Strange but true...

HoolyNI

...My broadband signal is twice as strong when I plug my router into a secondary phone socket rather than using the master socket...anyone any ideas why that would be?

littleboo

What do you mean "broadband signal" ? If you mean wireless signal strength, then moving the router will quite possibly improve the wireless signal that you receive. However that's completely different from the speed that the router is syncing at.

HoolyNI

I mean wired connection. Have had master socket plate off to check that theres no loose connections and have tried router plugged into the test socket but still get better speeds when router plugged into socket in upstairs bedroom...

wongataa

I don't see how it it could be possible for your broadband to speed up when plugged into an extension socket. The maximum possible speed is where it enters the house. Extensions can only affect the speed by slowing it down.

JJ_Egan

Wrongly wired master socket would be my guess .

HoolyNI

Will check the wiring again but pretty sure i compared it to a diagram and it was wired correctly...never bothered me much before but need the router downstairs now.

iniltous

Perhaps what you think of as the 'secondary' socket is in fact the master, and what you think of as the master is in fact an extension socket, where does the line from outside enter the property ?, probably the socket closest to this point will be the master, perhaps you have some dodgy DIY internal wiring.
If wired correctly the master socket (if it's a NTE5) would give the best sync speed if you plug into the test socket because it would be the shortest cleanest route back to the exchange and all extension wiring and sockets, which could potentially affect your sync speed would be disconnected when you use the test socket

HoolyNI

Its possible though the slow socket in the hall has the split face and is where the test socket is. Am with Sky now though presumably BT own the master socket and it would be up to them to correct any faulty wiring?

Am afraid to start footering round with it in case i end up with no phone line at all...

iniltous

HoolyNI wrote: »

Its possible though the slow socket in the hall has the split face and is where the test socket is. Am with Sky now though presumably BT own the master socket and it would be up to them to correct any faulty wiring?

Am afraid to start footering round with it in case i end up with no phone line at all...

No it's not up to BT or Openreach to sort out your internal wiring, infact getting Sky to call out OR on your behalf could cost you ££'s if OR come out and the problem is on something they are not responsible for, they charge the CP (Sky in your case) who almost certainly will pass the cost on to you.
It's possible that someone has installed a NTE5 socket as an extension, and your 'master' socket pre dates NTE5 and doesn't have a test socket
If your sockets are connected together with more than 2 wires, it may explain why one socket is much better than the other, you only need 2 wires connected , on terminations '2' and '5' if there is any more than that connected you can safely disconnect them, at both sockets, and if there are any other extension sockets , even if the have nothing plugged into them, you need to do the same with them...one socket may still be a little better than the other after this, but that could be due to the length and quality of the cable that connects them together, but if there is a 'bell wire' connected and you disconnect it your speed may well increase at the 'slow' socket, normally though this affects all sockets, so they are all 'slow' not one Ok and the other poor
Search ADSL bell wire problems to see if your wiring can be made ADSL friendly

macman

Bad microfilter on the NTE5? Swap them and retest. Most of the ISP-supplied filters are horrible quality, as you would expect.

kwikbreaks

I've seen similar where a router synced faster on a plugin extension than it did on the extension socket itself.

Try this as a test - remove the master faceplate and try in the test socket inside. My betting is that you will then see a sync as good as or better than on the extension.

What follows will only make any sense to somebody with a basic understanding of RF transmission lines. Feel free to skip or google...

An ADSL2+ signal can be up to about 2MHz and now you've brought this up I'm wondering if reflections from an open circuit extension can set up standing waves which will alter the signal strength depending on where you connect to the cable. Only fly in the ointment is that even at 2MHz the wavelength is pretty long in relation to most home extensions.