Will BT fit a master box?

Was round at someone'e house last night who already has 512k broadband but want to go onto a faster package.
There does not appear to be a master socket, but in a cupboard next to the front door, a shielded cable comes into to one side of a box like this.

From this box, 1 cable runs in 1 direct and appears to join 4 extensions linked in a 'daisychain' style and another cable runs to a single extension box in a bed room.

I told them I wasn't sure about how their internal wiring might affect an up to 8Mb service.

I wondered if BT would fit a master socket into this house free of charge considering the apparent age of the exisiting setup?

Not unless the box was faulty and interfering with the phone service (not ADSL). Your friend can always connect their ADSL modem to the master socket with the extensions connected, to see if that improves their sync speed. A new socket on its own is unlkely to change anything from an ADSL point of view, but it would enable a filtered faceplate to be fitted. BT will charge to do this, unless the old box is faulty.

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Your friend can always connect their ADSL modem to the master socket with the extensions connected,

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They haven't got a master socket!

Quite, lol.

I don't know if BT'll do it free of charge but didn't they do a rationalisation service for around 25GBP? I either read that while lurking here or on some other forum.

I get 8meg on an arrangement like that. It seems to work best if the modem is plugged into the master socket, but they will have to find out which one it is by looking inside them all. All the ring wires will have to be disconnected. A new master may not be required.

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They haven't got a master socket!

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Did you check them all for capacitors ?

I don't think the pure definition of a master socket is one that contains a capacitor, isn't it also (primarily sometimes) where a user can disconnect his extensions and or fit a clarity faceplate without pulling legacy wiring out of little terminals.

Hence the OP's assertion that he doesn't have a master socket (for the purposes of disconnecting his extensions)

Master sockets have capacitors.

NTE5 lineboxes have the removable faceplate for connecting extensions.

NTE5 lineboxes also have capacitors and hence are master sockets.

Therefore Aristotle is a carrot

LOL

I'm referring to a master as a box with a removable faceplate!

They don't have any but am willing to believe that one of the five could have a capacitor. Will see how works when they migrate over and contact BT if need be.

So should all sockets with capacitors be master sockets? Apparently not though, speaking to the engineer who shifted our line, he advised us that extension sockets can (and do) contain capacitors therefore I believe your first premise is correct but its converse is not.

As existance of capacitor is not the criterion for being a master socket, Socrates is a turnip.