It's a splitter (plug-in extension routed to another room). I did try plugging it into the filter some time ago, but plug on splitter is offset such as to prevent me getting the DSL plug into the splitter. Anyway, the ADSL Nation faceplate splitter makes a good job and I have nearly twice the speed compared to just over 24 hours ago. I don't understand why this previous setup had worked OK and occasionally at nearly the speeds shown.

And new ADSL Nation faceplate filter looks like this http://sdrv.ms/NQO8LJ so still not terribly neat as splitter messes that!. I could I suppose (If I knew which wires were which, I could do away with ugly box and hard-wire the extension (splitter) to the faceplate filter back (I already have one hard-wired extension to the only three numbered terminations.

BTW, no Sky installations.

These are the stats:
xDSL linestate up (ITU-T G.992.5; downstream: 5438 kbit/s, upstream: 1126 kbit/s; output Power Down: 19.3 dBm, Up: 12.1 dBm; line Attenuation Down: 51.5 dB, Up: 31.8 dB; snr Margin Down: 6.2 dB, Up: 5.8 dB)

Edited by rob54 (Tue 24-Jul-12 23:42:42)

In reply to a post by MHC:

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

What's that oblong box plugged directly into socket?

Is it a splitter or some sort of Sky Box connector?

If so, it should be after the filter not before. That's cause of your problems.

That is almost certainly a telephony splitter ... often found on the end of fax leads or modem leads.

Yeh it was originally fitted for a modem.

I was just using a Sky box as an example of what could be at the end of an extension. I've seen that setup done by Sky installers and thought it would be much neater to use a filtered faceplate and wire the Sky box to the back of it, then just have the phone and the router connected to the front phone and adsl sockets. It would be neater and could perhaps improve broadband throughput speed?

Actually how many extensions can one connect to the back of a filtered faceplate, perhaps just a maximum of two? Also is it true that only a maximum of 3 filtered devices, e.g. 2 phones and a Sky box, can be operated from a single phone line?

Edited by 4M2 (Wed 25-Jul-12 01:17:24)

In reply to a post by 4M2:

I was just using a Sky box as an example of what could be at the end of an extension. I've seen that setup done by Sky installers and thought it would be much neater to use a filtered faceplate and wire the Sky box to the back of it, then just have the phone and the router connected to the front phone and asdl sockets. It would be neater and could perhaps improve broadband throughput speed?

Actually how many extensions can one connect to the back of a filtered faceplate, perhaps just a maximum of two? Also is it true that only a maximum of 3 filtered devices, e.g. 2 phones and a Sky box, can be operated from a single phone line?

A Krone/ADC IDC connector is designed to take two wire and no more. Some of the cheap imitations will only take one before the is a possibility of a connection failing.


You can have as many telephony devices as you like on a line. However, the specification for a UK line - as originally defined by BT, gives a maximum REN (Ring Equivalence Number) of 4. Every device should have a REN value, originally there were just 5 normal classifications - 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 with 3 and 4 as exceptional values but now they can be in 0.1 increments. If the total REN is greater than 4 there is no guarantee that the ring generator in the exchange will provide enough power to initiate ringing.

In reply to a post by MHC:

A Krone/ADC IDC connector is designed to take two wire and no more. Some of the cheap imitations will only take one before the is a possibility of a connection failing.


You can have as many telephony devices as you like on a line. However, the specification for a UK line - as originally defined by BT, gives a maximum REN (Ring Equivalence Number) of 4. Every device should have a REN value, originally there were just 5 normal classifications - 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 with 3 and 4 as exceptional values but now they can be in 0.1 increments. If the total REN is greater than 4 there is no guarantee that the ring generator in the exchange will provide enough power to initiate ringing.

Thanks for that MHC - that's the first time I've heard about REN values and the exchange ring generator

By using a filtered faceplate you have now effectively filtered that splitter extension.

If there wasn't an unfiltered device connected to the end of that front extension then it's possible that the micro filter that you were using was beginning to fail.

In reply to a post by rob54:

It's a splitter (plug-in extension routed to another room). I did try plugging it into the filter some time ago, but plug on splitter is offset such as to prevent me getting the DSL plug into the splitter. Anyway, the ADSL Nation faceplate splitter makes a good job and I have nearly twice the speed compared to just over 24 hours ago. I don't understand why this previous setup had worked OK and occasionally at nearly the speeds shown.

And new ADSL Nation faceplate filter looks like this http://sdrv.ms/NQO8LJ so still not terribly neat as splitter messes that!. I could I suppose (If I knew which wires were which, I could do away with ugly box and hard-wire the extension (splitter) to the faceplate filter back (I already have one hard-wired extension to the only three numbered terminations.

BTW, no Sky installations.

These are the stats:
xDSL linestate up (ITU-T G.992.5; downstream: 5438 kbit/s, upstream: 1126 kbit/s; output Power Down: 19.3 dBm, Up: 12.1 dBm; line Attenuation Down: 51.5 dB, Up: 31.8 dB; snr Margin Down: 6.2 dB, Up: 5.8 dB)

Oh yeh - I forgot to ask - do I still need the micro-filters at phone extensions (one hard wired to the faceplate back, and one 'plug-in' splitter)? I seem to recall reading these are no longer necessary with a filtered faceplate. The extensions are quieter (no hissing) and still quiet after filter is removed from the easiest to get to one is taken out.

With a filtered faceplate in place you do not need any dangly filters unless someone has been naughty and connected extension wiring incorrectly in the NTE5.

So it should be fine (and tidier)!