Master Socket Question...

BertieUK

We have recently moved into this address and are in the process of redecoration. Where the BT Telephone cable enters the house and into a NTE5 Master Socket the cabling and the socket are pretty tatty to say the least, my question is..

is it legal for me to replace this NTE5 master socket myself or do I have to call out BT?

regards

Robert

PS The cable coming into NTE5 master socket is about 2m in length inside the house so could be shortened back to the box to make it look more tidy.

littleboo

No. You're not permitted to move or change the master socket. Its the demarcation point on the Openreach network and only they are allowed to fit/change/move. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen though.

BertieUK

littleboo wrote: »

No. You're not permitted to move or change the master socket. Its the demarcation point on the Openreach network and only they are allowed to fit/change/move. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen though.

Ok that's a fair comment. The reason that I ask is that BT are taking so long in answering my request for this work to be carried out.

Plus where the NTE5 m/c is fitted i.e. close to the cupboard housing the usual electric box etc. The extension socket(s) are all running from this m/c and I was always under the impression that this was not advised and that a normal socket had to run from the m/c.

I wonder what charge Openreach would charge for doing this work?

regards
Robert

espresso

You can buy the genuine NTE5 master socket for very little cost e.g. here and it is very easy to fit it yourself exactly how you want it fitted, just two wires to connect.

I know what I would do in your situation.

BertieUK

espresso wrote: »

I know what I would do in your situation.

" great minds think alike "...

rockin_plumber

BertieUK wrote: »

Ok that's a fair comment. The reason that I ask is that BT are taking so long in answering my request for this work to be carried out.

Plus where the NTE5 m/c is fitted i.e. close to the cupboard housing the usual electric box etc. The extension socket(s) are all running from this m/c and I was always under the impression that this was not advised and that a normal socket had to run from the m/c.

I wonder what charge Openreach would charge for doing this work?

regards
Robert

A few years ago I had a fault on my line, and my phone wouldn't ring.
I rang to report the fault..but didn't book an engineer as I didn't know if anyone would be in.

They just turned up anyway the next day and changed the master socket, damp in the wall was the diagnosis.

Next bill arrived and there was a £240 :eek: charge for this work...

As I hadn't booked the call out and so they never told me of these charges I managed to convince them there was no way on earth I was paying that to change a £10 master socket....

It may have been different as they classed this as a call out... But I suspect if you just want it changed but it isn't faulty, it won't be very cheap.

BertieUK

rockin_plumber wrote: »

Next bill arrived and there was a £240 :eek: charge for this work...

It may have been different as they classed this as a call out... But I suspect if you just want it changed but it isn't faulty, it won't be very cheap.

Due to BT being rather slow in returning my call I just sent them an email asking to cancel the request giving the incident reference number that they originally gave me, and within the hour I had a landline call in reference to the email that I had just cancelled, when I said that I had just cancelled the request they just said sorry for the inconvenience and hung up.

The voice sounded like a Waterford call centre maybe from their Broadband HQ that I know was there a few years ago.

The figure that you were original charged was a great shock to your system I can see, I just wonder how many other people are charged these vast amounts if they maybe don't check their standing orders.

BT can make innocent mistakes like anyone else I suppose.;)

mattyprice4004

Most of the time it's people that are too lazy to remove the faceplate and try the telephone directly from the master socket. 'I'm not doing that, just send an engineer!'
When it turns out to be their extension causing the problem and they got a bill for £200, guess who's fault it suddenly was?

Another interesting situation is when dealing with someone who is physically disabled and can't do the test - unfortunately this doesn't make them immune to the £200 or so fee if the fault within the home.
If anyone has a relative with a landline or BB issue and BT (or another provider) are asking them to do the checks, please go and help them as they'll get charged if they aren't done and the fault was within the home regardless of disability.

BertieUK

The socket that is fitted to our BT Line input is as follows;

LJ2/1A socket with only a 2 black wire connection these in turn are connected to - 1 being white to 5 - and 1 orange to 2.

I notice on the new sockets produced since, the line inputs are A & B with connectors numbered 5- 3 -2

LJ2/1A would appear to be at least 30 years old.

Can anyone enlighten me as to what 3 would be used for please.

regards

WTFH

3 is the bell wire


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

BertieUK

I think that from the age of the LJ2/1A socket that comes into the house the rest of the sockets are needing replaced as they are not working for whatever reason.

As I have said we have only just moved in recently so I am trying to bring the system internally up to date. We use the LJ2/1A at the moment along with BTHub4-HFG5 Broadband and it is working ok. I would like to move the Hub into the lounge by running an extension from the NTE5 but not sure in the cable connections.

The reason I say this is that one of the extensions has 6 wires coming into the socket namely 1 - Green, 2 - Blue, 3 - Orange, 4 - White/Green, 5 - White/Green, 6 - White/Orange

Was this socket perhaps one of many that was used in a set up years ago maybe?

NB:
However there is a way in which you can legally fit your own NTE5 line box, and that's by making the NTE5 an immediate extension of the master socket and locating the new NTE5 line box next to the old non NTE5 master linebox.

Read more: http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/socket.htm#ixzz2j8jBkSIx

This way would let me stay legal.
regards