Problem with Bt line - can't find master socket

LibbyR26

Hi, I thought I'd ask on here following hours of fruitless, painstaking calls to Bt call centres in India.

When I tried to use my landline last night all I could hear was bad crackling down the phone. I couldn't get a dialing tone. When I called my landline using my mobile phone it went straight onto voicemail. My broadband is also with Bt and it was not working either. I disconnected my phone and broadband. I have a spare phone and tried it in various sockets and got the same result.

I phoned Bt and they said they would do the line test and it was fine. They suggested I locate the main socket, take the front off and plug the phone directly to try and determine whether the fault was internal or external, as if an engineer came out and the fault was internal I'd be charged £130.

I checked the photos in the front of the phone book to see what I was looking for. The socket in my kitchen appeared to match so I took the front off but there was no internal socket behind it. After I did that, the phones went completely dead, not even crackling. By that time the broadband was working again.

I have 2 other sockets, one tucked in an alcove in the hall beside a radiator which is difficult to access so I doubt if that is the master one and the other is in the livingroom, neither of which match the photo in the book or have bt logo.

The only thing which has the "T" logo on it is a small antiquated square box in the hall with cables going in and out. However there is no socket to fit the phone jack into. The call centre can't tell me what it is. They just tell me to put the phone into it and can't grasp that there is no socket on the outside. I just feel as if I'm going round in circles. They say they've checked and there is no problem at the exchange.

At the moment an engineer is coming out on Wednesday. I would like to check the main socket to minimise my chances of having to pay the £130 but I do not want them to blame me for tampering with the wiring. I feel as if I'm banging my head off a brick wall with my calls to bt. Any suggestions?

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Merry Christmas and best wishes.

tanith

My broadband and main phone socket are on the same box if thats any help... my phone plugs in right next to the modem.

jem16

LibbyR26 wrote: »

I checked the photos in the front of the phone book to see what I was looking for. The socket in my kitchen appeared to match so I took the front off but there was no internal socket behind it. After I did that, the phones went completely dead, not even crackling. By that time the broadband was working again.

The Master socket has a line across the middle which splits the box into 2 parts. The top part is inaccessible but the bottom half will have 2 screws in it which you can unscrew and this will reveal the test socket behind it. Watch when you are doing this as internal wiring mat be attached to the faceplate.

The Master socket looks like this. See pictures 4,5 or 6. (marked NTE5)

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/socket.htm

When yo open the bottom faceplate you see this.

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/socket.htm

duchy

It is entirely possible you don't have a test socket in your master socket.
Master socket is usually the one closest to the front door although I've also come across them upstairs (seems to be a Midlands thing) or even in the loft.

If you DO have a test socket the front cover of that phone socket will have a horizontal line going across it just below halfway down the front cover of the socket -if the cover is all in one piece without the line -it's the older style socket that doesn't have a test socket. There's a good photograph of thedifferent socket types in the front of the telephone directory btw.

I'm assuming you removed the microfilter from the socket before plugging the phone in to test it ?

Buzby

Depending on when your installation originally was done, you many NOT have an NTE5 (the master socket with a test point behind the panel). In fact, you may have identical sockets through the house, and nothing external will indicate which is the Master - you need to do a little detective work, by carefully removing the front panel of each socket to look at the circuit board. Only the Master has a lightening arrestor and line capacitor (a thimble sized component, sometimes grey, yellow, or black). The others will NOT have these, and you may see "C1" printed on the board where the capacitor usually covers it.

This will help identify which of the sockets is the Master, and because you do not have a test point, officially you cannot interfere with it - but if you feel confident, remove any wires leading to the other sockets so it is only BT's Master connected to the line, this is the only way you can rule out trhe wiring being faulty after this point (and your responsibility).

brewerdave

Buzby wrote: »

This will help identify which of the sockets is the Master, and because you do not have a test point, officially you cannot interfere with it - but if you feel confident, remove any wires leading to the other sockets so it is only BT's Master connected to the line, this is the only way you can rule out trhe wiring being faulty after this point (and your responsibility).

Unfortunately you may have the same wiring pattern as me, namely all 3 internal sockets are wired separately back to an external junction block.Even tho one is a "master" (contains the capacitor) I can't physically disconnect the other sockets without breaking the seal on the external junction.

spike7451

I reported a fault on my line,BT test said the was nothing wrong & I insisted the was,the girl in BT's fault center started to talk me thru the test procedure at which point I stopped her & said the fault was before my master socket,to which she started to argue until I informed her I was a Service Tech for NTL/VM.
At which point she sent a BT engineer out.He arrived & ended up using my Linesmans Butt Phone as he didn't have one! He then agreed the fault was outside my home & went off to fix it,which it never was.Only when I got BT broadband in did they suddenly find a fault & fix it!..funny that!

LibbyR26

Many thanks to everyone who responded. Your advice is greatly appreciated - far better than the call centre. Following your tips I found the master socket, tried both phones and line still dead. So looks as if it is an external fault. Will see what the engineer says on Wednesday. Thanks again. Merry Christmas.

Buzby

Glad to know - do make sure the phones are 'basic' not battery powered (which sometimes mean no dial tone). If the engineer visits and uses is tester to recieve dal tone, it is a very expenssive lesson!