I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?

On 8 Nov, 11:56, "diy-newby" wrote:
I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?

It's an easy job, but it's a breach of your agreement with BT if you
do it yourself, and they might get cross. You're supposed to get BT
in. However, they will charge you handsomely (I think about £150?) for
fifteen minutes work. And anyway, they won't fit any nice looking
socket to match your others, they just fit standard white ones.

Personally I would do it myself and then put the BT one back if ever I
had a BT engineer round for any purpose, but then I'm the sort of
reckless fool who crosses the road even though the red man is showing.
It is a master socket you have isn't it, and not a secondary?

Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

Cheers!

Martin

"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 8 Nov, 11:56, "diy-newby" wrote:
I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?

It's an easy job, but it's a breach of your agreement with BT if you
do it yourself, and they might get cross. You're supposed to get BT
in. However, they will charge you handsomely (I think about £150?) for
fifteen minutes work. And anyway, they won't fit any nice looking
socket to match your others, they just fit standard white ones.

Personally I would do it myself and then put the BT one back if ever I
had a BT engineer round for any purpose, but then I'm the sort of
reckless fool who crosses the road even though the red man is showing.
It is a master socket you have isn't it, and not a secondary?

Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

Cheers!

Martin

Thanks. Yes it is the master socket. About to buy the following from
Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...24332&id=87940

We are replacing all our sockets with this style. Don't really want to
replace every other socket / switch and leave the old BT white socket in.

I notice that the master socket (in link above) looks just like the slave
socket which SF are also selling.

"diy-newby" wrote in message ...

"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 8 Nov, 11:56, "diy-newby" wrote:
I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?

It's an easy job, but it's a breach of your agreement with BT if you
do it yourself, and they might get cross. You're supposed to get BT
in. However, they will charge you handsomely (I think about £150?) for
fifteen minutes work. And anyway, they won't fit any nice looking
socket to match your others, they just fit standard white ones.

Personally I would do it myself and then put the BT one back if ever I
had a BT engineer round for any purpose, but then I'm the sort of
reckless fool who crosses the road even though the red man is showing.
It is a master socket you have isn't it, and not a secondary?

Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

Cheers!

Martin

Thanks. Yes it is the master socket. About to buy the following from
Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...24332&id=87940

We are replacing all our sockets with this style. Don't really want to
replace every other socket / switch and leave the old BT white socket in.

I notice that the master socket (in link above) looks just like the slave
socket which SF are also selling.



Is there only 2 wires to connect for the master socket?

"diy-newby" wrote in message ...

"diy-newby" wrote in message ...

"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 8 Nov, 11:56, "diy-newby" wrote:
I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?

It's an easy job, but it's a breach of your agreement with BT if you
do it yourself, and they might get cross. You're supposed to get BT
in. However, they will charge you handsomely (I think about £150?) for
fifteen minutes work. And anyway, they won't fit any nice looking
socket to match your others, they just fit standard white ones.

Personally I would do it myself and then put the BT one back if ever I
had a BT engineer round for any purpose, but then I'm the sort of
reckless fool who crosses the road even though the red man is showing.
It is a master socket you have isn't it, and not a secondary?

Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

Cheers!

Martin

Thanks. Yes it is the master socket. About to buy the following from
Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...24332&id=87940

We are replacing all our sockets with this style. Don't really want to
replace every other socket / switch and leave the old BT white socket in.

I notice that the master socket (in link above) looks just like the slave
socket which SF are also selling.



Is there only 2 wires to connect for the master socket?

The incoming line (two wires) is connected to terminals 2 & 5 in the master
socket. Colour codes should be: terminal 2 - blue /white stripe, terminal
5 - white/ blue stripe, terminal 3 - orange /white stripe. For secondary
sockets, connect terminals 2, 3 & 5 from the master socket to terminals 2, 3
& 5 on all secondary sockets. Additional sockets can be simply be connected
in parallel from the secondary socket. Two pair cable is required for
connection and you will need an I.D.C tool for making satisfactory
connections (obtainable from any phone shop or via the internet - from 99p
upwards depending on the quality).

