ADSL and extension wiring

My mother has recently had her phone line broadband enabled but her ADSL modem is on an extension line and will not connect under any circumstances, unless it is plugged directly in to the test socket inside the master socket it. Then it works fine. Obviously something wrong with her internal wiring then, but what?? All her phones still work and they all ring.

What are the connection stats, from the modem/router, when it's plugged into the master test socket?

Have you checked the obvious (there's a micro-filter in every single 'phone socket that has something plugged in)?
Maybe remove the ring wire (3) and the spare wire (4) if they're connected in the master, and the extension socket(s).

If it's a very long line, then problems on the internal wiring could push it over the edge.

The simplest solution would be to buy an ADSL face-plate/splitter, fit it to the master socket, and connect the modem there. If the modem (or router) cannot go next to the master socket, wire a CAT5 cable to extend it.

All the sockets with phone equipment have microfilters. She has even unplugged all other phones and tried that with no luck. The fourth wire isn't connected but we haven't tried disconnecting the bell wire yet. Unfortunately neither of my parents are technically minded and I am 250 miles away so getting the modem stats is going to be difficult! Putting the modem next to the master socket is not an option as the master socket is over the kitchen sink (very old house). The faceplate filter and cat 5 might be the way to go but again running the cable might cause problems (the old house thing again, very thick stone walls). Would it be possible to maybe run a short length of cat 5 to a wireless router or similar set up?

Thanks for all replies.

If the walls are thick, you will almost certainly have problems with wireless. I tried wireless in my 1900's farmhouse which has solid brick walls, and in the end I gave up and ran Cat5 everywhere. I'm quite clued up, and I struggled to keep it going. I suspect your parents would have no chance at all in keeping it working. A faceplate filter is the way to go. Consider getting DECT phones for them, to cut down on the number of extensions they need.

The only time I have encountered this total failure to connect (three times in all) is where there was a filter somewhere between the main socket and the modem.

This is only likely to occur if your mum had recently moved to the house and the previous owner had ADSL - so ignore the rest of the post is this is not the case.

In two of the cases the main socket had a filtered face plate fitted - easily identifiable because it had one phone socket and one ADSL (RJ11 modem type) socket. In each case the owner was not aware of the significance of this and was plugging their router into a phone extension elsewhere in the house. As a filtered face plate filters out the ADSL signal on all extensions except the main socket, their modems were failing to synch.

I know you are saying you can connect the modem to the back test socket, but was there perchance an ADSL socket on the face plate as well and had you tried connecting through that?

If so, the faceplate filter will be blocking the ADSL signal to all the extensions and you would have to replace it with a normal phone face plate with microfilters on all other extensions that do not need ADSL.

The other instance was more difficult to track down. The line had a "plug in" extension cable that ran from a socket doubler on the main socket in the hall. It disappeared under the floorboards. There were two "flying lead" type sockets elsewhere on the ground floor, one popped up behind the telly for the Sky digibox and the other behind a desk in the same room. Very DIY!

On lifting the floorboards behind the telly I found the other end of the plug-in extension from the hall. Into this had been plugged a microfilter. Two extension leads were plugged into another socket doubler on the phone side of the filter. One went to the digibox the other obviously went to the one behind the desk.

The friend who was having the problem only used a laptop so as a short term solution we simply put his wireless router behind the telly and running the modem cable to the ADSL side of the filter that was under the floorboards leaving the two phones still filtered - including the one next to the desk where he had tried plugging in his router. I gather he has since had his extensions rewired properly!

In reply to:

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In two of the cases the main socket had a filtered face plate fitted - easily identifiable because it had one phone socket and one ADSL (RJ11 modem type) socket. In each case the owner was not aware of the significance of this and was plugging their router into a phone extension elsewhere in the house. As a filtered face plate filters out the ADSL signal on all extensions except the main socket, their modems were failing to synch.

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I'm sorry, but that's not strictly true. Filtered faceplates have two sets of IDC connectors on the back - one set for phone extensions, and one set for ADSL connections.

Edited by deleted (Mon 02-Oct-06 13:18:49)

In reply to:

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I'm sorry, but that's not strictly true. Filtered faceplates have two sets of IDC connectors on the back - one set for phone extensions, and one set for ADSL connections.

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I'm sorry, but that's not strictly true. Some filtered faceplates have two sets of terminals, but the ones installed by BT (the original, unmodified versions) do not.

Ok thanks guys. Walls are two feet thick yorkshire stone, I don't think I'll bother with the wireless option. The master socket wasn't of the filtered type but I can get her to check for microfilters elswhere. Looks like I'm going to have to go the cat 5 route.

Yeah, I was aware that some companies such as ADSL Nation sell faceplates with filtered and unfiltered terminals, but they are rare, are not fitted by BT, and would have complicated further an already complicated post!

Edited by deleted (Mon 02-Oct-06 18:57:50)

My reply was to Zebedeee who clearly didn't know that...