Help - BT have taken away our broadband socket!

GunJack

the OP would be better off with the router plugged into the master socket and going wireless for less than a tenner - router into the master is always the best option for best bb sync..

espresso

GunJack wrote: »

the OP would be better off with the router plugged into the master socket and going wireless for less than a tenner - router into the master is always the best option for best bb sync..

No, because the short length of extra cable required for the extension socket, from the master to the location of the router in the lounge is negligible when compared to the length of the line back to the exchange! A wireless connection will never be as good as wired.

GunJack

espresso wrote: »

No, because the short length of extra cable required for the extension socket, from the master to the location of the router in the lounge is negligible when compared to the length of the line back to the exchange! A wireless connection will never be as good as wired.

yes, always best having router into master....if you want to stay wired, better with long enough, good quality ethernet from router to pc to get best sync at router and least loss in the overall connection

kwikbreaks

You're both wrong.

The most efficient option would be to run the router from the master and run ethernet to the PC. The best option is what the poster finds to be the most convenient.

As an aside the problem with extensions isn't the extra attenuation introduced because of the length which is indeed negligible it is the extra noise that can be introduced if the extension wiring isn't up to par.

espresso

GunJack wrote: »

yes, always best having router into master....if you want to stay wired, better with long enough, good quality ethernet from router to pc to get best sync at router and least loss in the overall connection

No, because if only the pair on 2 & 5 are wired to the extension, the extra few meters of cable makes no measurable difference in reality, as you are effectively moving the master to where the PC is located in the lounge. There is nothing magical about the master socket!

espresso

kwikbreaks wrote: »

You're both wrong.

The most efficient option would be to run the router from the master and run ethernet to the PC. The best option is what the poster finds to be the most convenient.

As an aside the problem with extensions isn't the extra attenuation introduced because of the length which is indeed negligible it is the extra noise that can be introduced if the extension wiring isn't up to par.

I agree but for most cases a short length of properly cabled extension is far more preferable to using wireless as GunJack suggested in post #22.

GunJack

kwikbreaks wrote: »

You're both wrong.

The most efficient option would be to run the router from the master and run ethernet to the PC.

EXACTLY !!

"The best option is what the poster finds to be the most convenient."

Actually, that's also a good point...the "best" option for the OP may not be the best technical solution, but what works for them...

...do we get a draw on points

Harry_Powell

I installed this: http://www.clarity.it/xcart/product.php?productid=16134&cat=262&page=1

It's perfectly legal and it simply plugs into the BT master socket. It provides a phone socket and an ADSL socket, it also allows you to wire phone and ADSL extensions (so that the ADSL socket is near to your modem rather than across the room) and the best bit is that it provides a single ADSL filter at the socket so you won't need to have a filter dongle on every telephone in the house.

The company are great too (I've no attachment, I just received excellent customer service and I'm happy to recommend them).

Might be an option for you, especially if you're handy enough to add the ADSL extension (they sell these too).

p.s. here is some blurb about fitting it: http://www.clarity.it/telecoms/adsl_faceplate_mod.htm

aloiseb

Thanks v much for all your advice! We've been to Staples and bought ourselves 10m of ethernet cable. It's now running across the middle of the floor, admittedly, but we will fix that tomorrow. and it works!

Bill from BT remains to be seen........I've no idea why a socket which seemed to have been installed well, and worked fine for 18 months, should suddenly have started causing problmes to the telephone line. Apparetnly the engineer said "sometimes that just happens".

I bet it does. As we get most of our service from Sky (TV + broadband + phone package) we were sitting ducks for this kind of thing.

Anyhow, we will worry when the bill arrives i think... enough going on at the moment what with 5876 bits of new school uniform to sew name tags in AND the rest of the holidays to entertain the children in....

macman

Minimum residential callout charge incl VAT is now £125 up to one hour.. Next time you have a fault on your own wiring, do yourselves a favour and get an independent in, would have cost you maybe £30 to fix the problem, which BT didn't even do-they just disconnected it. Since you paid for an hour's labour anyway, he should at least have rewired the faulty socket for you.