Terry D.

On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 04:05:35 -0800, Martin Pentreath
wrote:

On 8 Nov, 11:56, "diy-newby" wrote:
I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?

It's an easy job, but it's a breach of your agreement with BT if you
do it yourself, and they might get cross. You're supposed to get BT
in. However, they will charge you handsomely (I think about £150?) for
fifteen minutes work. And anyway, they won't fit any nice looking
socket to match your others, they just fit standard white ones.

Personally I would do it myself and then put the BT one back if ever I
had a BT engineer round for any purpose, but then I'm the sort of
reckless fool who crosses the road even though the red man is showing.
It is a master socket you have isn't it, and not a secondary?

Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

Cheers!

Martin

When we needed our phone line moving they said it'd be an arm and a
leg and a 3 week wait - but we could get anyone we wanted to move
it....

When the phone didn't work (this was before that) she wanted me to
take a screwdriver to the phone socket in the hall to do something or
other (It passed her by that my phone line didn't work so I wasn't at
home ringing them)... but it turned out we didn't have one of the
socket things she thought we did anyway...

I'd say move it yourself and if they ever ask say it's always been
like that, or a bloke out the paper did it for you...
--
http://www.freedeliveryuk.co.uk

In article . com,
Martin Pentreath wrote:
Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

I think strictly speaking you're only allowed to add sockets that don't
involve direct wiring to the BT master.

--
*You! Off my planet!

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

diy-newby wrote:
I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?


You don't *need* them, no.

strictly its their responsibility tho.

And you may not be able to get a proper BT style master to match anyway.

However, they can if you ask terminate onto a Krone type box, and then
you can fit whatever you like.

diy-newby wrote:
"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 8 Nov, 11:56, "diy-newby" wrote:
I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?

It's an easy job, but it's a breach of your agreement with BT if you
do it yourself, and they might get cross. You're supposed to get BT
in. However, they will charge you handsomely (I think about £150?) for
fifteen minutes work. And anyway, they won't fit any nice looking
socket to match your others, they just fit standard white ones.

Personally I would do it myself and then put the BT one back if ever I
had a BT engineer round for any purpose, but then I'm the sort of
reckless fool who crosses the road even though the red man is showing.
It is a master socket you have isn't it, and not a secondary?

Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

Cheers!

Martin

Thanks. Yes it is the master socket. About to buy the following from
Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...24332&id=87940

We are replacing all our sockets with this style. Don't really want to
replace every other socket / switch and leave the old BT white socket in.

I notice that the master socket (in link above) looks just like the slave
socket which SF are also selling.


That is not strictly legals as a BT master.. You should install that
downstream of a proper socket, or krone termination.

diy-newby wrote:
"diy-newby" wrote in message ...
"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 8 Nov, 11:56, "diy-newby" wrote:
I am wanting to replace the telephone master socket so it matches my new
plug sockets and light switches etc.
Do I need BT to do this or can I replace it?
It's an easy job, but it's a breach of your agreement with BT if you
do it yourself, and they might get cross. You're supposed to get BT
in. However, they will charge you handsomely (I think about £150?) for
fifteen minutes work. And anyway, they won't fit any nice looking
socket to match your others, they just fit standard white ones.

Personally I would do it myself and then put the BT one back if ever I
had a BT engineer round for any purpose, but then I'm the sort of
reckless fool who crosses the road even though the red man is showing.
It is a master socket you have isn't it, and not a secondary?

Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

Cheers!

Martin
Thanks. Yes it is the master socket. About to buy the following from
Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...24332&id=87940

We are replacing all our sockets with this style. Don't really want to
replace every other socket / switch and leave the old BT white socket in.

I notice that the master socket (in link above) looks just like the slave
socket which SF are also selling.



Is there only 2 wires to connect for the master socket?


