BT master socket question for broadband

My folks have broadband with John Lewis and the BB over the last few days has constantly been up and down from 18mbps to lest that 0.100 mbps.

After speaking with the support team and running a couple of line tests, they have found no issue. They have asked me to replace the filter and adsl cable, which will be done today. If after replacing these it makes no difference, John Lewis have said they will need to send an engineer out as it could be an issue with the master BT socket.

So my question/query is, the existing current BT master socket is probably 20 years+ old. So if the new filter and cable make no difference, is it just a case of installing a new socket?

If so, 1. Is easy to replace, as its so old? 2. If we do it ourselves will this have any impact with a possible future engineer coming out and looking?

Cheers.

1. You’d need some sort of crimping tool to do a good job.

2 possibly.. You’re not supposed to touch the back part of the socket.. It’s technically BT property.
You can take the front plate off though (if it’s a 2 piece socket to inspect inside /fit a new front plate etc. IIRC.

I wouldn’t mess with the BT side of it personally. If you’re confident there’s no wiring fault on your side leave it at that.
You won’t be charged for an engineer if it’s a BT issue anyway.

Can’t really answer your questions but I had a similar problem a couple of years ago and and Openreach engineer came out.

He spotted that the cable coming into my house was an old aluminium one. Replaced it and since then performance has surpassed the predicted speeds of my provider, so it may be worth getting the experts in.

3. It’s illegal.

DSL cable and filter is a total fob-off, JL should be sending Openreacharound out to replace the ancient NTE and probably the last mile.

The master socket belongs to Openreach (the part of BT that owns the wires) and is their responsibility. The customer is responsible for the wires on their side of the master, and shouldn’t interfere with it. If it’s faulty, Openreach will replace it at no cost to the customer.

The problem you may face is that if it’s not faulty, they’ll charge for the call out.

So connect the router direct to the master, with new cable, and make sure every phone extension has a filter somewhere between the master and the phone – ideally put the filter in the master and connect any extensions downstream of it.

Have they left the router switched on, even when they aren’t using it? Switching a router off will be seen by the monitoring systems in the exchange as a dropped connection due to feeding data too fast, so the connection will be slowed down. My MIL’s connection was slowed almost to a stop because she kept switching it off.

Leave it to OpenReach. They replaced our master socket (beware if it’s behind a cupboard, the two-socket with filter is v. bulky ~65mm + plugs) and remade the connection between the overhead cable and the house. It still wasn’t right so they checked the exchange and it hadn’t been connected to the new fibre cabinet properly. FOC

The router is left on 24/7 and they only have one master socket in the house with one telephone and router connected.

I remember something about it being the property of BT.

It does sound like a BT issue then.. As above it could be the ancient socket, a cable fault where it enters the house or an issue further upstream. I wouldn’t mess with it as you could end up with a bit of a can of worms and a bill to put it right.
Just get them to sent a BT wholesale engineer out.

Filters can go bad not very often but they can. Cheap fix by the isp so I get why they say do it first.
New sockets are not crimp on but push down at the back bit like a wago connecter.
It’s not your job to swap it it’s what you pay your isp for.

Cheers guys, I will leave it to John Lewis & BT to sort out. 🙂

We had ours replaced from the incoming overhead wire to a new master socket on Friday. There was a Mish mash of different old cables, junction boxes and extensions all points of possible failure.

Nice bloke, but shocking quality job. Couldn’t have put it in a more visible position around the front of the house and it fell off within 24 hours because he’d used too few clips and installed them upside down. I’m going to do a proper job myself, but that’s going to mean disconnecting the master socket to reduce the cable length. I know you’re not supposed to, but balls to it, I’m having at it anyway.

Get them back out to it if they’ve done a substandard job.

Get them back out to it if they’ve done a substandard job.

You’re right, that’s what I should do, but what with all the phonecalls then waiting on for their 1/2 day arrival window, it’s going to be simpler to just do it myself. I’ve got to do some pointing of the brickwork in the porch where it’s going to run anyway.

3. It’s illegal.

people love trotting out this urban myth. Be very interested in a link to the relevant law that would allegedly be broken 😂

people love trotting out this urban myth. Be very interested in a link to the relevant law that would allegedly be broken 😂

Hm. Seems you might be right, I can’t find it. I thought it was classed as tampering with the phone system, but any attempt to search for legislation is drowned out with mobile phone hits.

Nonetheless, it is still the demarcation point between BT / Openreach’s property (and therefore responsibility) and yours.

The new master sockets (Mk4 maybe?) don’t need any tools to install other than a Philips head screwdriver.

They’re worth fitting, especially if you can persuade an Openreach technician to let you nick one from their van. Otherwise about £20 on eBay.

You just put the wire in and clip the plastic cover down, which strips and connects it for you. Big advantage too is that you can choose which socket in the house to send the DSL connection to if you don’t want it at the master socket, and no filters needed anywhere.

I doubt you’d get thrown in the slammer lol.. But I think the most relevant thing is, is if you start tinkering with it and cock it up, they’d probably hit you with a hefty bill to fix it, whereas,as it stands it’s thier problem to fix and they can’t charge you for it.

EDIT, and theres nothing to say it is the socket, its just one possibility. it could be the phone line to the house is corroded/snapping, it could be something got disturbed in the street junction box during some other work or in the exchange – and thats something you really can’t diagnose, let alone fix yourself, so on balance unless its something really obvious and really simple, just leave it to them.

Replaced the non existent one in my sons house with an openreach mk4 one from amazon.

Nobody has been round to arrest either of me or my son….yet

JL are just guessing with regards to where the fault is. However, unplug the filter and phone and just plug the router directly into the socket. See if that fixes it. If so, you will still need to repair the filter to allow the phone to work but it will help rule out their equipment.

Also I may have missed it, but those speeds are with device plugged into the router and not with WiFi?