In reply to a post by 4M2:

In reply to a post by TSPlowright:

I have read lots about people installing filter face plates etc and this helping, is it likely that this could help me?

See http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/btsockets.htm - external NTE

You may be able to connect an internal standard socket with a filtered faceplate to IDC terminals labelled 2 & 5 on the external NTE5 using a suitable cable (or even the existing cable.) Extensions could then be taken from the back of the internal filtered faceplate and they would be filtered for voice. Either the front connector or A&B terminals on the filtered faceplate could be used for the unfiltered adsl.

It has been said that an internal NTE5 can be used with components, surge arrestor etc., removed and that will provide you with an internal test socket - but I haven't tried that myself.

Oh dear, that response has totally confused me. Can you, or anyone else, translate the information into terms a newbie can better understand please?

Another factor worth mentioning here is that my wife is going to be VERY resistant to any new cables being run around the walls of the house...so any solutions will ideally need to only involve changes to face plates, and not installation of new wiring etc. Is this even remotely possible?

I think 4M2 is saying that I may be able to use the existing wiring and simply install a new faceplate, if this is the case which one should I use and how easy/hard is it to do?

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Only way is to carefully unscrew faceplates and take photos so we can see what is going on.

The general solution is to get the wiring back to the point where you have one socket that works in the home, and it has just two wires going to it.

http://www.adslnation.com/phpapps/catalog/product_in... should if you have 85mm faceplates be a nice replacement, and then if you want other phone extensions they can run from the back of this socket, and would be filtered already.

OK, so how do I work out which socket to use (I have five) as the new 'master, and is it certain that I will be able to re-instate all of the other sockets once this is done? You can probably tell that I am nervous of doing this as I am a total novice.

On that note, I can't unscrew the current faceplates as the screws are covered with plastic disks. Do I just take a screw driver to these to get the out of the way., or is there a proper way to remove them without doing and damage?

I did just go and open up the external NTE there appear to be an extra set of wires which aren't connected to anything...not sure why though?

Lastly, how do I post a picture in the forum?

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Of no relevance as query is about ADSL

It's the reason they abandoned the external NTE though

In reply to a post by TSPlowright:

I think 4M2 is saying that I may be able to use the existing wiring and simply install a new faceplate, if this is the case which one should I use and how easy/hard is it to do?

Depends entirely upon how your extensions are currently wired - for starters: how many wires are connected to the terminals 2,3 & 5 on the external NTE5. If there is only one wire per terminal then we may be in business

In reply to a post by 4M2:

In reply to a post by TSPlowright:

I think 4M2 is saying that I may be able to use the existing wiring and simply install a new faceplate, if this is the case which one should I use and how easy/hard is it to do?

Depends entirely upon how your extensions are currently wired - for starters: how many wires are connected to the terminals 2,3 & 5 on the external NTE5. If there is only one wire per terminal then we may be in business

Thanks again 4M2.

Yes, there is only one set of wires per terminal (there is another set, but they aren't connected at all at present?)

Also, in your first post you linked to some information the external NTE and it said the orange wire shouldn't be attached when ADSL is in use, but mine is attached...does this matter?

In reply to a post by TSPlowright:

Yes, there is only one set of wires per terminal (there is another set, but they aren't connected at all at present?)

Also, in your first post you linked to some information the external NTE and it said the orange wire shouldn't be attached when ADSL is in use, but mine is attached...does this matter?

Don't worry about the unconnected wires and the orange bell wire for now, can you establish where those connected wires go to first, i.e. which one of the internal sockets? If you can establish that, then that socket will probably be the one to use with a filtered faceplate etc.

Edit: we are assuming that you are using "dangle" filters on the internal extension sockets to which you have phones, maybe sky box, etc. connected.

Edited by 4M2 (Tue 25-Sep-12 18:49:56)

Ideally a picture of the external NTE as in http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/images/phone/external_NTE... is the first step.

I presume you mean you have the orange wire going to pin 3. The orange wire should detach, just look closely for the jaws (IDC connector) and lift the wire from pin 3 out.

Doing that change alone may help improve speeds and reduce connection loss.

In reply to a post by 4M2:

In reply to a post by TSPlowright:

Yes, there is only one set of wires per terminal (there is another set, but they aren't connected at all at present?)

Also, in your first post you linked to some information the external NTE and it said the orange wire shouldn't be attached when ADSL is in use, but mine is attached...does this matter?

Don't worry about the unconnected wires and the orange bell wire for now, can you establish where those connected wires go to first, i.e. which one of the internal sockets? If you can establish that, then that socket will probably be the one to use with a filtered faceplate etc.

Edit: we are assuming that you are using "dangle" filters on the internal extension sockets to which you have phones, maybe sky box, etc. connected.

Yes, I do have 'dangle' filters on all active sockets, but I have no idea which is the first socket or how to work out which one is first. Any advice on establishing this would be gratefully received?

I have now removed the orange wire from the external NTE as suggested by MrSaffron, but it hasn't changed the speed test results (1.4MB up and 0.5MB down) when using the uswitch tester.

In reply to a post by TSPlowright:

I have now removed the orange wire from the external NTE as suggested by MrSaffron, but it hasn't changed the speed test results (1.4MB up and 0.5MB down) when using the uswitch tester.

Have you re-synced/rebooted the router and compared the stats with those you gave in the first post?

In reply to a post by TSPlowright:

...I have no idea which is the first socket or how to work out which one is first. Any advice on establishing this would be gratefully received?

Since you have now disconnected the orangle/white (?) bell wire from the terminal on the external NTE5 you can twist that together with the previously unconnected white/orange wire to make an electrical connection.

Go to all the internal sockets and disconnect all the bell wires - which are all probably orange/white.

Now go to the internal socket that's nearest the external NTE5 and check to see if you can pass a low voltage current, using a circuit tester, the bulb and battery connections in a torch or similar, through any of the orange/white and white/orange pairs to test for a circuit at that socket. The cable that allows the current to flow through a particular pair will be the one that comes from the external NTE5.

If orange/white and white/orange pairs at the nearest internal socket to the external NTE5 don't carry the low voltage current then you will have to test at another of the internal sockets.

Edited by 4M2 (Tue 25-Sep-12 20:47:55)