Wiring questions

I want to change the current ADSL / Phone wiring setup in the house. No plans to move the master socket thankfully.

At present I have a standard BT NTE5 Master Filter Plate (the one with the five / three / two IDC terminals) on the master socket. This is in the lounge behind the telly. My router plugs into the front of it using the RJ11 port. The main phone base unit plugs in next to it.

My new PC setup will be in a room upstairs, and I want the router up there too, so need to run wiring to the room. Now I was thinking that the simplest way is to get the modified BT NTE5 face plate with the 5/3/2 + A/B on the back of the plate.

However, I thought again, so stop me if I'm wrong:

I guess that wiring directly onto the back of the old master plate results in an unfiltered (but ADSL friendly) line. I'm also guessing that I could take an RJ-11 cable, cut and strip it and crone the two wires used in said cable to terminals 2 and 5 (no idea which way round). Wrong?

I'm using a Trio of DECT phones, so a phone line isn't paramount, although fax access might be an idea (which would require the modified faceplate).


Moving on slightly...

I also have a TV, DVD with HDD, SKY+ box to think of too. Now the telly has various ports, such as HDMI, VGA, RGB, USB, Component-In. I haven't any solid plans to have the PC transmit to the telly, but might occasionally like to pull stuff from the DVD HDD / telly to the PC.

So the big question is, when I decide to run a CAT5 cable from the master socket to the upstairs room, what other cablesmight I consider to cover a lot of scenarios?

Nearly done. If I run the router from upstairs, via a rear wiring setup, the front RJ-11 port on the faceplate will be unused. What else might it be used for if there's no router at that port?

Lastly, is there still a service from BT (Twin talk or call sign) for running a fax machine on the same phone line and distinguishing the incoming call as fax or not?

Ta!

Why do you want the router upstairs, is there no power near the master socket?
If there is, can't you just as easily use the CAT5 cable to extend the ethernet from your router (at the master socket), and use a £10 local ethernet switch, if you have more than one internet device upstairs?
Why not put in a few CAT 5 cables, so you can stream to your TV, and also use one for a fax line if need be.

Two main reasons.

Firstly I want to be able to monitor the router (it's a router/switch/modem) from the PC area. If I need to make changes to the config or run reboots, or have connection problems I don't want to run up and downstairs to check the lights or flick the power switch. Also I'd end up having to run a serial cable for emergency firmware changes.

Secondly, the lounge isn't a computer room. I'm trying to minimise the electronic kit in the room to make my other half happy.

The exercise will do you good Most routers can be updated via the network anyway. A router isn't that big, and it can be tucked behind a sofa, or a chair.

With respect chaps, I have a plan. Is it do-able?

Kind of like asking a mechanic to install a turbo to a specific car, and his answer is for me to buy a different car. It's not what I want.

Given your requirement and reluctance to run cat5 up to a switch in your bedroom (which is what I would do if I didn't have the HomePlugs which I already have because the choice I had was between running wires or retaining nads) the second best alternative is....

Fit an ADSLNation filtered faceplate to the master. Run proper phone extension cable (Maplins or similar) upstairs to an ADSLNation filtered socket from the unfiltered terminals on the new faceplate.

Given the extra cost of their XTE super dooper thingies you may as well choose those over the standard ones although I seriously doubt that they will be any better in practice.

So the big question is, when I decide to run a CAT5 cable from the master socket to the upstairs room, what other cablesmight I consider to cover a lot of scenarios?

Cat5 is thicker than proper phone extension and offers no significant benefit.

Nearly done. If I run the router from upstairs, via a rear wiring setup, the front RJ-11 port on the faceplate will be unused. What else might it be used for if there's no router at that port?

Nothing of any use. If connects directly to your adsl pair

Lastly, is there still a service from BT (Twin talk or call sign) for running a fax machine on the same phone line and distinguishing the incoming call as fax or not?

There may be a BT service or not but there has been a hardware solution since just after fax machines were invented - look up fax switch or buy a fax machine which does it automatically. Fax machines are pretty old technology too. There must be some way to do this with VOIP and a computer I'd have thought.

Edited by kwikbreaks (Mon 16-Mar-09 08:33:39)

You need the modified faceplate to run the extension from the back of the faceplate, why
"3 IDC terminals for hardwiring of existing/new extensions for normal telephony use ONLY"

You could use the original unfiltered faceplate to do as you suggest, but make sure terminal three has nothing on it. Also the cable is not RJ11 - rj11 is the name the plug, you will want cable that meets CW1308 spec

Ta. I realise that the cable with an RJ-11 plug on each end is basically a phone-type cable. It's a bad habit of mine calling it that to differentiate it from my CAT5 cables.

I have standard phone extension cable and CAT5 cable. Will either of those meet CW1308 spec?

If the cable has the potential to introduce a lots of noise into your system, you may want to consider some shielded CAT6 SFTP solid cable instead, provided you can earth it both ends.

CAT5 will be fine, its overkill but up to the job