No dial tone, 'fibre' socket...

Apologies if this is not the right place to post my query...

For the past few days I've had no phone dial tone, with no change in setup or connections that might explain a new fault. I've tried connecting an old phone in the same socket with no improvement.

I've reported this to TalkTalk and, following their own remote line checks, have been told that I'll need to book an engineer appointment. They haven't mentioned the £65 call-out charge that's in the small print on the website.

I have a fibre internet connection (FTTC) which is working as normal, however, according to the TalkTalk site, I no longer have an accessible test socket behind the fibre faceplate - is this correct? It looks like it can be unscrewed to allow me to check my phone in the test socket - mine looks identical to this one: http://www.coton-park-broadband.co.uk/uploads/images...

Thanks in advance, Sarah.

Yes the test socket is behind the lower faceplate. Thee is another one behind that too, see http://coolwebhome.co.uk/faceplate/images/test-socke...

Thanks, Batboy - I'll try it in the morning.

I don't quite agree with BatBoy on this.

True, there is a socket available once you remove the lower faceplate, and that does carry the phone signal. It doesn't carry the broadband signal as that "interstitial" faceplate contains a built-in filter.

As such, it is worth seeing if your phone works in it, but if it doesn't then you need also to gently remove that interstitial faceplate. The true test socket is the one that plugs into and you need to try that.

Has your FTTC speed dropped dramatically by any chance? If it has then that normally means that one wire of the pair in your line has become disconnected.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Has your FTTC speed dropped dramatically by any chance? If it has then that normally means that one wire of the pair in your line has become disconnected.

It hasn't, certainly not dramatically so...

...it is worth seeing if your phone works in it, but if it doesn't then you need also to gently remove that interstitial faceplate. The true test socket is the one that plugs into and you need to try that.

I see what you mean from the picture BatBoy linked to. If the line still isn't working for the socket with the interstitial plate still in place, how awkward is it to remove that too, particularly when I don't want to affect any of the wiring? It's still feasible if I'm gentle enough?

The extension wiring is attached to the lower one that comes off first. The two screws you remove to take that off are long ones going right through to the backplate, holding all three parts together.

The interstitial plate simply unplugs from the test socket. There is a small chance it does have two wires attached at the top left. Careful if there are - they are feeding an unfiltered extension.

Hello,
There could be could few things thing towards this,
1. Fault on line from cabinet's
2. Fault from exchange to cabinet
3.TalkTalk error
4.Fault in exchange
5.No line from exchange to cabinet for telephone (been used for someone else)
(Broadband comes from VDSL/FTTC Cabinet and Telephone service comes from exchange)

Make sure you have good grounds for a fault, had really bad lines here in the past but now on FTTP and TalkTalk saw the disconnects that where happening all the time, sent an engineer on a good day, and no fault found, charged £65 for the privilege, wouldn't even refund me it, so they are never having my custom again.

So I've tested the phone at a neighbour's house - working fine...

I've removed the faceplates, presumably back to the test socket (I'd be grateful for confirmation: http://imgur.com/a/MnyZO), tested two phones and two cables - still nothing.

Does this suggest/confirm that it's nothing inside the house and that I should arrange for an engineer to come?

As a seemingly dubious aside, my dad has now said that a friend tried to call from Australia before he noticed the line wasn't working, leaving only a garbled message that he couldn't 'turn it off'. We don't have his number, presumably a mobile, to check.

It couldn't be something like an uncancelled call that would disable our line for three days, could it?

In reply to a post by Gal12:

It couldn't be something like an uncancelled call that would disable our line for three days, could it?

That is possible - it is a method used by scammers "please call your bank on xxxxxxxx" they do not hang up, you do then make a new call, however the line is not cleared.

After three days though, I would have expected it to clear. Try talking that through with your voice provider. They can force a line clear ...

BT�s network will wait between 2 and 3 minutes before initiating call clearing.

In reply to a post by MHC:

After three days though, I would have expected it to clear.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

BT�s network will wait between 2 and 3 minutes before initiating call clearing.

I would have expected the same, just a nagging doubt that it might just have been possible.

That can be overridden and there are instances where it fails to do so too.

Which bit of BT? It's a TalkTalk line.

As far as you can discern, have I done as much as I can to rule out an internal fault? I've been able to test the 'proper' test socket with no change in the line - there's nothing more I can do, is there?

UPDATE: just been back on to TT who have stated that it's a fault in the 'copper joint' and therefore not an internal fault.

Thanks for your combined wisdom!

Edited by Gal12 (Fri 08-Jul-16 19:30:53)

Definitely not your responsibility if the test socket doesn't give a dial tone.

My guess, if the OP ever finds out, dis in the cab.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Has your FTTC speed dropped dramatically by any chance? If it has then that normally means that one wire of the pair in your line has become disconnected.

Just trying to fix this exact same issue.
Speed dropped from 38mb down to a now consistent 5.8mb.
Removed all additional sockets, just been checking wiring at master socket, all seems good. Then I found an internal connector block used for connecting external to internal cable and wires 1 and 2 seem to be corroded.
A BT opener each engineer is booked (through talk talk) but if I can avoid the hassle, I'll try to resolve it myself.
Seeing the above statement about speeds dropping if only one wire connected makes sense.
I can't work out how to post pictures on here, but I've got a couple of pics of the offending connector (I believe).
I'll see if I can link from another forum.

[img]http://www.disco3.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/1174...[/img]

This is closer in
[img]http://www.disco3.co.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/1174...[/img]

Edited by deleted (Wed 13-Jul-16 17:16:55)

Yep, the printed circuit board on the back of that BT78 block will be corroded to buggery.

DO NOT attempt to repair yourself, let the engineer do it. Balls it up yourself and you'll get a hefty bill.

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

BT�s network will wait between 2 and 3 minutes before initiating call clearing.

BTs network will clear calls in a couple of seconds now.

It used to be 2-3 minutes but was reduced to 10 seconds in 2014 and 2 seconds in 2015 in order to combat scammers.

Other network providers have also reduced the amount of time they wait before clearing a call.

makes me wonder where that is located ... or what has been split on it!

Corrosion of that sort should not normally happen.

An update: Two weeks later (!), an Openreach engineer has just confirmed that it's a fault underground that will require a different type of engineer to come out and fix.

My latest best guess is that it's related work that's been done from time to time to try fix a short section of road that keeps flooding...