BT 8500 Line Cord Error
hybridtheory
Posts: 850 Forum Member
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Hi
I currently had a BT Granite fone, due to nuisance calls etc I decided to purchase a BT 8500. Id disconnected the BT Granite and connected the BT 8500.
After setting the handset up etc. I was faced with a message on screen stating: Line Cord Error. I have no dial tone on the fone therefore can't make/receive calls.
To check the fault wasn't with the fone, I connected it to another BT socket and it worked fine and didn't display the message: Line Cord Error.
I reconnected it to the original BT sockets where my BT Granite was connected, again I was faced with the message: Line Cord Error.
I'm at a loss, anyone got any ideas?
Thanks
Baz
I currently had a BT Granite fone, due to nuisance calls etc I decided to purchase a BT 8500. Id disconnected the BT Granite and connected the BT 8500.
After setting the handset up etc. I was faced with a message on screen stating: Line Cord Error. I have no dial tone on the fone therefore can't make/receive calls.
To check the fault wasn't with the fone, I connected it to another BT socket and it worked fine and didn't display the message: Line Cord Error.
I reconnected it to the original BT sockets where my BT Granite was connected, again I was faced with the message: Line Cord Error.
I'm at a loss, anyone got any ideas?
Thanks
Baz
0
Comments
ie starting at the master socket where the extension wiring should originate the wire that is on terminal 2 at the master is connected to terminal 5 on the extension and 5 on the master to 2 on the extension. On the working one, terminal 2 of the master is connected to terminal 2 on the extension and 5 to 5.
I have known phones be picky about which way round 2 and 5 are connected and others that don't care. Perhaps you have an example of each
While you have the sockets off make sure the wires are properly seated in the terminals. If they are not pushed down fully then you can get odd connection problems. But make sure you use the proper tool to push the wires down if necessary. A screwdriver blade can damage the terminal so there is no electrical connection.
Also check any wires on 3 and 4 and remove them as by and large they are not required.
Some phones might be polarity sensitive, if it's an extension socket there's a possibility that two of the wires are crossed so it doesn't like it (but many phones aren't affected by it)
Its a Master Socket. The socket is fine, otherwise the BT Grantie wouldn't have worked either.
Thanks
Baz
One thing I did noticed was if I used the power socket for the BT Granite on the BT 8500, the base unit on the BT 8500 wouldn't light up. If I used the power socket with the BT 8500, the base unit would power up.
If I used the power socket that came with the BT 8500 on the BT Granite base unit, the handset for the BT Granite would display: Out of Reach.
Baz
The line clearly does work, as it works with my BT Grantite and previous BT ones before that.
The BT Granite was working perfectly, 2 minutes later when I disconnect the BT Granite and reconnect the BT 8500, it appears not to be working.
Something very strange is going on.
Baz
If you did try the test socket and it is still not working, then there is possibly a problem with the line that means some phones work, and not others (like polarity) or the phone is just broken
The BT 8500 isn't broken, it works when connected to the Master Socket with the standard BT fone line cable that came in the box..
What I forgot to mention was. I have a 30 metre phone line cable running from the Master Socket to another bedroom where the fone will be placed.
Could it be that the BT 8500 doesn't like to work off a 30 metre phone line cable?
The BT Granite doesn't have an issue with it.
Baz
30 metres would be nothing, imagine if you lived far away from the exchange with your line being a few thousand metres of cable, the phone would still be expected to work (and probably would).
What type of extension cable do you mean? One like this
http://www.lindy.co.uk/images/5m-telephone-extension-cable-p4630-3977_zoom.jpg
or one like this
http://www.qvsdirect.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/700x700/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/q/t/qtalc5431-linecord-431a-plug-to-rj11-plug-3-metres.jpg
If the second then it is possible the RJ11 plug (the small square one) is wired differently to how the one on the cable included with the 8500 is.
In which case you need one of the first type or wire in a proper extension socket.
This is what I have:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/30M-RJ11-ADSL-Broadband-Cable/dp/B000J3U9OU
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B008DG59WW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1428007982&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=rj11+plug+-+bt+socket+adaptor&dpPl=1&dpID=31HzgWlnaKL&ref=plSrch
This cable and adapter gives me no problems with the BT Granite.
Baz
That likely explains it. Phones are not like modems, some of them expect signals to be one way and not the other. Depending on exactly how the phone is wired, it may not even be seeing the phone line at all. Some phones want the phone line on the outer pins of the RJ11 connector, whereas your cable puts them on the inner pins. The pins could also be wired the wrong way around.
Yes, you keep saying that it works with your old phone, but the point is that some phones are pickier than others and they do not like non-standard wiring, this new BT phone appears to be one of them. Others are happy with it (like your old phone).
The recommended way of doing this would be to have a proper BT socket and to use the cable that came with each phone.
I'm put the right connection into the right sockets on the BT fone. The rj11 and power socket connectors r slightly different so there's no way u could connect them incorrectly.
I'm BT would charge a pretty penny to connect an extension socket.
Whilst I'm technically minded in some areas, I wouldn't be able to do it myself.
