Where's my master socket?

Was delighted to find yesterday, on a random check of the BT site, that we've been fitted for Inifinity. First thing this morning I booked us in for the upgrade.
I know that the equipment will need to be connected to the master socket, so I'm trying to work out which one that is. Is there any way of telling externally? We live in a three-storey house, and there are sockets in at least three different rooms on the ground and first floor (and I'm not sure there's not more, we have three in the living room at various points...)
Anyway, at present we have the home hub running in the living room (1st floor) so that I can run an Ethernet cable to my Xbox. I do have a wireless adapter, so if I need to move the equipment down to the kitchen (ground floor) it's no big deal, but I'm just wondering which one it'll be, especially as my wife's office is in the top floor and I don't think she'll be impressed if she ends up with a worse signal for her work computer just so I can play games that bit faster
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Hi
   There are a couple of different types of master sockets here is a link to help you identify which one you have http://www.thinkbroadband.com/tools/phone-socket-comparison.html  . Hope that works for you.
Edit: I guess it may be the NTE5 but you could also have the old style ADSL V1 dual socket (I know I had the adsl one for many years before I upgraded to Infinity)  
Also the OR engineer can convert most sockets to a master socket so I guess you can choose were you want it to go.  
Hope this information is useful to you.
Edit :  Also if you follow the BT line from outside and see where on the outside wall it goes into your house there's a good chance you could match it to the socket on that wall maybe. 

Similar Messages

  • New infinity install with a master socket move - w...

    As I understand it, Infinity requires a modem plugged in directly to the master socket & a power point adjacent also. This is of no use to me at all & I would like the master socket moved. Now, from what I read here, BT will do this "officially" for £130, or on an infinity install, the openreach engineer *might/should* do it if it is straightforward.
    I plan to run cat 5e cable from the master socket location, up a cable run we have in the property to the new location where I want the master socket to be located, leaving both ends unconnected. Then it should be simple enough for the engineer to connect at each end and then carry on working from the new master socket location. Maybe they could even use the second pair in the cat 5e to reconnect the original set of phone sockets we have around the house that are currently connected from the existing master socket.
    Could someone advise please...
    1. Is cat 5e cable the correct cable to use?
    2. Does my plan sound viable? Is it technically correct?
    3. Could the second pair in the cat 5e be used in the way I have described? Thanks in advance.

    Thanks for the reply & welcome Michael.
    Some subsidiary questions then please.
    1. Should I run a different sort of cable other than 5e? If so, what would be the correct type?
    2. Your very helpful diagram suggests that BT would surface run up to 30m from the Master Socket to the modem. My cable run would be much less than this. Would I be better to run cable myself (in my cable run) to be used as the connection from the master socket to the modem? If so, what sort of cable should it be please & does it need to have a connecting plug on the end of it (where it plugs into the master socket) or will the OpenReach engineer fit this him/herself. I guess if they surface run cable they will be able to attach the plugs on the end of the cable. What sort of connection is it?
    Thanks for you time - and for anyone else's who replies.
    I should also say I am not bothered if the Master Socket is moved, AS LONG as the modem & router (home hub) are NOT located adjacent to the current position of the Master Socket. I estimate the direct cable run required if I run the cable will be no,more than 15 metres.

  • BT Infinity 2 and Master Socket.

    Hello all. We ordered our BT infinity 2 and telephone line and they said the engineer will be coming on the 13th to set things up. After looking through the installation of BT infinity I found out that it has to be connected to a master socket. This is my problem.
    My master socket is located right next to my main door and there is an extention socket in my bedroom. Can I have the master socket moved during installation ? Having a bt hub where you keep your shoes looks odd. Will the engineer relocate the master socket or change the extention socket into a a master socket or I shouldn't be expecting anything ?

