topic Re: Moving router within house in Broadband

Moving router within house

tpickles6 — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 20:19:04 GMT

Hi,

I need to move the router within my house from 1 master switch to another, how can I get plusnet to do this?

Thanks
Theo

Re: Moving router within house

jab1 — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 20:25:16 GMT

When you say 'master switch', what do you mean - phone master socket, power master socket, or what, @tpickles6 ?

Re: Moving router within house

tpickles6 — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 21:23:53 GMT

I mean the phone master socket. We have 2 in the house, I was told by the engineer that activated our connection that they would be able to do it if needed.

Re: Moving router within house

jab1 — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 21:28:15 GMT

So, you have two phone lines into your property - each with different numbers?

If I am correct, you will have to arrange this with Plusnet, by phone, as they will have to contact Openreach - you can't.

Re: Moving router within house

Baldrick1 — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 21:35:42 GMT

@tpickles6 Welcome to the Plusnet Community Fora.

Did the ‘engineer’ try the Hub in the other socket and it did not work? If not I would guess that it’s currently plugged into a filtered master socket and the other is a filtered phone only slave socket?

Are the two sockets identical? Is there any marking on the sockets? Can you post photos of the two sockets?

Re: Moving router within house

bmc — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 22:28:34 GMT

@tpickles6

Not withstanding earlier comments have you checked recently to see if Full Fibre is available to you or coming in the near future?

You can check here - www.openreach.co.uk

Brian

Re: Moving router within house

HPsauce — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:06:42 GMT

Two master sockets is unusual, I can think of three obvious possibilities:

1. The unused socket isn't connected

2. It's connected but on a second "line"

3. It's connected on the same line, which would cause problems on both "traditional" phone (if you use it) and broadband.

So first, to get any help, can you say what the situation is.

Secondly what type of phone and broadband service do you have and from who (i.e. are both PlusNet)? Is the broadband ADSL (over copper to the exchange) or so-called "Fibre" which is copper to the cabinet then Fibre to thee exchange?

Some idea of where the sockets are and why you want to move would also help; there may be good alternative solutions and they'll probably cost less too! 😁

FYI I don't think PlusNet are in the business of moving sockets, they may be able to ask BT/Openreach to do it, but it will be expensive!

Re: Moving router within house

pvmb — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:47:35 GMT

@HPsauce wrote:

Two master sockets is unusual, I can think of three obvious possibilities:

1. The unused socket isn't connected

2. It's connected but on a second "line"

3. It's connected on the same line, which would cause problems on both "traditional" phone (if you use it) and broadband.

A quick comment...

Doubtless it is unusual to have two master sockets on the same landline, however that was what I ran on for very many years (landline now ceased) without it causing me any problems with either landline or broadband. 😊

My LJ style extension socket, to which the router was connected, was a genuine fully featured master socket, complete with surge protector. Although I should point out my FTTC experience was limited to a 40/10 Mbps contract. I did wonder if it might affect a full VDSL service and require some fiddling to get maximum speed (but maximum available download speed always was reported by the BT Broadband Availability Checker as 70+ Mbps). However, I never found out before my landline was terminated.

Re: Moving router within house

HPsauce — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:40:46 GMT

Well let's just see what @tpickles6 reports, little value in speculating beforehand. 😎

Re: Moving router within house

tpickles6 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:04:41 GMT

 
Thanks all for your input and patience. the first photo is the active line and the other one is where I would like to move it to. 

Re: Moving router within house

jab1 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:19:33 GMT

I not sure, but the second picture could be a master socket. The question is though, is it live? - I have my doubts.

Re: Moving router within house

HPsauce — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:21:47 GMT

@tpickles6 Photos of a modern and ancient socket don't really add anything of use. Can you answer my questions above please?

Re: Moving router within house

mystreet1 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:43:28 GMT

Think @jab1 is right, second image is a master socket.

Also, if moving to it, you will need a plug in filter. Or, if the socket is live you could consider replacing it with the working one, I did not say that.

