i-plate

[#1]

I have read that fitting an i-plate to the master 'line' socket, will quite probably increase my broadband speeds.
However, I would like some advice with regard to my phone line set-up.
The BT cable rises out of the ground and terminates in a small, sealed, terminal box on the outside wall of the house. There are two output cables from this box. One goes through the wall and is the cable into the master line socket. The other cable is an extension and runs from the box, round the outside of the house, through the wall at the back and terminates in a phone socket. This extension was installed by BT a few years ago.
The master socket has a phone plugged into it (via a filter). The extension has both a phone plugged into it and also my computer - again via a filter.
We have no other telephone equipment. No FAX machine, and no SKY 'phoning home'. We don't get crackles or interference on either phone.
My question, please. In these circumstances, with the extension being connected before the master socket, is an i-plate likely to be of any use, or am I wasting my time buying one?
I've searched these forums and have Googled, but can't find an answer.
Many thanks for any advice.
Cheers
Keith

[#2]

You are most likely to get no benefit from an i-plate in this situation. Do you know if the bell-wire is connected?
Was the extension put in after broadband was put on the line?
Edit: Decided that was a hasty answer. Do you have a digital camera? If so, can you take a pic of the wiring at the back of the extension socket and if there is any wiring connected to the removeable front plate of the master, a picture of that as well.

[#3]

Can you measure the downstream speed with the modem plugged into the master socket and the test socket?
I drew some circuits on my web page: http://www.dougrice.plus.com/Erlangs/adsl.htm There are other links. I hope it helps, but may be too much information.
You say the extension is from a sealed box we do not really know what goes on inside.

[#4]

Doug with all due respect that is a waste of time, looking at his wiring will give us the answers.
Also IMHO I wouldn't give you tuppence for those solwise "adapter" style filters that you mention in your webpage.
Sorry about that.

[#5]

Many thanks for your  replies.
The history:
We moved into this house just over five years ago. The one phone socket was in the sitting room. I brought Force9 broadband with me from our previous house.
For the first two or three weeks, whilst I was waiting for BT to run the extension, I ran a long extension I had bought, into the hall, up the stairs and into the third bedroom where the computer was. "Not a pretty sight", but we put up with it as it was only temporary. It was plugged into the master line socket via a filter, as there was also the phone plugged into it.
BT came and ran the extension round the outside of the house and into the third bedroom.
Tomorrow, I will look at both the line socket and the extension socket and let you know what colour cable is connected to which terminal.
I would like to leave taking the computer downstairs and trying it in the master socket until later. I don't have wireless, the router is cable connected. I'm 78 and suffer from slight back problems, so humping the computer downstairs (it's quite heavy!) would be quite a big job.
Will report back.
Cheers
Keith

[#6]

Hi Keith,
That's OK. When you look at the Master, I'm assuming that it's an NTE5 linebox with the removeable lower front plate, there may be wires connected to the removeable front plate that go into the same cable as that which has wires going to the back of the linebox rear. Be careful not to pull anything out.
There is little point in plugging into the master socket in the circumstances. I'll look out for your post.

[#7]

Anotherone,
We need to know if the extension is extended from the master socket via the sealed box. If it is, then the I-Plate has a fighting chance, if not, it would suggest that there are two master sockets, as the bell wire needs to be extended to the extension from the master socket.
My broadband has been ticking along really nicely with my snipped bellwire and solwise filters. I have been getting downstream speeds of 7616 Mbs. Its dropped down in the last two weeks to 7296 Mbs. Also, my computer is on the end of a long run of extension wiring.
See: http://www.dougrice.plus.com/Erlangs/a_specLatest.png ; For about a week I had one channel blatted out and only had a bit load of 2 bits.
Doug

[#8]

Doug, you are trying to teach granny to suck eggs.

[#9]

Anotherone and dougrice.
Thank you both for your replies.
Doug, you say that you need to know about the extension connections inside the BT terminal box. Sorry, but it is a sealed box and I am not prepared to break the BT seal to open it and have a look.
Anotherone. Because of the information Doug says is needed and due to the fact that in your first posting ot me, you said that I will likely get no benefit from an i-plate in my circumstances, I will have to abandon the idea.
Thanks both.
Cheers.
Keith
 

[#10]

Keith, we don't need to know what is happening in the sealed box, it can be inferred from what you will see looking at the back of the master removeable lower front plate and also the rear of the extension socket.
Photos are best (you can attach .jpg's to posts using the additional options below the reply window) but if you haven't got a digital camera, just a clear description of what coloured wires are connected to which terminals (they are usually clearly numbered).
The colours you will expect to see will be from the following -
Blue with white marker & White with blue marker, Orange with white marker & White with orange marker, Green with white marker and White with green marker.
Just let us know what is there, if there is any doubt about things I will tell you.

[#11]

Two other simple checks as well, at the master socket what is the logo on it (top LH corner), I suspect it will be BT with the Piper symbol.
When you have the lower front plate taken off the Master, check if you still have a dial tone at the extension socket.

[#12]

Hello Anotherone.
Here are the connections.
All wires are single coloured, none having stripes.

Master Socket (has a "T" inside a circle at the top right):
Green to terminal 2
Black to terminal 8
Extension (has "BT" and the piper symbol at the top left):
Orange to terminal 2
Green to terminal 3
Black to terminal 4
White to terminal 5
Hope this helps.
Cheers.
Keith

[#13]

Could you check the Master socket as the wiring has to be either 2 and 5 or 3 and 4

[#14]

If you could just confirm the terminal number as itsme has mentioned. That sounds as though it's BT standard dropwire cable that's been used for the cabling, rather than cable to spec. CW1308 (with the colours I mentioned before).
I'm guessing from what you are saying that neither of the sockets are an NTE5 MasterLineBox, I've attached some pictures of the front and with the lower removeable plate taken off.

[#15]

There's a link here which shows pictures of other BT sockets.
http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/btsockets.htm
If you could have a look and say which sockets you've got. They should all have identifying numbers on to confirm as well. What is especially important is which of them has any components on the back as shown in the pictures.