new flat - secondary phone socket not working - advice

wallofbeans

Hi All,

A friend has just moved into a new flat and although the master socket is working fine for phone and internet, the other secondary sockets in living room and bedroom don't have a dial tone or any internet connection. 

Is there anything that can be DIY done to fix these? We've taken the faceplate off one and taken a photo: https://imgur.com/a/EuT12ZQ

Any thoughts or advice?

Jeepers_Creepers

Yes. Only two wires should/need to be connected, and that's the two blues. They go to 2 and 5 - not 4...

Really worth getting hold of the correct tool for pressing in these wires - trying to use blades or screwdrivers will likely lead to problems. Plastic tools are very little money. 

Jeepers_Creepers

And it's white with blue stripes to 5, and blue with white stripes to 2.

This should be the case at ALL three sockets. 

(That debris inside isn't surface corrosion, is it? If so, use an old dry toothbrush to clean it, adding a spray of WD40 type stuff for good measure - that won't cause any negative issues). Also spray the terminals if there's any suspicion of damp - again, no negative issues from this, but a damp socket will seriously hit broadband speeds.) 

wallofbeans

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Yes. Only two wires should/need to be connected, and that's the two blues. They go to 2 and 5 - not 4...

Really worth getting hold of the correct tool for pressing in these wires - trying to use blades or screwdrivers will likely lead to problems. Plastic tools are very little money. 

I think they two blue wires are in 2 and 5 already. The orange one is in 3.

Hasbeen

wallofbeans said:

Hi All,

A friend has just moved into a new flat and although the master socket is working fine for phone and internet, the other secondary sockets in living room and bedroom don't have a dial tone or any internet connection. 

Is there anything that can be DIY done to fix these? We've taken the faceplate off one and taken a photo: https://imgur.com/a/EuT12ZQ

Any thoughts or advice?

If two are not working then probably disconnected at master socket.

If new? Openreach masters do not have the capability to take multiple extra cabling to secondary sockets.

Check master might be able to connect one ??

neilmcl

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Yes. Only two wires should/need to be connected, and that's the two blues. They go to 2 and 5 - not 4...

Really worth getting hold of the correct tool for pressing in these wires - trying to use blades or screwdrivers will likely lead to problems. Plastic tools are very little money. 

Yes, get yourself a Krone tool - https://www.screwfix.com/p/philex-auto-trim-idc-impact-insertion-tool/67391

FYI, they already are in 2 and 5 in the image supplied. The numbers 4,5,6 on the box are offset slightly.

wallofbeans

Jeepers_Creepers said:

And it's white with blue stripes to 5, and blue with white stripes to 2.

This should be the case at ALL three sockets. 

(That debris inside isn't surface corrosion, is it? If so, use an old dry toothbrush to clean it, adding a spray of WD40 type stuff for good measure - that won't cause any negative issues). Also spray the terminals if there's any suspicion of damp - again, no negative issues from this, but a damp socket will seriously hit broadband speeds.) 

Thanks. I think they are that way around already.

And the white stuff is just from the plaster I think. I can gently brush most of it away.

neilmcl

wallofbeans said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

And it's white with blue stripes to 5, and blue with white stripes to 2.

This should be the case at ALL three sockets. 

(That debris inside isn't surface corrosion, is it? If so, use an old dry toothbrush to clean it, adding a spray of WD40 type stuff for good measure - that won't cause any negative issues). Also spray the terminals if there's any suspicion of damp - again, no negative issues from this, but a damp socket will seriously hit broadband speeds.) 

Thanks. I think they are that way around already.

And the white stuff is just from the plaster I think. I can gently brush most of it away.

You will need to take the faceplate off your master socket to see if the extensions are connected.

What you should normally see (or not as the case maybe) the incoming BT cable terminates at connections marked A and B at the rear of the master socket and if you have any further telephone sockets they are connected via the 2 and 5 pins from the master socket faceplate. If you have a wire going to 3, this is traditionally called the bell wire or ring wire and you should remove it as it won't do your broadband any favours.

wallofbeans

neilmcl said:

wallofbeans said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

And it's white with blue stripes to 5, and blue with white stripes to 2.

This should be the case at ALL three sockets. 

(That debris inside isn't surface corrosion, is it? If so, use an old dry toothbrush to clean it, adding a spray of WD40 type stuff for good measure - that won't cause any negative issues). Also spray the terminals if there's any suspicion of damp - again, no negative issues from this, but a damp socket will seriously hit broadband speeds.) 

Thanks. I think they are that way around already.

And the white stuff is just from the plaster I think. I can gently brush most of it away.

You will need to take the faceplate off your master socket to see if the extensions are connected.

What you should normally see (or not as the case maybe) the incoming BT cable terminates at connections marked A and B at the rear of the master socket and if you have any further telephone sockets they are connected via the 2 and 5 pins from the master socket faceplate. If you have a wire going to 3, this is traditionally called the bell wire or ring wire and you should remove it as it won't do your broadband any favours.

Ok. Took master socket apart and this is what I see:
https://imgur.com/a/0oYBi4K

Does this mean I need to connect some wires to 2 and 5 on the master socket? There are a bunch of wires behind -- which ones do I connect?

neilmcl

Is this really the master socket or has someone simply fitted a filtered socket to the side of the real master socket?

wallofbeans

It's the master socket in the flat. It says "Master Socket 5C" on the top. They came earlier in the week and sorted it all out and apparently this is the reaplcement for whatever was there before.

There is apparently other bits in the building's electrical room downstairs so maybe there is a bigger one there..?