The picture you show looks to me like an RJ45 socket, as I use for my home wired ethernet network. I say this because there could be 8 wires connected to it.

I do also have a socket module like that which accepts a standard BT phone plug 431A. It only allows 6 wires to be connected to it. The one I have is not a master, but there may be a master version.

I would first of all find what the socket is connected to. In theory it should be a master socket.

The first 2 faceplate images you posted are of a RJ45 Module on a metal face plate, which is mostly used for either combined phone / data, data or LAN, but looking at the back image it looks more like Ethernet (i.e. LAN).

Either way that is not a master socket, if its used for a DSL connection then it will "most probably" be fitted to the master socket some place else.

It might also be used for an internal LAN using Cat cable.
Try and find where it leads to.

This is an image of a NTE5A Master Socket with all its fate plates.

Paul

It's definitely a 431A. I plug my ISP's supplied microfilter in to the face plate which splits the line into standard phone and RJ45 sockets.

As has been discussed, the master could well be in a bank of them in the utility room.

Converting one of your two sockets to a master will not help, and could well make things worse, as having two master sockets is not recommended.

Do you use both your sockets, and if so what is connected to each and are you using dangly filters in them?

In these housing developments often the master is in a central location. So my flat for example is top floor, on the ground floor is a utility cupboard with 4 electric meters and below it 4 BT master sockets which are caged up.

My flat and another have had their wiring cut, and the master down there bypassed. So my flat has a master internally but two others do not.

I feel like yours is going to be a similar setup.

Very common, as is the case in my flat the wiring runs from the master socket alongside the electrical wiring in the walls upto my flat. The issue running alongside the home electrical wiring is it causes a noisy unstable line.

In my flat the phone wiring alongside the electrical wiring failed the BT tests. Myself and the other line which bypasses the master downstairs have had our wiring rerouted up the staircase. No issues now.

I am tipping your issues are internal wiring running alongside all the electrical wiring. Like here we had 4 flats of electrical wiring and then the BT cabling wrapping around this. Imagine the interference of 4 homes electrical wiring... you mentioned yours is 20 so it could be much worse.

I would have a look around your whole building for a central location of masters.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Sun 07-May-17 21:36:34)

+1

It's a while since we had this sort of case, but I do remember this sort of thing. Possibly including your experience at the time.

Thanks everyone that is so helpful. My last reply was posted before I saw @Paul's reply so sorry about that Paul. I'm starting to get a better understanding. I thought I knew what a master socket looked like until I saw those Chrome ones on Amazon. Now I'm thinking there's more than one kind.

I have access to the distribution point in the utility room so I'll go and have a look. @RobertOs I just use one of the sockets at any time, I don't even plug in a phone. This afternoon I moved the router to the other socket to see if things improve. My router is connected to a micro-filter which is connected to the face plate. I get a good solid phone tone if I connect a test phone.

@UKHardy07 It feels like you're correct. I had disconnects in my last apartment which were resolved by bypassing the internal wiring and that was a new apartment so I expected the wiring to be good.

The cable behind my face plate has six wires, three are white and wired to one side of the face plate connector, the other three are green, blue and orange wired to the other side of the connector. The connector itself has slots for eight wires, two slots are empty.

I will forget about changing the face plate then as it seems it may make matters worse.

EDIT:

Okay here's a couple of photos of the distribution point...

Distribution point

...and again

And one Master socket with nothing connected in the foyer...

Master Socket

That is absolutely everything. Anything else is locked away and I can't get access.

Edited by deleted (Sun 07-May-17 22:16:09)

Are you able to remove the lower part of the master socket to reveal the socket behind?

If so, how good is your broadband connection if you connect your router to this internal socket?

In reply to a post by Michael_Chare:

Are you able to remove the lower part of the master socket to reveal the socket behind?

If so, how good is your broadband connection if you connect your router to this internal socket?

That wouldn't help due to the OP said its outside their home (i.e. its in the foyer)

Paul

I can't remove the face plate to the master socket in the foyer no, sadly. It would also be difficult to test because my disconnections come and go. I'd have to sit in the foyer all day with a laptop

I haven't had any problems this afternoon since I moved the router to the other socket so I'm hoping it was interference on the first socket's wiring somewhere.