Can An Electrician Move A Phone Socket?
Do you need BT to move your master socket? Why is the master socket always in an inconvenient location?
Openreach can only move your master BT socket, the socket is the property of BT, and only their own trained contractors can move the socket. If your BT socket is not conveniently placed in your home and your house is relatively new, it’s the fault of the builder as the sockets are already designed in the home.
Contents
Can an electrician move a phone socket?
Yes and no. If it’s the master BT socket, then an electrician can’t touch it as the master socket is the property of BT.
If an electrician has been trained in wiring telephone sockets, he could potentially move the socket without any problems.
However, for most electricians, this would be a big hassle. There would be no benefits to the customer due to the charges for the electrician outweighing the Openreach technician’s charges.
Can I get my telephone socket moved?
Yes, but you will need to call BT Openreach and order the work to be done.
To set the ball rolling, you need to dial 150 and speak to someone in BT sales but don’t be shocked when you are quoted £130.00 even if you only want your master socket moving a few feet.
If you contact an electrician or an independent telephone engineer, they will unlikely want to touch the job. If they do, their charges will be comparable to Openreach.
Do BT charge to move house?
Maybe. If your new home does not have a BT line connected, BT will charge you a connection fee of £70.00, which you may find outrageous as an existing customer paying your bills on time.
If there is an existing line installed at the property, there should not be a charge from BT, and the swap should be seamless, providing you give them the correct information about your dates for moving.
Can I have 2 BT master sockets?
No, the feeds from the master sockets are termed as slaves, and BT will not work for another master in your home unless you wish to pay for a second line with a master socket, so then you can plug your hub in anywhere you like.
You can tell your predicament to an Openreach technician. They will be sympathetic or empathetic to your plight. Still, they are so tightly regulated and controlled there is little an Openreach engineer can do to help you.
Do I need a master socket for broadband?
Yes, if you decide to plug your hub into a normal socket, it will not work.
The hub is designed to work in the master socket, and as a consequence, you are limited to using the master for your BT hub.
Where is the best place to put BT Home Hub?
Close as possible to the centre of your home. Your BT wifi Hub radiates wifi signals. The closer to the centre of the property will give the best chance of optimising the signal for proportional reception wherever you are located in the house.
If your WIFI signal is not good, you can try making slight moves to the hub. Sometimes electrical interference can affect the integrity of the wifi signal.
If that does not work, you may want to look at a signal repeater. They are affordable and will help spread the wifi through the house.
What is the latest BT master socket?
NTE5C MK2 Socket. It sounds grand but doesn’t worry. It offers nothing to the homeowner. Its primary function is to speed up installation.
The NTE5C has cam locks for connecting the cables instead of the old screw connectors, saving installation time by a few seconds.
Have you ever wondered if you can wire an NTE5C yourself?
Yes, you can. Take a photo before starting and have the required tools at hand.
This is the wiring sequence you will need to follow.
| Pin | Use | Drop Cable. | Master Socket | 1st Secondary Socket | 2nd Secondary Socket | Pin |
| 1 | Not used | None | Green/White | Green/White | Green/White | 1 |
| 2 | B’ wire (-50V to earth) | Orange | Blue/White | Blue/White | Blue/White | 2 |
| 3 | Bell wire | None | Orange/White | Orange/White | Orange/White | 3 |
| 4 | Earth (PABX use only) | None | White/Orange | White/Orange | White/Orange | 4 |
| 5 | A’ wire (0V to earth) | White | White/Blue | White/Blue | White/Blue | 5 |
| 6 | Not used | None | White/Green | White/Green | White/Green | 6 |
Wiring for UK telephone sockets
Does BT replace old wiring?
No. Bt differentiates its services from Openreach. BT is purely a service provider, and Openbreach is the contractor. This is a clever way of protecting the core business structure from any liabilities that may arise should something go wrong with Openreach.
How much does it cost for a BT engineer to come out?
Zero. In most cases, there is no charge for a BT engineer call out, it’s presumed there is a problem that needs to be fixed, and the liability is on the side of BT.
However, if you contact BT sales by dialling 150 and placing an order for equipment for line moving, there is a charge.
Does my router have to be plugged into the master socket?
Yes, the master socket is fitted with a filter that allows the signal to come through for your internet connection.
If you connect your router or BT hub to an extension socket, it will not work.
What cable do I need from the master socket to the router?
Cat6 ethernet, Your CAT6 ethernet cable is blue. If you use a yellow or any other colour connecting cable, you may be losing some of the signal efficiencies along the way, or the cable cannot carry the full signal.
You can use a cat%e cable that is grey, but you may not get what you expect in terms of clarity of signal.
Here are some other commonly used Cat cables:
- Blue denotes network connectivity.
- Yellow is normally used for wired security cameras.
- White used for wired security cameras.
- Grey is used for interconnections, aka jumpers.
- Black is used for equipment peripherals or workstations.
- Red is commonly used for VoIP phone systems.
