Intermittent connection

[skyiron34]

Hey guys ( thanks for reading and any help in advance (Y) )

I've been plugged into the test socket for over 2 years now and my phone extensions have always worked, a sky tier 2 team member told me that the phone extensions shouldn't work while plugged into the test socket and that this means the internal wiring is wired into the back of the master socket and not the front... which she said was illegal etc... and then went on to say that the internal wiring is a problem and is causing errors to build up on the line leading to the disconnections...


1st question, is it true that the phone extensions shouldn't be working because im plugged into the test socket ?

[Exdee]

Yes that's true. Quite knowledgeable for a Sky rep I must say..

What you need to do is separate all the extension wiring from the main line. Only the main BT wire should be connected to the back of the test socket. All extensions should be connected to the faceplate.

[timc]

Any phone extensions should be connected to the IDC connections on the face plate so when the router is connected to test socket that should be the only thing that works.

[Scubbie]

Whilst Exdee and timc are completely correct, it is possible that if your extension is live, then you need to identify how it is wired in.

Past examples on this forum include wiring up a 2nd line to a junction box and also wiring a 2nd line behind the NTE5 socket.

So the important question to you now is: Is your extension dead when you only have the Sky router connected via a microfilter to the Test Socket?

[Isitme]

this means the internal wiring is wired into the back of the master socket and not the front..

It does not necessary mean the extensions are wired into the back of the master socket, they could be wired from a junction box, feeding out spiderwise. Check along the line from where it enters your house and see what it runs through. You will probably find a junction box feeding one or more extension sockets as well as the master.

[RUNITDIRECT]

which she said was illegal etc...

Err, not quite! As above check for junction boxes, although at this point it would be easier to remove the NTE5 back plate and check how many sets of wires are connected to the A & B connections. If one you have a junction box elsewhere & more work ahead to get the best out of the line. If two or more then easy to sort.

[skyiron34]

Thanks for all the responses everyone,
I'm not too sure what a junction box is but I think it's as isitme said, theirs a white box on the front of house, from this box one wire goes inside to the mastersocket, and another goes to a socket in an upstairs bedroom... I thought this bedroom socket wouldn't work if I was connected in the test socket but it still does...

Another thing I found ( not sure if it's relevant) only one socket seems to be wired into the faceplate, it was the only one that did not work when plugged into the test socket.

@ RUNITDIRECT There's only one set of connected to the A and B connections, what work do I have ahead of me ?
EDIT : is there any way I can check for hec and crc errors myself ?
Thanks again

[Exdee]

You can temporarily disconnect the upstairs socket from the junction box so that the junction box only feeds the master socket. See if this improves the disconnections.

is there any way I can check for hec and crc errors myself ?

Not on Sky's firmware.

[RUNITDIRECT]

@ RUNITDIRECT There's only one set of connected to the A and B connections, what work do I have ahead of me ?

To get the best out of the line you would need to disconnect the other extension that must be coming from a junction box somwhere & re-run a new wire from the master socket location. To make sure this is not a waste of time, as above, first try disconnecting it from the junction box to see if it is actually having an adverse effect on the BB.

If it is then fit a filtered faceplate to the master and run a new extension.

[skyiron34]

Thanks for the speedy replies,
But i've been a bit clumsy... what I always thought to be a normal socket in one of the upstairs bedrooms is in fact a mastersocket.

I think it was put in a few years ago along with another socket which is exclusively used for my fathers fax machine.

I think all the extensions are wired to this new master socket I have found, terminals 2 and 5 are being used by a orangey/white wire and the others are all empty. The extensions were dead when using the test socket here. (even the one which comes off the junction box...)

So it looks as if the original mastersocket was replaced with this upstairs one ?
Their is only one extension which does not work from the "old" master sockets test socket, and its been unused for a year now. All the others are connected to this upstairs master socket.

Also, using a netgear dg834g ( to get error stats ) I found that only 300 crc errors and a few SES and ES errors built up overnight. However in the other extensions after two hours I saw a figure of 12000 crc...

Really clumsy of me not to have noticed this new master socket sooner.

So do you guys think it's just a case of getting a filtered faceplate for this newly found mastersocket ?

and also, how bad are SES and ES errors ?

Thanks