    Reading through some of the posts, a lot of the installation depends on whether you get a decent engineer, luckily I did.
    My master socket was in a downstairs room and my study / office is in the room right above it. I explained to the engineer what I wanted / needed. He was a bit hesitant as he said it meant him having to drill through an external wall, No it won't as I already have a hole that talkes an extension from the master to the study, right easy he says he could convert the extension to the master and make the old master socket the extension. Great, cup of tea and a few hob nobs later job done.
    If the engineer can not do what mine did he should fit a 30m extension lead to the master socket and you can plug the hoem hub to this, my understanding is that the extension cable is pinned to skirting or wall they will not lay kit under carpet.
    Good luck
    Sholtie

  • "Master socket or lack of"

    Ok trying to trce the phone lines
    black drop line comes into the house via a door frame somewhere near the bottom of the door frame on the iside a white cable exits and on the end of this after a pass under the floor the cable ends at what looks like a BT master - single piece like an extension , cap inside and BT trumpeter logo however nothing its connected to it. My partner seems to think there is an old GPO box in the door frame!
    there is an extension box on the oter side of the wall from the incoming wire which has a further extension bodged into it and on the end is the BT home hub and Vision box the phone works off the home hub
    is it worth getting an eingineer in to sort it out a the master has clearly been stuck on a patched wire and the whole thing has been bodged and patched by previous occupant
    Broadband is down to 1.something to a max of 3Kbps as for phone we dont have any hard wired phones to check the line.
    are we liable for any charges for getting it sorted or likley to be fined for the messing about with the drop wire?
    Sean

    seanlyon wrote:
    OK further investigation black drop wire goes into the door frame and caught in behind the standard for the door is a small white junction box, from that emerges 2 white  wires, one presumably goes to the small single piece master socket, the other goes to what looks like a cheap DIY shed extension box from which comes a further extension under the floors to where the BThub is plugged, As the hub hasnt been attached to a "master" (the extension has no capacitor or anything in it) will this be contributing to the braodband speed drop off and vision not working.
    As i said in OP no phones connected to the sockets so cant really test the line with a handset.
    whats the best way to configure the set up for best quality
    Hi
    The socket that you think is the master is it possible for you to plug the Home hub into that? ensure that there is nothing else plugged into the other sockets, goto www.speedtester.bt.com and run a speed test.
    I know you say that you do not have a corded phone to test the line but to ensure that you do not have a noisy line which (would cause speed issues) can you not beg/steal or borrow one?
    (If I have helped you in any way to say "Thank You" please click on the star next to the message. Thank You)
    If I have solved your Issue please click the "Mark as accepted solution" button.

  • Another question (master socket)

    Sorry for another question, but this is a forum after all .
    Tomorrow all being well I should receive my welcome pack and business hub and on Friday I should receive Infinity, however I need something answered before the installation begins on Friday.
    When I moved in my master socket, well, it had no faceplate on the bottom half (just a test socket basically) so I got myself one of those ADSLNation faceplate things which fit to the bottom half of the master socket and work as a filter. My question is:
    - Should I remove the ADSLNation faceplate, use a standard micro-filter instead and explain to the engineer (if he queries it) that when I moved in there was no faceplate on the lower half of the master socket?
    ... or ...
    - Should I leave it as it is with the ADSLNation faceplate on the front (screws don't properly fit either so I didn't bother with screws for that)?
    Just concerned that if I appear to have used the ADSLNation (in other words not official BT faceplate) instead of an official BT one then the engineer might make a fuss or something?
    Many thanks.

    I see. Thanks for the clarification everyone.
    I'll either take it off before Friday morning and use a normal micro-filter, so that it has no opportunity to go missing with the engineer, or if I decide to leave it there I'll make sure the engineer doesn't take it with him (as it doesn't belong to him after all, since I purchased that from ADSLNation and may at some point in the future need it again, e.g. if I moved years later to a location where Infinity isn't currently supported).

  • Want to upgrade to Infinity but need master socket...

    Our master socket is under the stairs, which will mean that it will soon be at the back of a cupboard so we need it moved so that it is in the living room where our router is.  We have had problems for several months now with our Hub 3 constantly dropping the internet connection with BT and am hoping that once socket is moved, upgrading will be a worthwhile option.   We have been all round the website and can't find out if/how we can get somebody out to do this. 

    Hi Katzz,
    Thanks for posting. If you want to move the master socket it's called an internal shift which carries a charge of £130. You might want to consider powerline adaptors as an alternative. Let me know what you think.
    Cheers
    David
    BTCare Community Mod
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  • Request to resite Master socket-using external wir...

