How to trace BT grey distribution box cabling?

Hi all,

Hope this is the right place....

One of my customers is getting a lousy ADSL sync, and we're virtually certain that it's due to poor cabling between the ADSL socket and the distribution point (it's an office with multiple incoming lines). We think the ADSL signal at the end of BT's repsonsibility is fine, we think it's poor internal cabling.

The pair leaving the ADSL socket seems to go to a grey distibution point along the corridor, and this then goes to another distribution box in a separate building. The buildings are liked by a duct., with a cable distance of 62 meters.

What I want to do is move the ADSL modem to the other building, beside where the lines enter the site, and then hook into Cat 5 through the duct to a 16 port switch. The Cat 5 is already in place. I'd then remove the ADSL socket in the office, since the ADL will now terminate where the lines enter the building.

All well and good...except.....how the heck do i dentify the right pair in the distribution box? There seems to be about 8 cables entering the distribution box, though only one looks to be external (a black, 50 pair bundle). Trying to match cables by colour has proven fruitless.

What's the safest way to identify the correct pair? Will I blow the place up if I connect both ends together in the current ADSL socket and then use a continuity tester on all the connections in the distribution point? Will I blow myself up?

I've done plenty of BT cabling dabbling before but never with distribution points....especially with ones that look like they're 20 years old, and most of the telephone numbes writen on the distrubution box ports are now dead.

Thanks in advance.



Jim

I dont want to be rude, but if you need to ask such a question then you are not the right person for this job. You will get yourself in an unholy mess which will be expensive to put right.

I agree, plus it is likely that all of the cabling could still be the responsibility of BT.

Why not get BT to shift the line and master socket?

I agree, and this is what I'm trying to ascertain. If somebody had posted "do this, do that" then I'd have a go, but if there's no straightforward answer then I'm not going to dabble.

BT have confirmed that it's not their cabling, so they won't get involved withint lots of £££.



Jim

If not BT - there must be a maintenance contact or something for that cabling. Who normally manages the phone installation and moves?

Are there site records that say where the line comes in?

No. We can see the line coming in but it's a 50 pair bundle, direct into a rusting distrubution box. Real spaghetti. We know it's the right DP as a previous BT engineer visit identfied it, but (unhelpfully) the engineer didn't think to label it. So we have a DP with 6 groups of 12 pairs, some used and some not, all of which are anonymous.

I'll leave well alone....

Family business, work done on the cheap......maintenance contract?

Too far north for me until next month! Otherwise I could offer some "good rates".

It's flippin' cold up here too at the moment!

Thanks anyway. I'll suggest they try to find a "tame" BT engineer, there's a few floating around up here that are happy to do homers....



Jim

How far north are you? I know a few around in some parts.

With the right tools and equipment - borrowed from BT, a tech could trace the pair in a matter of minutes.

Provided the wiring is not BT's responsibility, then this will do the job.
Plug into the telephone socket at the far end, switch on and look for the tone on the appropriate pair in the DP.

Take care as you sometimes get pickup on other pairs.

You an probably find it cheaper, so look around.

Edited by Rockh (Tue 01-Dec-09 17:58:06)