Effect of Filter Position when using Extension Lead(s) with Superfast Fibre Broadband

[MikeM14]

Hello all,

I have been a BT residential customer for some 11 years, and throughout that time I had "copper" broadband and landline telephone. In the last couple of weeks, partly in response to the many letters I've had from BT about "upgrading to Superfast Fibre at no extra cost", I took the plunge and confirmed that I'd like to upgrade to fibre. My kit (Smart Hub (aka HH6?)) arrived and then I was notified that my fibre service had been activated. I connected it up and it worked.

I tried to do a speed test using the BT speed checker under "Help" on the webpage I use to log-in to my BT email. It showed a download speed of 16.9 Mbps which was just within the range stated in my Order email. However, once it had shown the speed, it said something to the effect of "Your broadband speed could be improved with a few simple home checks". I went ahead with that. Where practicable, I did the various checks that the checker asked me to do (eg switching the Hub off, and back on a minute or so later). My inference is that an extension cable I'm using between the master socket and the hub may be capping the performance.

My master socket is an old (pre-NTE5?) one, with just one cable-hole at the front and no user-removable front plate, and is positioned in the ground-floor hallway. For domestic reasons, my setup which has been used for the 11 years is that my Hub is in a study upstairs (first floor), and so is the cordless 'phone. I have been using a 10-metre "telephone" extension lead from the hall up to the study. In the study an ADSL filter is plugged into the end of that extension lead. From that, a short "phone" line goes into the base of the cordless telephone, and a short "broadband" cable goes into the Hub. The Hub then connects to my desktop computer with a short "Ethernet" cable (yellow ends). I do not use wireless, and there are no other devices connected to the Hub.

My extension cable is 10 metres long (not15, or anything longer). I wouldn't be able to get away with a significantly shorter (eg 5-metre) cable. As to the "quality" of this cable, I'm not in a position to judge, because I don't know what standard or criterion it is supposed to meet.

Would it be better if I put the ADSL filter straight into the master socket, and ran *2* 10-metre leads upstairs from its output - a "phone" lead to the cordless telephone, and a "broadband" (aka ADSL?) cable to the Hub, or would this not make any difference?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice, and sorry if my language isn't very "technical".

Mike. 

[Keith_Beddoe]

@MikeM14 

Is that master socket in the hallway the only socket in the house, and is there just a single cable coming in from outside of the house?

Does your phone connection come from a pole, or just underground?

[MikeM14]

Hi Keith, and many thanks for such a rapid response.

Yes, this is the only telephone socket in the house, and the wire comes into it from underground, not from a pole.

Also I forgot to say that I am FTTC, not FTTP.

Mike.

[MikeM14]

... and as far as I know it's just a single cable coming into the house.

Mike.

[Keith_Beddoe]

Thanks for that, its just that lines coming in from a pole can sometimes have intermediate connections.

The first thing to do would be to unplug the extension, then plug the home hub directly into the socket, via a microfiter.

Then look at the actual connection speed instead of the download speed, as that is more useful.

If you are using the BT Smart hub you can get your connection stats by, Opening a new web browser on your connected device and type 192.168.1.254 or bthomehub.home into the address bar. This will open the Hub Manager.  Click ‘Advanced Settings’ and then ‘Technical log’

Normal DIY phone extension wiring can affect the speed if its of very poor quality, but over that length, its probably fine.

Its the connection speeds you need to compare, as download speeds will very depending on how congested the cabinet is.

[licquorice]

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@MikeM14 wrote:

Would it be better if I put the ADSL filter straight into the master socket, and ran *2* 10-metre leads upstairs from its output - a "phone" lead to the cordless telephone, and a "broadband" (aka ADSL?) cable to the Hub, or would this not make any difference?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice, and sorry if my language isn't very "technical".

Mike. 

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I very much doubt the location of the filter would have any impact.

[MikeM14]

Okay, thanks licquorice.

Mike.

[MikeM14]

Thanks again Keith.

What you suggest in terms of plugging the Hub directly into the phone wall-socket was also part of the series of checks that the speed checker asked me to do. I wasn't able to do this late last night for practical reasons - I only have a "desktop" computer so I'd have to unplug and move the computer, monitor, etc downstairs into the hallway to be able to see "in teal time" on the monitor what was going on. I may try that later today.

I will also look at the other things you've suggested in terms of "hub stats" etc, but this is the first time I've ever tried anything like this so it might take me a while!

Mike. 

[licquorice]

If it is possible to site the hub and phone base station adjacent to the master socket, a longer Ethernet cable to connect your PC would be a better solution than the long phone extension cable.

[MikeM14]

Thanks again licquorice. That's useful information and I'll bear it in mind as it might inform my decision about which room(s) I work from and/or whether I get a better cordless phone system to have one by my computer.