    Sorry its a similar post, however these are my specific questions.
    Engr coming this friday to install BT Infinty fibre service.Modem due tomorrow and Engr brings Router(I think).
    My current layout is copper cable to house via BT Pole,to front of house first floor,then cable run down wall to lounge bay  window and master socket is installed underneath/adjacent to bay window.(no power socket available nearby).
    Lounge, hall, stairs and landing all recently replastered and redecorated.Yes I know I should had this lot installed first!
    I will not accept Cat5 cable extension from downstairs to upstairs (clipped against skirting etc)and also fitting of a  new twin socket outlet in the lounge.
    We have a study at the rear of the house first floor where PC is installed with current Router, and sufficient sockets.
    Will the nice Open Reach Engr consider the following,
    1. reuse the copper wire to the house and cleat the cable run towards the rear of the property.
    2. If the cable is not long enough, can he joint it-or is this a no no!(outside)
    3. If 2 is not possible would he consider renewing the copper cable from pole and run it to my study(outside wall).
    4. Will he drill through mortar/brick wall to gain access to study to run cable inside for less than 1 metre?
    5. If he is not willing to do 4-Could I drill the hole for him!
    I promise to make him unlimited tea/coffee, foot his ladder and buy loads of cake and biscuits.
    If I am "kidding myself" please tell me!
    Many thanks for any advice,
    Regards
    Graham
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    graham6520 wrote:
    Hi,
    Many thanks for swift reply.
    1. I have three sockets in the study with PC-so power sockets are not the issue!
    2. I do have one"aftermarket non BT" phone socket in the study where the router/modem is currently connected to this socket. This socket is at the end of a "serial phone circuit"(ie master socket in lounge to phone in lounge to phone in kitchen then upstairs to study!).I know this route sounds long and "iffy" but its good quality cable and properly "terminated".I have had no problems whatsoever in 20 years re phone REN etc.Last time a BT Engr was at the property was summer this year and my download speed was 1.9mbps at the master socket and I asked him to test speed at the"end of my phone wiring in the study(where the router is plugged) and he confirmed same 1.9 mbps.
    From this I deduced no loss on my DIY wiring!-I could be wrong-I am a novice!
    the wiring will not be suitable for a master but the engineer will run a new cable then use the existing wiring just for phones
    3. If the installer could just fit a master phone socket to replace my DIY existing socket in the Study, that would be fantastic and so easy! not possible
    4. Please forgive my ignorance re your item 3 below, can you clarify or simplify ie does the router and modem"sit next to each other" and can they both reside in the study(if the installer can fit a master socket in the study).
     master connects to modem, then modem to router, you can extend any of the cables that connect them though the best one would be modem to router as you can buy suitable cables in upto 100m length
    I will be very grateful for a further update from you and other experts, this upgrade is really important to me, I am at home having lost my job through ill health 2 years ago and don't think I am well enough to drill a hole through the outside wall on a ladder with vertigo!-unless the installer refuses to drill the wall. I don't think my wife would sign off the risk assessment for me to do it! could always drill from inside, i always do, more important to have it in the right place on the inside than outside
    Thanks once again,
    Graham

  • Is it possible to re-locate my master socket for i...

    I want to get BT infinity in my home but there are no power sockets near my master socket.
    My question is: Will it be possible to re-locate my master phone socket to upstairs near where my current router is and where there is power sockets?

    Common misconception.
    You do not need power sockets next to your master socket.
    They will route a new Cat5 cable from the master socket upto 30metres away. Wherever you want your router is were you need power points.
    They can convert an existing extension into the master socket but that will all depend on the quality of the extension.
    The BT engineer that fits the extensions are VERY helpful and will suggest the best route for your connection.
    On the installation date, just ask, and you will usually get.
    If I helped, then consider clicking the star to the left

  • Master Socket Re-Location

    Now I know You can pay Open Reach to do this at a cost of about £130 but my question is;
    My master scocket is smack in the middle of my kitchen, you can imagine how annoying this is. I already have my open reach modem mounted on the wall of my kitchen and refuse to keep the Homehub there too.
    If I wish to have my master socket re-located to my office round the side of my house I need to lift a row of blocks from my driveway and pre-lay the cable. However I don’t want to go to all this trouble and expense just for the Open Reach man to turn up and go Ohhh mate you needed blue cable not grey...
    My questions are:
    ·         Is there someone I can contact without going round the houses (excuse the pun) to ask what cable to acquire and whether this is acceptable?
    ·         Shall I use standard phone cable or should I future proof it and lay Cat6?
    Thank You For your time.

