New House - Bizare Wiring - Master Socket - Cant figure it out

[#1]

Hi

I have bought a new house and I cannot for the life of me figure out what on earth is going on with the master socket. It's 100% the master as there are no other sockets in the house but there is no wiring hooked up to the front plate, instead it just has a long telephone wire coming down from the socket that has no hole for it (kinda like when you run a wire out your front door when mowing the lawn - it looks awful) can anyone figure out what on earth is going on here? I've lived in 5 properties and this is the first I've bought and not once have I seen wiring like this. Again, I must emphasise there is NO wiring attached to the front plate when you take out the screws. So I'm presuming if I were to hook a phone wire into it or a filter it would be dead.

I mean seriously what am I supposed to do with essentially the end of a telephone wire (male) coming out of a master socket?!?! What am I supposed to stick that into?!?!

I can't see where you can update photos directly here so I'll link here - https://www.reddit.com/user/snapeisthename/comments/pqfr07/master_socket/?utm_medium=android_app&utm...

[#2]

@Lukeuk Welcome to the forums. Can you trace that wire back to its source - it looks to me to be the incoming wire from the outside - there should be another small box at the point in enters your house. Can you take a photo with the front plate removed?

BTW - to post an image direct to the forum, click the 'mountain' image above this text box - assuming you are not using a mobile phone to make the post. If you are using a mobile, try requesting the desktop site.

[#3]

@Lukeuk 

It sounds like the wires are connected to the rear terminals of the Master socket. These should be reserved for the incoming connections only.

The best scenario will be if you can't get the contracted Internet speed with this bodge as then Plusnet will send an Openeach technician around who with tea and choccy biscuits would no doubt sort it for you.

Notwithstanding that the proper procedure is to get Plusnet to get Openreach out to fix it. This will cost you, I thinnk, £160. If you look at a local trade directory you might find a local telecoms engineer who will sort it for you cheaper.

You're not supposed to touch the incoming telephone cable upstream of the test socket but if you are a competent DIYer and understand how to hot wire elctrical circuits then new VDSL Master sockets are available from the likes of Amazon.

What can be said about the bodge you have now? It might be prudent to also have your electrical wiring carefully checked!

[#4]

@Lukeuk 

I believe the Forum bans photos being posted by new members. I think you need 2 or 3 posts before you're allowed.

As said previosuly we need to see behind the front plate.

Brian

[#5]

It sounds like the wires are connected to the rear terminals of the Master socket.

but why would you wire an RJ45 to the incoming pair ? The master socket looks pretty grim and maybe faulty, but if you were wiring directly to plug in a router then you'd need an RJ11 plug. The RJ45 is not going to fit into the DSL port of the router

[#6]

Hi @Lukeuk,

Are you planning on transferring your Plusnet services over to this new property? If you are, we can look at our options when it comes to resolving any connection issues there may be, however if you're taking out services with another provider then you would need to discuss that further with them. 

[#7]

@Lukeuk 

Is this NTE5a on an internal or exterior wall? NTE5a are best replaced where VDSL is supplied.

Do you get a dial tone if you connect a phone?

Could it be the RJ45 cable be a ethernet cable to another part of the house?

Until the front of the NTE5 is removed it is just pure speculation what the setup is.

Dan.

[#8]

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@MisterW wrote:

It sounds like the wires are connected to the rear terminals of the Master socket.

but why would you wire an RJ45 to the incoming pair ?

---

I agree that there is no logical reason. But are ignorant bodgers logical?

I can't think of any other explanation. It clearly needs to be carefully taken apart by someone who's competent to see what's going on.

[#9]

Hi all thanks you for all your comments.

I can tell that by your reactions you are as perplexed as I am! Very odd.

The one bit of clarification I can add that I wasn't clear enough on, this is not a Ethernet cable (aka rj45) coming out of the master socket, it's too thin. It's the connector that would usually go into the front of a conventional master socket.

Now... I know some of you have been asking to see the face plate, but to clarify I thought that was what I had done? The face plate (the bit I took off) has no wires connected to it.

I agree, this needs an open reach technician to get it back to normal.

I wouldn't be able to get Internet on this without a special adapter as people have already pointed out this wouldn't fit Into a router in any way Shape or form. It's not a adsl lead and it's not an Ethernet lead it's the thin lead that would normally plug into the master socket but with thick wiring that would normally be associated with Ethernet wiring.

As said in the orginal post, there is no device the connector coming out of the wall on a long cable would fit into.

I just don't think it's fair that I move into a house and this was all covered up.when I viewed it to find I have to pay a technician to fix this freak show of a wiring.

[#10]

Hi John

I'm sorry I really don't understand what you mean by front plate, I thought that's what I had done? I took out the front screws of what I thought is the front plate.

I can't trace the wire beyond the socket sadly, it's fixed into there with something...

[#11]

So this is the really weird thing, it's the wrong end of the RJ11 plug aka the bt the bt plug that can be seen on the photos. If it was the rj11 end coming out that would plug into the adsl port of the router it would make a little more sense but this makes no sense at all as this connection is totally useless, its ugly, and I want to get a big pair of scissors and cut the wire off to be honest!

The issue I have is, I want an open reach technician to come out before I move in to sort this but when you go onto open reach website it says you have to get your provider to contact them... the issue I have is currently I am with plusnet at my current address but they have removed the TV services they used to offer so any new address with the messed up master socket I probably wouldn't be staying with PN so the next cheapest provider for broadband and TV is virgin for me and virgin don't run on the openreach network so virgin wouldn't be able to contact open reach. I have no idea how to get open reach out.

[#12]

@Lukeuk 

When you remove both screws you should be able to ease the front plate off the box. It should only be plugged into what's known as the Test socket.

Brian

[#13]

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@Lukeuk wrote:
Hi John

I'm sorry I really don't understand what you mean by front plate, I thought that's what I had done? I took out the front screws of what I thought is the front plate.

I can't trace the wire beyond the socket sadly, it's fixed into there with something...

---

What I meant by 'trace the wire' is follow it back from the socket to its other end - there must be one.

[#14]

@Lukeuk 

I've been seaching for a decent photo but this might do instead.

In the middle top picture you'll see the Test socket on the right hand side.

On the outside of your property is there anything at the point where the Master socket is.

Brian

[#15]

The other end us show in the photo link John... theres only that end and the other end is in the master socket