Re: Moving router within house

HPsauce — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:57:01 GMT

Alternatively @tpickles6 if you can't answer the questions just find a broadband "filter" (it's only really an adapter for the router connection), plug the router in to the old socket and see what happens. It will probably either:

1.Not work

2. Work fine

3. Work, but slower.

Re: Moving router within house

tpickles6 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:02:02 GMT

@HPsauce wrote:

Two master sockets is unusual, I can think of three obvious possibilities:

1. The unused socket isn't connected

2. It's connected but on a second "line"

3. It's connected on the same line, which would cause problems on both "traditional" phone (if you use it) and broadband.

So first, to get any help, can you say what the situation is.

Secondly what type of phone and broadband service do you have and from who (i.e. are both PlusNet)? Is the broadband ADSL (over copper to the exchange) or so-called "Fibre" which is copper to the cabinet then Fibre to thee exchange?

Some idea of where the sockets are and why you want to move would also help; there may be good alternative solutions and they'll probably cost less too! 😁

FYI I don't think PlusNet are in the business of moving sockets, they may be able to ask BT/Openreach to do it, but it will be expensive!

Regarding the situation, we moved into the property 6 months ago, got the upstairs line activated, and the engineer at the time said something to the effect of "we can move your router to this socket if you want, you'll just need to ask us" (assuming "us" means Openreach). We don't have a phone line AFAIK, and have FTTC broadband(51up/18down) (OR say FF is coming this year🤥).

The current line is upstairs at the front of the house, but the room is to be turned into a WC and so cannot have electrics of that variety in it any more. The proposed new location is basically the diametrically opposite corner at the back of the house downstairs.

@HPsauce my gut feeling is option 1 is the most likely.

Re: Moving router within house

jab1 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:11:13 GMT

@tpickles6 Maybe a silly question, but why was the line installed upstairs in the first place. Are you on an overhead or underground feed - I'm guessing O/H as they (Openreach) don't like running cables too far.

Re: Moving router within house

HPsauce — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:26:50 GMT

@tpickles6 Thanks for the information, very helpful. If possible wait for Full Fibre and get it installed where you need it.

If you need the WC installed soon there's no reason to immediately move the master socket, unless it's completely in the way of the plumbing. You just need a longer cable from the socket to the router placed/powered in a suitable area nearby. Or run an extension cable from the socket; there are connectors for you to do that, though you'll then need to install a suitable phone socket with ASDSL filter or faceplate nearer the router. It's only two wires that need to be connected for FTTC with no phone.

Re: Moving router within house

Baldrick1 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:44:17 GMT

As I suggested way back in post #5, what you have is a filtered master socket with more than likely an extension wired from the filtered output.

On this basis you need someone with basic diy skills to rewire the master socket by moving the extension wiring from the filtered to unfiltered connections. You will also need to use a filter with the upstairs connection.

Depending on the quality of the extension cabling, your broadband speed might be reduced.

Re: Moving router within house

bmc — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:40:06 GMT

@tpickles6

As far as I'm aware you can get the Master Socket moved but it is a chargeable event. Not sure of the charge. I believe you phone PN to ask for it, they tell you the cost and you get charged through the PN system.

Try the PlusNet Customer Options Team on 0800 013 2632 to see what they say.

As stated, if full fibre is coming then if you can hang on until then you'd save the money. As already asked, are you served by an underground or overhead connection? This is the starting point for the incoming fibre cable.

Brian

Re: Moving router within house

HPsauce — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 09:56:50 GMT

@tpickles6 Just wondering where the current master socket is, it looks like it may be next to a door frame which suggests it's on an inside wall?

It appears to have a thickish black cable, probably from the incoming "drop wire" entering from below. If that's the main feed (rather than a cable to an extension) could it just be rerouted to the other side of the wall, outside of the planned toilet?

There are lots of debates in various online groups about the so-called "legality" of moving BT equipment in such a way but any electrically-competent person could do it if there's enough slack in the cable. And very many have done it without any problems whatsoever. It's only 2 wires that need connecting and the polarity isn't even relevant, though best to keep the connections the same.

I recall "advising" a friend who had a master socket in an extremely inconvenient place on a bedroom window frame some years ago. Their windows were about to be replaced and it was an obstacle, so the cable needed rerouting through a new hole in the wall nearby. While he was taking it off the frame and moving it a short distance a BT van appeared on his drive! In fact the driver was lost and looking for another property, but we asked him about what was being done; he just laughed and said that's fine, stupid position to put it in the first place! 🤣