    Thank you both for your sound advice and both are good comments.
    I favour the moving of the master socket as if I leave the OR modem where it is I still have to get the CAT5E/6 cable back into the middle of the kitchen.
    I have tried power-line adapters for the last leg but found them unreliable.
    If I move the whole shooting match I can just drill through the back of the phone socket in the study and the new cable can go from the outside junction box by the front door to the study socket. BT can then upgrade this to a filter socket.
    Thanks Lads for your advice, This has inspired me to get off my bum and get it done.

  • Charged for engineer callout - Master socket

    About a month or so ago I was having a problem with the phone line where the broadband was working fine but the phone line kept making a crackly noise...which got louder and more frequent until eventually after a few days you just couldn't hear anything on the phone so it became impossible to take a phone call.
    We tried disconnecting everything else from the master socket and couldn't figure out what the problem was so gave customer support a call who ran through every check they could and couldn't find anything wrong. Customer service suggested there may be something wrong with the equipment within the premises and that if there was an engineer sent out and they found the problem to be with our equipment then we would be liable for it and be charged for the callout. I was happy to have an engineer visit because i was sure that it wasn't anything that we had plugged in.
    So the engineer turns up and straight away determines that the master socket is at fault so I asked him if we would be charged for it and he assured me we wouldn't...after all its not our equipment.
    I've just now gone to check my account and I'm absolutely shocked to stumble upon a £129.99 charge for an engineer and i simply dont understand why I can be charged for equipment that BT/Openreach has installed..its not my equipment...how can it be may fault...we havent damaged it and we have no damp etc!!!!
    Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this....has this happened to anyone else?
    Thanks!
    Athique

    Hi Athiqueahmed,
    Thanks for the post and welcome to the forum.  I appreciate this charge was certainly a nasty shock.  I would be happy to look into why you have been charged for this visit.  I will be able to view the engineers report and we can take it from there.
    Can you please drop me an email?  Click on my username (SeanD) and you will find my contact link under the 'About me' section of my profile.  Once I have your details I can find out what is going on.
    Cheers
    Sean
    BTCare Community Manager
    If we have asked you to email us with your details, please make sure you are logged in to the forum, otherwise you will not be able to see our ‘Contact Us’ link within our profiles.
    We are sorry that we are unable to deal with service/account queries via the private message(PM) function so please don't PM your account info, we need to deal with this via our email account :-)

  • Master Socket Issue

    Would like to take up option of Infinity now it's available in my area, anything has to be an improvement on my current BT rate of 2 Meg.
    However the current master socket is in the hall and I want everything in the living room where it is now. I have read about the Master sockets issues and rang the Sales line last night and asked about moving the master socket.
    The operatives initial reaction was effectively "what's your problem have the modem and hub in your hall" - I don't want that , I don't have the space. The next solution is the data extension kit - again I don't want a lead running round 3 door frames to get to my living room. After putting me on hold for a while he came back with the princely sum of £205 to move my master socket. I asked him whether there was any possible movement on price - No.
    Anybody else hit this wall - I am pretty aggrieved having been loyal to BT Internet for many years, £205 is a joke.

