NTE5c mk4 Faceplate Noise Problems

During an Openreach engineers visit last week (not related to a cable fault) I was "upgraded" from a NTE5a mk1 faceplate to the new NET5c mk4. This seems to be a routine upgrade on home visits now?

Anyway, after a couple of days I noticed crackling on voice calls and a dive in terms of broadband speed, with DLM taking steps to resolve like it does.

We have no extension wiring and just a telephone plugged directly into the faceplate, other than the modem. I noticed that it took only the slightest of touches on the mk4 faceplate and the phone crackled, but is fine if I plug the phone direct into the test socket. So as seems to be documented in other posts, I'm now suffering from a poor connection between the NTE5C back plate and the mk4 faceplate.

This would be any easy one to raise as a fault to get Openreach back out, but has anyone found a way to improve the connection between the mk4 and the backplate?

Also, history tells me that our line is quite capable of running at a 3dB SNRM without the rein filter introduced post the mk 1 NTE5A. Putting the bad connection to one side, i.e. before the crackling started, how much is the up speed typically lowered by the latest rein filter, I was seeing 10 down to 8Mbps. This seems much more than the "slight reduction" expected from this filter?

Any recommendations would be appreciated, as it seems impossible to go back to the older nte5a now as they are no longer sold.

Definitely a case of if it ain't broke don't fix it, sigh......

Edited by dgilbert2 (Sat 04-Jun-22 11:03:53)

Ignoring the obvious that they are cheap pants ….

The usual cause for what you describe is that the backplate has been over tightened. Try just loosening the two screws either side of the test jack by a turn or two.

In reply to a post by dgilbert2:

Any recommendations would be appreciated, as it seems impossible to go back to the older nte5a now as they are no longer sold.

For example: this https://www.run-it-direct.co.uk/bt-line-boxes-and-so... plus a Mk3 filtered faceplate (which might be hard to find) might suit your needs if you have no joy with the NTE5C/Mk4 combo.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Ignoring the obvious that they are cheap pants ….

The usual cause for what you describe is that the backplate has been over tightened. Try just loosening the two screws either side of the test jack by a turn or two.

I moved one (shock horror) for a friend of mine. It's a really cheap and nasty device.
Seems designed to be installed with an absolute minimum of even basic tools. Presumably the next version will have a sachet of 'No More Nails' to attach it to the wall?

I'm not convinced you'll see any further revisions of a copper NTE. I think the original design may have been undertaken with the idea of end users performing self-install G.fast upgrades or doing voice reinjection, and in the years since there's been a realisation that very few people care about voice reinjection, and G.fast has been chucked into the bin.

Edited by jpm (Sun 05-Jun-22 17:37:21)

Same here I hate NTE5c mk4 ( I like the old one before - engineer replaced NTE5c mk4 for my G.fast service last year.

Old socket: https://i.ibb.co/Wv9kgYx/Openreach-MK2-Socket.png

G.fast socket: https://i.ibb.co/3SFJbH3/MK4.png

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

....The usual cause for what you describe is that the backplate has been over tightened. Try just loosening the two screws either side of the test jack by a turn or two.

Thank you for this suggestion. I have now cleaned the contacts with isopropyl alcohol and slightly loosened the back plate fixing screws. Fingers crossed, this has now resolved the problem.

In reply to a post by dgilbert2:

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

....The usual cause for what you describe is that the backplate has been over tightened. Try just loosening the two screws either side of the test jack by a turn or two.

Thank you for this suggestion. I have now cleaned the contacts with isopropyl alcohol and slightly loosened the back plate fixing screws. Fingers crossed, this has now resolved the problem.

You’re most welcome.