Damaged faceplate???

I have a NTE 5 in the hall, and three extensions. Only two are used, one of which is used for my ST 585v6 router. I used to sync at a rock solid 8128, until a few weeks ago when there was a fault on my line due to BT equipment. Since then the sync has varied from 6000 to 7968.

I brought the router down to he master socket and plugged it in to the faceplate, it synced at 6240. I removed the faceplate and plugged directly into the test socket, synced at 8128. I only have two wires connected blue/white and white/blue. I replaced the faceplate and plugged into it, the synce was again in the 6000 region. I removed the faceplate gently pulled on the wires where connected and put the faceplate back. Resynced at 8032.

Does this indicate a faulty faceplate?. Would a filtered faceplate improve matters bearing in mind nothing would actually be plugged in to it?.

Would a filtered faceplate improve matters bearing in mind nothing would actually be plugged in to it?.

If there are wires still going around the house, even if there's nothing plugged into them, a filtered faceplate could make a huge difference.

If the wires are connected to the removable part of the faceplate, i.e. the bit you can unscrew then these are extensions, and this may affect the sync speed.

So damaged faceplate - no it does sound like it, rather the usual issues of noise pickup from extension wiring in a property

It was wiring on the extension side of the faceplate. Would it be worthwhile checking the sockets to make sure only pins 2 & 5 are connected?. Or do you think a filtered faceplate, as Ade has suggested, would make a difference?.

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Or do you think a filtered faceplate, as Ade has suggested, would make a difference?

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It would certainly make a difference to the extension with the router plugged in - the router wouldn't work.

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It would certainly make a difference to the extension with the router plugged in - the router wouldn't work.

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Sorry I don't follow. The extension works now without a filtered faceplate fitted at the NTE5. Why would it not work with one fitted

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Why would it not work with one fitted

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Would you plug the router into the master socket or the extension?
The filtered faceplate removes the ADSL signal from the extensions.

I think Batboy missed that you now have the router located at the master socket.
With a filtered faceplate, the extension, provided it's still kept as a voice extension (and you keep the router at the master socket), will still work fine (it just won't have any ADSL component present on the cable going to it, so cannot be used to plug a router into).

You can check it all out, by plugging a micro-filter into the 'test' socket inside the master - plug your router into the micro-filter, and plug the existing un-filtered face-plate into the phone socket on the filter (this only works with wired filters, and if the phone socket is oriented correctly for the plug on the face-plate).

I seem to have misunderstood it's operation. I thought it filtered at the NTE5 thereby doing away with the need for filters at the extensions. Thanks for the clarification.

If you buy the one from Solwise or ADSLNation they support a dedicated ADSL extension if that is what you want, then you can fit a neat socket that has another filter builtin allowing a phone to be used if wanted.

Thanks Ade, I would need to return the router to the extension socket as I have two desktops which connect via ethernet. I might just disconnect/reconnect the wires on the existing faceplate, as the "jiggling" made a big difference.

In that case, you can't filter out the extension.
If you have more than one extension socket, a filtered face-plate may still be of use - You could filter out the other extensions, leaving the unfiltered signal going to the extension with the router, and use a local micro-filter.
That way, you'll remove at least part of the effects of interference.

Thanks Andrew.

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You could filter out the other extensions, leaving the unfiltered signal going to the extension with the router, and use a local micro-filter.

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The extensions are "daisy chained" and the one I want is on the far end
I can live with a sync of 8032

The extensions are "daisy chained" and the one I want is on the far end

You could still do it (with a little rewiring of the pairs).
If you send the filtered signal down, say, the orange pair, and the unfiltered down the blue pair, you could connect all voice/fax/modem only extensions to the orange pair, and the router extension to the blue pair.
The only place all four wires would be connected, will be at the master socket.

I can live with a sync of 8032

That's a sync I'd like to be forced to live with

Your posts about the actual problem do point to a dodgy connection there so I agree. But don't try to reconnect by hand as you could damage everything including your fingers.

The little plastic tool for inserting wires into those connectors is only a few pence. You may already have one - I have 2 or 3 from buying DIY extension kits from the old BT shops. Possibly Maplin or PcWorld? Even they can't get one of those to screw up - so to speak.

It's also possible the extensions were a DIY job by the previous owner, or you. In which case checking them all the way along the daisy-chain seems wise.

If reconnecting doesn't do the job then as someone has said there is a version of the filtered faceplate that allows an unfiltered output as well, but what's the point in your case, just a new ordinary faceplate. More appropriate if you want a bit of neatness at the extension end would be a filtered faceplate there, there is one for extensions.

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The little plastic tool for inserting wires into those connectors is only a few pence.

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..and are good for about three or four decent insertions. Best splash out and get a proper one, and do the job right.

First - serious:- Good idea, hardly expensive at �4.79, (well it is for the 5 or 6 expected), but much cheaper and easier than going to find one and they are out of stock.

And no doubt you agree the poster should get one or the other rather than a hand-job! (Which describes what not using the tool would be). (But a hand-job without a tool?).

I'd better shut up.

Second - humourously:- But Sir, I got it from BT!