    Do you have any phone extensions from your master socket that run into the room you want the modem?
    If so, then just tell the Engineer and he will move it for you, they don't charge, well didn't when I had Infinity installed.
    If I helped, then consider clicking the star to the left

  • Help needed please for master socket wiring

    I am renovating a house built in the 1970's which I shall be moving into shortly.
    My electrician has put in telephone sockets in two of the bedrooms but when he came to the master socket he found the builders had by mistake cut the wire too short so he could not make a connection.
    The master socket is in the hall low down on the wall and it looks as if the wire comes into the house underground.
    I have spent hours on the telephone trying to get the right person to speak to at BT who tells me I need to contact Open Reach as it is damage and when I eventually found a number to ring them they tell me it is BT's problem.
    In exasperation I telephoned the moving house line as none of the press button numbers seemed relevant.
    I just want a BT person to come and have a look to see what to do but they have told me that I need to give them a date for when I move and they will come and look then.  However, I need the builders to fill in the large hole in where the wire comes into the house so I can have a floor laid.
    Any help would be so much appreciated

    Hi Kh,
    Thank you for your post and welcome to the forum. If you would like a BT Engineer to go out and take a look at your line this can bee arranged when you place an order to activate the service. With the line being damaged by the builder, there will be a charge of around £127.99 to activate the service.
    If you need any help placing your order to activate the service, please drop me an email with any BT account details, along with the address details for you new property. My email address is [email protected]
    Thanks
    Paddy
    BTCare Community Mod
    If we have asked you to email us with your details, please make sure you are logged in to the forum, otherwise you will not be able to see our ‘Contact Us’ link within our profiles.
    We are sorry but we are unable to deal with service/account queries via the private message(PM) function so please don't PM your account info, we need to deal with this via our email account :-)

  • Can't remove faceplate on master socket

    One of the screws on my BT master socket faceplate just spins and spins and won't unscrew, so although I can unscrew one side the other side is still attached. I can pull it abut 1mm away from the backplate but that's it. If I pull hard then the backplate starts to flex away from the wall. I've tried screwing clockwise and anticlockwise, waggling the faceplate about but it won't unscrew.
    This isn't a problem right now but I'm sure one day I'll need to access the test socket behind there.
    Has this ever happenned to anyone before? Any tips on removing it? I obviously don't want to damage anything.

    Alfie25 wrote:
    Hello and thanks for the tips. What doesn't help is that the socket is only a couple of inches off floor level.
    The only bit of the backplate I can see is underneath the socket. I stuck a flat blade screwdriver in here which parted the faceplate from the backplate by about 1mm but that was it. On the sides of the box if I stick a flat blade screwdriver and turn it then it just pushes the backplate away from the wall. I've also tried sticking a screwdriver in the gap between the 2 sections of the front of the socket but again with no joy - DS, is this where you mean in your 1st post? Apply pressure here then try to unscrew?
    What I can't understand is if the brass insert is just spinning around inside the plastic moulding, why wont it just pull out? Or is the brass insert 'encased' in the plastic?
    Yes, that bit (between front plate and back plate)
    And yes, it is encased, so brute force may help it (and probably break this little piece of plastic)
    -+-No longer a forum member-+-

  • Re-wire to Master Socket as part of Infinity insta...

    The 15m cable from the point from where the BT cable enters my property to the Master Socket is at least 11 years old and follows an inconvenient and unsightly route.
    Would BT/Openreach alter the point of entry (by about 2m) and replace & re-route the internal cable as part of my forthcoming BT Infinity installation, or am I hoping for too much? I don't want the Master Socket relocated, just the cabling to it.
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    hi no they will normally only use another socket as a master or install up to a 30metre data cable any other rewiring would be chargeable
    If you want to say thanks for a helpful answer,please click on the Ratings star on the left-hand side If the reply answers your question then please mark as ’Mark as Accepted Solution’

  • Any way to get a free Master Socket fitted for OAP...

    My OAP mother has broadband in her home but gets low sync speeds and regular emails from BT about improving the speed.
    I believe that the cause might be that she seems to have no single master socket, but more than 1 with the capacitor in. I suspect she has a junction box in the loft where the cable enters and a star layout, plus some DIY extension work too.
    She is on a limited budget and I wondered if there is any way for BT to upgrade her to a modern master socket - ideally free or very low cost. I am happy to sort her extension wiring myself?

    It is unlikely that Openreach will change it for free as they do not change things if they are working however the star wiring willpossibly cause some problems the forum mods may be able to arrange something for you
    If you want to say thanks for a helpful answer,please click on the Ratings star on the left-hand side If the reply answers your question then please mark as ’Mark as Accepted Solution’

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