Suspect master socket wiring

I moved just under a year ago to a house where I knew the broadband was poor but just about tolerable. Last week I got round to seeing if I could increase what little speed I have so as a first step tried to plug the router (a BT HH4) into the test socket. That's where it started to go pear-shaped...

I found the master socket and unscrewed the lower half of the faceplate to get to the test socket. At this stage I noticed two things: the master socket was hanging off the wall and there were two extra wires going in to the back of the socket. One was to a socket that the router was plugged into and the other was to internal wiring to at least one extension socket.

Disturbing the master socket has dropped my sync speed from 2048/448 (slow but stuff worked) to 1120/448 where applications get time-outs. Finally, we're rumoured to be getting FTTP next year at which time this will, I hope, become irrelevant.

So I conclude that a previous owner has gone for some cheap and nasty wiring rather than having the job done properly and now I'm stuck with it. I either live with it or get BT to sort it.

Now my question. Is this likely to be covered by the £129.99 engineer call-out that I see on the BT website? At one time I seem to remember that BT wouldn't charge if it was rectification of bodges by a previous owner but I'm not holding my breath for that.

The days of no charges were when things were more integrated with each division standing more on its own, the books have to show cost recovery etc etc

When using the test socket are any other phone sockets in the home working? If yes then you have dodgy wiring. If the test socket is the only thing left working, likely you disturbed the incoming wiring and might need a fiddle to resolve - first double check a phone works still.

Charges for fixing extension wiring are the norm now, since the public is considered responsible for its extension wiring even if was a previous resident. If you disturbed the incoming wiring and they need to fix it then chargeable again.

The other option is to do it yourself with advice from here.

Get some pictures of what you have including close-ups of the wiring and wire type, host them at an appropriate location and then provide links here.

Someone will then gide you through step-by-step on what to do.

These two wires into the back, do you mean to the faceplate that you had removed? Or to some part of the body that you say is also hanging off the wall?

Ring BT, and see if you can get a 'Boost' visit from Openreach ?

I had another look yesterday to get some pictures. Unfortunately, every time I touch the socket my connection speed drops!

To clarify, from the wall out I have:

1. External block wall
2. Body of NTE5
3. What looks like an I-plate
4. Lower faceplate

The two wires I mentioned actually go in between 1 and 2. One is to my router and the other to internal phone wiring. I have little confidence in the quality of the internal phone wiring.

Photo here? https://www.dropbox.com/s/ru46l2a4d1pgsym/2017-09-15...

Thanks for the replies, by the way. Much appreciated.

OK, that's a faceplate filter, the RJ11 lead between your router and it should be connected to the smaller hole at the top of the socket.... was this how you were connected previously ?

A couple more pictures of what's terminated where on the insides of that socket would be useful too.

Has the voice (?) extension been incorrectly connected to the unfiltered terminals on the Mk3 plate rather than to the terminals on the outer, bottom, phone socket plate?

If theory there should be no broadband if the lead in the photo is heading off to a modem, but something very slow and unstable might be possible if using the voice socket for the data

Yep, agreed.

Wouldn't it be marvellous if stats when connected to the right socket revealed a whopping increase ..

To the OP, do you have any current line stats please ?