"Illegal" lineside working

[Dangerjunkie]

Hi Guys,

I'm a network engineer and have all the correct tools to work on phone systems. I promised my friend that I would get her going on IDNet. Her house wiring is of "questionable" quality and she is miles from anywhere so she needs the best job done in order to get anything decent from her ADSL.

She hasn't had a BT engineer in for ages and has an old-style master socket rather than an NTE5. I'd really like to fit an ADSLNation filtered master socket for her and change all her extension wiring over to CAT5e. If I fit an ADSLNation XTF-68 in place of her master socket I know that's naughty and obvious and I any subsequent BT engineer to take a dim view. If I can get hold of a genuine BT NTE5 (I think I may be able to), fit it myself on the quiet and then change her master socket then fit an ADSLNation XTE-2005 how naughty would that be, Would any BT engineer in the future know the line shouldn't have an NTE5 and how would they be likely to react to it please? It just seems a horrid waste of a hundred and something quid to call an Openreach engineer to just change a socket.

Thanks,
Paul.

[Danni]

I think they'd most likely turn a blind eye, so long as you don't break anything. Unless they have a database of what lines have what sockets, how do they know it wasn't a BT engineer that replaced the socket?

[Colin Burns]

i think the punishment if found guilty is death (line cut off)

[Dangerjunkie]

I think they'd most likely turn a blind eye, so long as you don't break anything. Unless they have a database of what lines have what sockets, how do they know it wasn't a BT engineer that replaced the socket?

I know their automated "middle of the night" line-tester is very clever and can tell them how many sockets you have and what is likely to be plugged in. I know it can tell the difference between a socketed and an old hard wired install. Don't know about between an NTE5 and an old socket tho.

She hasn't had a BT Engineer in during the last 10 years so there is definitely no way she should have an NTE5.

Cheers,
Paul.

[Danni]

I still think most BT engineers are decent people who will turn a blind eye. Certainly the ones I met have been fine.

[Rik]

It's a personal call, Paul. What you propose is 'illegal'. If BT find out they may just give you a telling off, or they may make an example of your friend and cut off the line. Perhaps what you could do is connect an NTE5 alongside the existing master, and disconnect the capacitor in it?

There are several BT engineers on ThinkBroadband, so it might be worth posting over there to get an opinion.

[Dangerjunkie]

Thanks Danni



I guess if they make an issue of it she can always tell them she had someone from a phone shop in to do the extensions and they must have done it then say it was a long time ago and she can't remember who it was.

Cheers,
Paul.

[Sebby]

Something else to consider is that you may be able to get BT to fit a NTE5 free of charge. What you can do is tell them that you want to fit extension sockets but you can't as you have the old-style master socket. I know it's worked for some, so might be worth a try.

[Dangerjunkie]

Thanks

I'll get her to try that.  Someone on ThinkBB just told me the charge is only £25 if you want the socket changed and you have to pay rather than the £100+ territory I was expecting from the charge for raising an ADSL fault that turns out to be your own problem.

Cheers,
Paul.

[cavillas]

I got this from BT just last week after an enquiery.

"We certainly can change the existing hard-wired socket in to the latest plug-in socket. I am afraid; there is a charge for conversion as mentioned: ? Conversion of hard-wired master socket to latest plug-in socket (for one line) - £29.38 including VAT ."

Hope this helps

[Rik]

Useful, Alf, thanks.  

[Inactive]

Great Alf...I like fact.. 

Have another.. 

[Simon]

That's excellent, Alf - may even go for that myself! 

[Inactive]

Same here Simon.

[cavillas]

My head's getting bigger by the post....

[Inactive]

My head's getting bigger by the post....

You can live with it Alf.. 

[Rik]

He'd find it hard to live without it. 

[Inactive]

He'd find it hard to live without it. 

First  of the week.

[Rik]

 

I thought it had been quiet this morning.

[Inactive]

I suppose you had better have a Karma for tipping the 43000 mark, as I said before you will be over the next 1000 in the blink of an eye.

[Rik]

Thanks, In. It'll take another 4-5 days for the next K, unless the forum goes quiet of course.

[Inactive]

Thanks, In. It'll take another 4-5 days for the next K, unless the forum goes quiet of course.

You could always do a Danni and Colin I suppose.

[Rik]

 

[Sebby]

I got this from BT just last week after an enquiery.

"We certainly can change the existing hard-wired socket in to the latest plug-in socket. I am afraid; there is a charge for conversion as mentioned: ? Conversion of hard-wired master socket to latest plug-in socket (for one line) - £29.38 including VAT ."

Hope this helps

Very useful to know. Thanks.

[Simon]

You could always do a Danni and Colin I suppose.

No one wants to talk to him that much, In.    

[Colin Burns]

You could always do a Danni and Colin I suppose.

i grew 200 post in 1day or somthing maybe it was 2

[Inactive]

i grew 200 post in 1day or somthing maybe it was 2

Are you telling us something that we don't already know Colin.. ??

[Colin Burns]

no idea but i think some of them were sensible posts

[Inactive]

no idea but i think some of them were sensible posts

No printable answer to that one Col.

[Colin Burns]

i think the punishment if found guilty is death (line cut off)

does this not count as sensible

[Sebby]

no idea but i think some of them were sensible posts

[Malc]

no idea but i think some of them were sensible posts

Which one?

[Colin Burns]

my post on page 1 of this thread

[Danni]

I don't think any of your posts are ever sensible

[Malc]

Colin... your turn...

[g7pkf]

have a look on fleabay. a couple of people (tb maybe) sell the complete package  nte5 and proper tb backplate (a/b conncetion)

compared to what im about to do a simple swap as long as it is done proprly wouldnot even raise an eyebrow.

tb wouldnt know if a tb or reachopen eng fitted it and in reality they are different companies (but part of the same group).

ebay item no 380012534621  comes with openreach logo...

[shazzy]

I remember when I was having my house fitted out with adsl, I had two BT engineers doing it and I remember them commenting on my winxp pro software... It was brand new out at the time and they told me I couldn't possibly have bought it at the price it was at..... till I showed them the box.   Some of them can be a little stroppy and some will fit new boxes and throw in extension wiring, which happened a couple of years ago in my case when I had problems with packetloss and all he wanted in return was a cup of tea lol.  Never did get a bill for it. 

[Sebby]

Cheeky guys. What has your XP software got to do with them?

Anyway, it seems to vary a lot from engineer to engineer. Some are very friendly and go the extra mile, whilst others do the bare minimum, if that. It all depends on who you get that particular day.

[Rik]

You're right, Shazzy, how you treat them affects how they treat you. I can remember having two engineers working here who seemed amazed when we offered them lunch. It's simple courtesy, nothing more.

[g7pkf]

My local openreavh engineer pops round for tea when hes in the area.

and when he has a problem he cant solve...

at least i get any bits i need, and he helped me lug a load of logs the other day 

[LesD]

Hey "Dangerjunkie" live up to you alias and just do it.   

I doubt that you will hear anything about it except thanks for a good job well done by the recipient of your efforts! 

[plugwash]

I noticed when virgin came to hook me up with cable TV/phone/broadband the CTE5 (similar to a NTE5 but with krone style terminals rather than big screw terminals for the supplier side wiring) they used for the phone line seemed to be a pain unbranded one.