Broadband connection issue - master socket confusion

[jo_23]

Connection issues with my broadband adsl/copper. Phone works ok. Trying to locate my master socket to test via the test socket. Would appreciate some advice.

Bungalow/1970's has a black cable coming in near window at front of property, this goes to a small white box (junction box?) , thin white cable comes out, goes up to ceiling & then drops from ceiling back down into hall into a socket.

The hall socket has a telecoms logo on it and has a faceplate that unscrews in the bottom half. The thin white cable comes in via the bottom of the socket and has four solid colours two of which seem to go to the top half of the socket (white&orange). There is also an extension cable coming into the socket, there are 6 wires from this with no solid colours. 4 of these connect to the faceplate into positions 2,3,4 & 5. (These four are a mixture of blue/white/orange/white). The other two wires are mixture of green&white and are connected to the remaining two solid colour wires from the thin cable (brown and green) via a jelly.

The extension cable then goes onto a second socket. BT logo with faceplate and separate top section that unscrews once faceplate is off. The green/white pairs are connected into the top section, the remaining wires into faceplate 2,3,4&5. There is a second extension cable that repeats the same wire positions in this 2nd socket and then this travels to a 3rd socket. BT logo with word digital access on front? Again with a faceplate and separate top section. The green/white pairs are connected into the top section, the remaining wires into faceplate 2,3,4&5.

The test socket in the hall socket which I think is the master does not connect either phone or router (using adsl filters), the test sockets in the other two sockets connect the phone but not the router?

If the faceplate is out of the master (hall) then this faceplate still connects?

I am confused as to why the test sockets work in what seem to be extension sockets but not the master? or have I misunderstood which is the master or is my wiring an issue?

Thanks in advance 

[imjolly]

thr only wires you need conencted to the detachable front faceplate are to terminal 2&5 and other can be disconnected.  if you cannot get phone to work in test socket that suggests that is not the master and if it works with faceplate in place then socket is working like an extension from another socket.  you should only have 1 NTE5 master socket on your line and rest should be extension sockets

[jo_23]

Thanks for reply.

Ok, the thin cable from the junction box has led me to believe it is the master but as you say if the test socket does not work then it cannot be master.

2nd and 3rd sockets both enable phone to work via test socket - does this mean they are both masters?

or is it because the type of sockets used (NTE5) are causing confusion when testing?

Can an NTE5 Socket be used as an extension depending on how it is wired?

[imjolly]

if you have the faceplates off the sockets and both test sockets work then then they have been wired to terminals A&B on backplate and not 2&5 on detachable bottom faceplate

[licquorice]

A few pictures would help. Sounds a bit as though there may have been 2 lines into the property at some point in time.

[jo_23]

Possible there were two lines for previous occupants

Pictures attached titled as per descriptions from original post...

Hall socketHall socket wires2nd socket3rd Socket

[licquorice]

OK I think I have worked out your wiring which appears to be totally crazy. The wires that are crimped to the green-green/white pair were probably for a second line at some point. If they were connected to a second line now both lines would be joined together!! Disconnect the green pair in both of the extension sockets and disconnect the wires in terminals 3&4 in all the sockets. The wiring should then be incoming or/wh pair connected to A & B terminals in hall socket and blue-wh/blue of the extension cables connected to terminals 2 & 5 in all 3 sockets with 2 wires in each terminal in the middle socket.

[licquorice · Accepted solution]

Thinking about this further, it is probably the green pair that is your current working line and is feeding back to the hall socket and the wires connected to the A&B in the hall that are redundant. Before going any further, what sockets do you want working for what service? If you want to use all 3 sockets for phone service, then you need to wire it as the diagram. If it is the incoming wires that are crimped that are live just connect them to the A&B terminals in the hall instead of the present wires. If you only want the middle socket to work for both phone and router, just disconnect everything except the green- green/white pair coming from the hall socket.

[licquorice]

I think this is how your wiring is currently.

[jo_23]

Thank you, thats really helpful. I just want to check my understanding from your workings out of the crazy wiring and the options provided.

Hall socket

The solid orange/white connected to A&B in the hall seem to be for a historic second line that is no longer live, therefore redundant.

The solid brown/green that are crimped to the green/white behind the hall socket seem to be the live pair (as only the faceplate currently connects in the hall - getting its source currently from the middle socket as an extension).

So if we want to use all 3 sockets, uncrimp the solid brown/green from the green/white wires in hall socket, then connect the brown/green to the A&B in the hall (instead of the orange/white).

Only connect the blue-wh/blue to 2 & 5 in faceplate.

Middle & Third sockets

Then the remaining two sockets would have no connections required in the A&B with only blue-wh/blue to 2 & 5 in faceplates. The middle socket having two sets.

Hope I have understood ok?