Yes.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article . com,
Martin Pentreath wrote:
Solution 2 for those who obey little red men: keep the BT master as it
is, disguise it somehow and fit your fancy socket as an extension from
it, which you're quite at liberty to do.

I think strictly speaking you're only allowed to add sockets that don't
involve direct wiring to the BT master.

I think in actuality, what BT want to see is one box somewhere in the
house that is installed by them (or checked by them) that represents
where their responsiblity is.


So that when they engineer comes around, he unplugs the rest of the
installation from it tests is and says 'its not our problem' or 'its our
problem'

I said that can be a standard BT master where the faceplate
unscrews,to disconnect all other wiring, or a Krone strip in a box.
Where the onward stuff can be lifted off.

To be honest BT do not really care that much these days as long as there
is a defined point where their kit ends and yours begins.

However a decorative faceplate - master or not, hooked onto their
downleads is not it. For a start the IDC connectors are not suitable
really for reliable termination of their incoming wires if these are
overhead types.

On Thu, 8 Nov 2007 12:20:22 -0000 someone who may be "diy-newby"
wrote this:-

Thanks. Yes it is the master socket. About to buy the following from
Screwfix

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/...24332&id=87940
[snip]
I notice that the master socket (in link above) looks just like the slave
socket which SF are also selling.

The two may look just like each other, but the master has a handful
of components in it which the slave does not.

Personally I would do what has been suggested and replace it, while
keeping the original one for suitable occasions. However, remember
not to use too high a standard of workmanship if you do restore the
original one.

The legalistic answer is that the master socket is not yours to
fiddle with. It marks the demarcation point between your
installation and theirs. The exception to this is that if it is an
NTE5 http://www.clarity.it/telecoms/adsl_faceplate.htm#part2 then
you may remove the lower bit and connect your installation to the
terminals at the rear of the lower bit, provided you only use some
of the cable entry holes in the box. You are not allowed to remove
the rest of it, though some people do (alarm company staff are
particular offenders).


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

Terry D wrote:

Is there only 2 wires to connect for the master socket?

The incoming line (two wires) is connected to terminals 2 & 5 in the master
socket. Colour codes should be: terminal 2 - blue /white stripe, terminal

Actually the incoming wires connect to terminals usually marked A & B on
the master socket. Pins 2 and 5 are indeed then derived from these, but
after the surge suppressor etc.

http://www.wppltd.demon.co.uk/WPP/Wi...telephone.html


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
Is there only 2 wires to connect for the master socket?

The incoming line (two wires) is connected to terminals 2 & 5 in the
master socket. Colour codes should be: terminal 2 - blue /white
stripe, terminal

Actually the incoming wires connect to terminals usually marked A & B on
the master socket. Pins 2 and 5 are indeed then derived from these, but
after the surge suppressor etc.

http://www.wppltd.demon.co.uk/WPP/Wi...telephone.html

I've never seen a 'wiring accessory' master socket (as the OP mentions)
that is designed to be connected direct to the outside line. They usually
suppose that outside line has been joined to internal cabling elsewhere.
The IPC connectors can't really cope with two sizes of conductors. If it
had screw terminals it would be ok, though, I suppose.

--
*Great groups from little icons grow *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:01:29 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
Is there only 2 wires to connect for the master socket?

The incoming line (two wires) is connected to terminals 2 & 5 in the
master socket. Colour codes should be: terminal 2 - blue /white
stripe, terminal

Actually the incoming wires connect to terminals usually marked A & B on
the master socket. Pins 2 and 5 are indeed then derived from these, but
after the surge suppressor etc.

http://www.wppltd.demon.co.uk/WPP/Wi...telephone.html

I've never seen a 'wiring accessory' master socket (as the OP mentions)
that is designed to be connected direct to the outside line.

That's because they're supplied as "PBX" masters, intended for, well,
PBXs where the "line" comes in as 0.5mm (6¼ lb) wire.

For a "real" NTE5-type socket you'd have to go to a professional firm
such as Comtec.

No connection (no pun intended either!) with Comtec...

--
Frank Erskine