Master socket

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ywlgy
ywlgy Posts: 146 Forumite
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in Broadband & internet access
Hi, I just moved into a flat and am trying to find the master socket.
There are in total 3 sockets, one in bedroom which is an extension i'm pretty sure and two others in the living room.
The first one A is like this: https://ibb.co/cgTtszb
It has a capacitor so I had thought it was the master until I unscrewed the other one.
The second one B is like this: https://ibb.co/j36Fz96
It has a split faceplate and a BT logo. This is what it looks like after removing the whole socket: https://ibb.co/r7VQZB3

Now I am confused which one is the actual master socket. Both have an extension connected. How can I know if they are connected A -> B ->bedroom or B->A->bedroom?

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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
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    B is definitely the master socket. It's got the removable faceplate - the test socket is the socket that's accessible once the (half) faceplate has been removed.

    Your connection must be B > A > bedroom as line starts from B (the master socket).
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
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    Also, when you remove the faceplate from B, none of the extensions should work and the test socket will work, confirming the above.
  • ywlgy
    ywlgy Posts: 146 Forumite
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    edited 14 September 2019 at 9:16PM
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    Thanks for your method. It turns out A is actually the master socket. Socket A still works when the factplate at B is removed.
    I also found out removing the faceplate improves the broadband speed by 2 Mbps.
    At socket A when B with faceplate: 10Mbps
    At socket A when B without faceplate: 12Mbps
    At socket B: 10Mbps
    At socket B test socket: 12Mbps

    The extension to bedroom seems to affect the speed. Is it because of the bell wire?
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
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    It could be the bell wire or just poor wiring.

    Maybe the sockets have not been wired in the order they should be. There seem to be 2 wires in the connections of socket A - can you work out where they go eg bedroom, B or outside?
    Does the bedroom socket work when the faceplate at B is removed?

    Ideally you'd be able to see where the wire from outside goes to. Wherever that is, that's where you want the official BT master socket.

    If there's a similar flat to yours above or below (assuming it's a block rather than conversion), you could also try checking with them where their master socket is.
  • ywlgy
    ywlgy Posts: 146 Forumite
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    After disconnecting all bell wires in all sockets, I can now get 18-19 Mbps at socket B!! 16-17 at socket A, so maybe B is indeed the master socket but this can't explain why A still works when B's faceplate removed.
    Very strange wiring in the flat. Socket B is actually the furthest from the entrance. But anyway i am really satisfied now, 18Mbps is more than expected.
  • mnbvcxz
    mnbvcxz Posts: 382 Forumite
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    If you could find a solid orange wire that would obviously help locate the main telephone line. Though being a flat it might be connected somewhere else, even outside in a grey box.

    No chance there is a hutch/box somewhere in/near your flat with your electricity meter and maybe an incoming telephone cable?
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
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    ywlgy wrote: »
    After disconnecting all bell wires in all sockets, I can now get 18-19 Mbps at socket B!! 16-17 at socket A, so maybe B is indeed the master socket but this can't explain why A still works when B's faceplate removed.
    Very strange wiring in the flat. Socket B is actually the furthest from the entrance. But anyway i am really satisfied now, 18Mbps is more than expected.

    Glad you're pleased. I suspect A is connected to the wiring behind socket B, rather than attached to the faceplate as it should be.
  • brewerdave
    brewerdave Posts: 8,507 Forumite
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    I suspect that socket A was originally the "mini master" - that is the type of socket I had originally installed by BT with two extensions but all wired in a star formation (no removable parts on socket A).
    When I had issues with the line the BT engineer replaced my old master with a modern socket (as per B) and rewired so that the extensions actually came off of the backplate on master socket. Looks like someone (maybe not BT?) has installed the new master socket ,but in series with the old, rather than do a complete reorganisation. Perhaps they used one socket for the phone and the other for the router?
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