Can I just buy a mk4 faceplate and plug it in?

Just got VDSL. It seemed to be OK for a few days, then started repeatedly dropping connection. Fearful that DLM would kick in, I unplugged it and took a look at the socket (a Master Socket 5C, unsure which revision). It seems to be incorrectly wired- there is an extension in the house and I understand it should be connected to the clear part on the left, rather than behind the socket. There were also two wires visible through the hole on the right- white and brown- which had bare ends and were almost, but not quite, touching.

I moved those wires a little further out of each others' way, plugged a microfilter into the test socket, and it seems to sync OK at 79716/20000/fastpath.

Awful phone pic

The faceplate was only a single-socket one, and since my understanding is that the test socket just bypasses extensions connected to the front, the fix might be coincidence/placebo.

In any case, I'd like a slightly neater solution than this. Can I just buy this (doesn't seem to be possible to buy a faceplate on its own) and plug it in? Given the potential wiring issue, should I expect that to perform better, as well, or worse than microfilter+test socket? I also have a high-quality RJ11 cable ready to go.

In reply to a post by j314:

. . . took a look at the socket (a Master Socket 5C, unsure which revision). It seems to be incorrectly wired- there is an extension in the house and I understand it should be connected to the clear part on the left, rather than behind the socket.

You are correct. The extension socket has been incorrectly wired.

. . . I'd like a slightly neater solution than this. Can I just buy this (doesn't seem to be possible to buy a faceplate on its own) and plug it in?

Yes, you can certainly fit the Mk 4 SSFP to the NTE5C. (Fortunately it is a Mk 2 NTE5C.) But it will not resolve the bridging tap created by the incorrectly wired extension socket.

Edited by burakkucat (Mon 21-Oct-19 01:04:57)

Although it does appear to be incorrectly wired, I believe that will have been a misunderstanding by the previous occupant of how things work.

I would lay odds that they had their modem/router at the extension, but screwed up the wiring.

b*cat debates whether he should query why the reply was made to his post . . .

I was just suggesting why the DIY job had been done . Fully agreeing with your post as to what was wrong.

In reply to a post by j314:

It seems to be incorrectly wired- there is an extension in the house and I understand it should be connected to the clear part on the left, rather than behind the socket. There were also two wires visible through the hole on the right- white and brown- which had bare ends and were almost, but not quite, touching.

I moved those wires a little further out of each others' way,

Agree it looks like its been wired incorrectly as only the incoming A and B wires from the Openreach network should be connected on the very back (access to these terminations should be limited to just Openreach engineers). Until the backplate is removed it won't be fully clear how the socket is currently wired and if the incoming wiring is directly connected to the extension wiring.

Edit: Just to add, if the extension wiring is also connected to just A and B on the very back of the NTE this would mean the extension socket is highly likely to be a master socket rather than a secondary socket as there would be no ring wiring between the two sockets.

Edited by deleted (Mon 21-Oct-19 10:06:17)

In reply to a post by dect:

Edit: Just to add, if the extension wiring is also connected to just A and B on the very back of the NTE this would mean the extension socket is highly likely to be a master socket rather than a secondary socket as there would be no ring wiring between the two sockets.

Non sequitur.

Quite apart from the ring wire being unnecessary for nearly all modern phones and on non-filtered master sockets is best disconnected for optimum DSL performance.

Also having two master sockets on the line is a no-no, though that might be the point you were intending to make but didn�t.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by dect:

Edit: Just to add, if the extension wiring is also connected to just A and B on the very back of the NTE this would mean the extension socket is highly likely to be a master socket rather than a secondary socket as there would be no ring wiring between the two sockets.

Non sequitur.

Quite apart from the ring wire being unnecessary for nearly all modern phones and on non-filtered master sockets is best disconnected for optimum DSL performance.

Also having two master sockets on the line is a no-no, though that might be the point you were intending to make but didn�t.

Get a life.

Perhaps if the advice you often give wasn't so incorrect, nobody would need to correct you.

Note I didn't quibble about the part before your edit.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Perhaps if the advice you often give wasn't so incorrect, nobody would need to correct you.

Note I didn't quibble about the part before your edit.

Nothing I said was incorrect.

Firstly - There are still lots of legacy telephones in use where a master socket or ring wire is required (e.g. BT Tele 9401 and 9802 to name a few), because broadband works better without the ring wire connected doesn't mean the ring wire can be safely removed (always better to assume its required).

Secondly - To say two master sockets on a line is a no-no is not the full story, yes its bad practice but it does technical still work although not recommended and I have seen many instances where its been done.

You really shouldn't talk as an expert about things you have only ever read about and have no technical experience.

Edit: Replaced knowledge with experience

Edit: You are the only person who tries to undermine people on this forum by pretending their info is incorrect, I am not the only person you do this too.

Edit: A master socket doesn't necessary mean a NTE, it can also look like a typical secondary socket but contains a capacitor across the B and ring wire terminations and resistor across the A and ring wire terminations.

Edited by deleted (Mon 21-Oct-19 17:23:55)