Installing another phone socket
 

I need an additional phone socket in one of my bedrooms, BT charges £168!!:eek:

Its not that complicated is it? How much should an independant electrician charge?

Thanks

Mate you drive an M5, that's a weeks worth of petrol :) Are you getting an additional telephone number?

We had this recently, got an independent electrician to come out, as we already had 4 phone sockets in the house, they wouldn't put in a fifth, and said that only BT could do it.

From what i saw, he didn't do any extra checks and just ran it off one of the sockets upstairs, looked like the easiest £168 quid in the world, as i had to do the drilling whilst he was in the loft :mad:.

£168? :eek: I really didnt think they were ripping people off that much. Is the cable run relatively easy? Its a piece of pi55 to do and should cost you no more than £10-£15 at the most. Id actually try and explain but its easier to google a how to guide as it'll already be explained elsewhere. pins 2 and 5 and youre rocking :)

If you are having a seperate line, then you need BT to do it. If you are just running an extension you can do it yourself and just pair off from another socket (be aware there is a limit as to how many appliances you can have plugged in to one line - I seem to remember you can go no higher than REN of 4) - It's up to you how good a job you do of it and if you want to channel the walls and so on.

The maximum amount of sockets is not the problem. Its the equipment plugged into them that is.

Basically, an older type phone will have a REN amount of 1 usually. Any more than 5 and some devices wont ring. They will still work though. Newer equipment has a REN that's a lot lower. so more equipment can be connected.

If you do have a problem with a phone not working and you believe that you've exceeded the amount allowed, you could buy a REN booster - not expensive.

Don't forget, most things have a REN. Including Sky boxes, modems, micro filters and fax machines.

I wouldn't pay someone £168 to install an extension either!

No additional numbers just socket.

There is already a socket in another bedroom which I no longer need, so it should be easy? running off from there? I'll need it for broadband nothing else

Just pick the floorboards up and run the box you don't need under the floor, then pop out where you want it, or just use a long extension hidden under the carpet.

Why not just get an ADSL modem with built-in wireless access point, and plug that in to one of your existing sockets?

The bandwidth you get with ADSL depends to a surprising extent on the quantity and quality of phone wiring in your house - if you can use an existing socket without having to add an extension, you'll likely get a faster and more reliable connection.

Its easy to do then, just run your cable and connect it up. Pins 2 and 5 as mentioned.

Maplins will have what you need.

£168:eek:

I'll do it for £150 (cash!) for you, including witty banter and your choice of something off this page ;):

Maplin > Extension Cables & Kits

DIY mate - easy!

D

If you do run an extension, be aware that BT phones require THREE wires, not two. Typically you'd connect pins 2, 3, 4 and 5 from your master socket (installed by BT at the point where the line enters the house) to your extensions.

If you only connect 2 wires, a phone plugged into the new extension won't ring - not that you'd necessarily care if all you're using it for is ADSL.

You're better off putting your modem/router on the master socket, then running a Cat5 cable to the room where you need it. You could go down the wireless road, but cabled is so much more reliable / faster.

Not true, you only need 2 wires, which is 2 and 5

In the olden days you used to need 3 (the 3rd is the ring wire) however with modern equipment it isnt required. In fact if you have adsl, the ring wire can add intereference and thus slow down your connection speed.

Quoted for truth. Use an adsl master socket faceplate too...

Most new wireless (cordless) phones don't need to be plugged into a socket (you just associate it to the base phone).

Use those homeplug things (start kits are ~£70). They use your electric wires to send data round the house. You just plug them into a power socket.

Bit of 3pair, a 2/1A LJU and split the blues over pins 2 & 5.

i work for openreach ( bt group) as engineers we can never understand picking up jobs for extension sockets because they charge so much, its normally old people or a mega house and thats why they call us. do it yourself as already stated on here.

That's what I was thinking. I have a Panasonic DECT base station in the living room and a handset / charger in the bedroom. Have a regular cabled phone in the study in case the power fails (DECT won't work during a power failure).

have u got a wilko's by u- u can buy the phone cable by the metre for dirt cheap there and also a new box all for a few pounds-then its not rocket science to do job-infact full instructions included with box u buy for a couple or so quid-easy as boiling an egg :thumb:

Thanks guys. Approx £150 saved from thieving BT