one to fit to the bottom of the master socket by BT), and even an ADSL filter?

[imjolly]

no that's ok  so the connection to the master is actually feeding the extension socket?

you could connect a filter to master socket then the existing extension cable but you could also connect an rj11 modem cable and run to the hub direct or you could get a MK3 insert and connect that into your master and then do away with the filter. 

the insert is shown by yellow arrow

[dmackay41]

The connection cable from the front of the Openreach socket is feeding the BT phone socket. Thanks

[dmackay41]

I was sent one of these a few weeks ago, is this a MK3 insert you mentioned? Thanks