bt master socket

Since I moved into my new house over a year ago i have always had problems with my adsl, it will drop every three to four hours. I have been through hundreds of hours of troubleshooting on the phone with my isp and had bt out to the exchange 3 times but noproblems have been found.

I am now thinking that it may be the fact that I don't actually have a master socket in the house. Th first phone socket where the wire comes into is actually just a normal socket.

So what I was wondering was shouldn't B.T come and fit me a master socket for free?

I have heard that they do this because it will futureproof any trouble shooting that they may need to do in the future. Does anyone here have any experience in this.

The master socket does not have to be the first.

well i aint got one anywhere in the house

Right. I wouldn't know if they'll fit it for free or not. Although the guy that came to me swapper the one I fitted for an NTE5.

whats an nte5?

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The first phone socket where the wire comes into is actually just a normal socket.

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How have you determined that it's "just a normal socket"?

http://www.austin-taylor.co.uk/pages/nte5.htm

I would have thought that BT would have visited your house by now..... And quite often this is something they replace if there are problems.
If they keep visiting the exchange then it would look like they know something is amiss there and need not look any further.
Just what are your Sync/Snr stats ?

It sounds like everyone is getting a bit confused with this master socket terminology. When you sign up for a BT phone account they will provide you with just one new phone socket, Bt will only (should only) touch this one socket whenever they come to fix anything, they will make sure it is wired correctly and use it to test all aspects of your line, this socket is often referred to as the master socket, as theoretically it is the only phone socket BT are allowed to touch. Most houses have lots of phone sockets, and most have usually been fitted by the owner or the builder of he house, these are not covered by the BT home phone contract and it is in theory the responsibility of the home owner to make sure these are all wired correctly (some aren't), this is why whenever you test your ADSL connection you should use the BT master socket, because it is the only socket the BT service contract covers.

now all you have to do is find the phone socket that BT first installed in your house

Lots of installations are fitted with master sockets that pre-date the NTE5 and so it is not possible to disconnect the extensions that may well have been fitted by BT and form part of the installation.

It doesn't matter who fitted the extensions, they are not covered by the maintenance contract and so they don't get free maintenance.

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It doesn't matter who fitted the extensions, they are not covered by the maintenance contract and so they don't get free maintenance.

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Not even those fitted by BT? IIRC they also used to charge you extra for an extension.

Covered for 12months if fitted by BT

All work on extension wiring is chargeable unless...

The wiring was fitted by BT and is under guarantee ( 1 year )

The wiring is hard wired and the customer cannot disconnect it, in which case it is disconnected for free or charged for repair.

Well if you do not have a BT master socket you would not have a working phone line. You have a master socket. You may not know where it is though. If you can locate were the BT line enters the house you will usuall find it there.

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if you do not have a BT master socket you would not have a working phone line

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Simply not true, I'm afraid.

I had a similar problem in my old house. BT came out, Determined a master socket, fitted a new socket with built in microfilter, re-made the wiring extensions and all was honkidory.
All it cost me was three cups of sugary tea and half a packet of digestives!

I have also recently moved house. The incomming BT wire just terminates in a small
"link box" and then a socket is wired to this. I thought that I did not have a master, but found it behind some furniture.
After a few days we lost our 'phone service, no broadband enabled as that time.
BT man connected a tester and left the house for some time and was able to get the line working, this time with no crackles which preceded the fault.
I now have broadband enabled and working at full speed thanks to this "clear line"

He suggested that I should be in no hurry to get a modern test type socket for the reason mentioned in this thread, if my extensions are hard wired and go faulty BT will not charge unless asked to work on my wires.