Baz
BT would indeed charge a lot, but that's because they'd rather you did it.
Failing that, you'd be better off buying an extension lead that has a BT plug on one end and a BT socket on the other, that way you can use the cable that came with the phone but without having to do any wiring work. Seems easy to find a 5 or 10 metre pre-made cable but not 30 metres.
You could also buy a different phone, but there is no guarantee at all that the next phone you buy won't do the same thing. That's why a BT socket is the best way to go as you know it will work
I think I will have to resort to doing it myself. An extension kit made up wouldn't work as the cable from one room to the other goes through one ceiling and down another.
What exactly would I need to do this, tools, cable etc?
Thanks
Baz
You can get kits that have everything you need, for example http://www.amazon.co.uk/Philex-20m-Telephone-Extension-Kit/dp/B003XV4RL6 - however I would probably cut the plug off the end of that kit and wire it directly into the master socket (it's the same way you would put the socket in the kit on) just so that it is neater.
But you'll need cable, a socket, cable clips and a tool to push the wire down into the terminals on the socket.
The kits come with a very cheap and nasty tool, I'd rather use a tool like http://www.amazon.co.uk/DIGIFLEX-Krone-Network-Telephone-Insertion/dp/B002N63060 as it does a much better job and is reusable - you just strip the outer white plastic from the cable, push the individual colour coded wires (don't strip those too) into the right numbered terminals on the socket, and push down until it clicks with this tool
Maybe something like http://www.amazon.co.uk/Single-Secondary-Telephone-Extension-Socket/dp/B0031NYW2A for the socket and http://www.amazon.co.uk/25M-TELEPHONE-CABLE-WIRE-REEL/dp/B00MX8VUPG for the cable
Of course all this stuff will be in B&Q/Wickes/local DIY shop too
I might go with the last option and the tool that u advised? At the master socket already installed, I presume I just insert the new cables for the extension in with the other other ones?
In the house the is a master socket in the hall way screwed to the wall. Years ago I had an additional line installed. A cable comes from the BT socket on the outside of the house and then into the BT socket in the upstairs bedroom. This is the master socket, I've been referring to.
To clear any confusion, the BT socket in the hallway and bedroom have two separate telephone numbers.. The BT socket in the bedroom is screwed to the wall tight to the corner wall and floor. I'm guessing I can just drill a hole on the top of the BT socket to push the cable through?
Thanks
Baz
Yes. How many extensions do you have at the moment? There are only so many you can run off the socket (the connectors can't reliably make a connection if there are more than about 2 wires in each connector)
Does the socket have a two-piece construction, ie can you remove the screws and see something like http://www.exbtengineers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/BT-Master-Socket-Test.jpg ?
If you can, this is the master socket, and you'll want to run the extension from there to where you want it. Obviously you want the master socket for whatever phone line you wish to extend.
The bottom plate that comes off first is where you'll want to make the connection - it looks like http://www.skyuser.co.uk/tutorials/ringwire/ringwireremoved.jpg from the other side. You would want to punch down the blue wire (with white stripes) to the terminal marked 2, and the white wire (with blue stripes) to 5, and do the same at the other socket
If the socket is in a normal backbox (not sunk into the wall) you should be able to drill into it, but check to see you won't hit any wires.
Out of interest do you have BT infinity / fibre optic service where the socket has a filter on, that looks like https://community.bt.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/29497i901F9461E03770BA?v=mpbl-1 ?
But it's a Linebox, not a Master Socket !
Yeah I do have BT Infinity and the socket is the same as the one in the last link :-)
I think I need a tutorial video showing how to connect this up, step by step lol. I don't wanna screw it up and then need to pay a fortune to get BT to come out and fix it lol.
If I do this myself, I'l get round to it in a few weeks as Im busy with other stuff at the moment.
Thanks
Baz
Semantics
In that case it should be straightforward and you can't do anything to make the line not work to the point where you'd have to get BT out (at worst you'll have to undo the connection you made in the master socket / Linebox).
I would expect youtube is full of videos on it, but it is not really very difficult at all
I was thinking of getting this, albeit a bit more expensive:
http://www.claritybroadband.co.uk/clxcart/BT-Openreach-Line-Engineer-s-xDSL-Extension-Kit.html
Baz
You would have to plug it in the socket your broadband modem currently uses, which means you'd have to move the modem to the other socket - meaning that you might get lower speeds and it's additional hassle that you don't need. It's only useful if you absolutely need to have your broadband router in a different place to the socket. If you want that, then buy this kit.
Otherwise I would still recommend running some cable to the linebox/master socket and connecting it straight to the phone line inside, as described before. There is less to go wrong. If you're worried about breaking something, you shouldn't be - it is really very simple
I have 30 metres of cable running from one room to the other with rj11 connectors on either end. I used it to connect a Sky HD box to the master/line socket.
Instead of buying another length of cable, can I cut of the rj11 connection at one end and wire it into the master/line socket. At the other end cut of the rj11 connection and wire it into an extension socket?
Thanks
Baez
It is not the ideal way to do it. The standard CW1308 spec cable used for extension wiring is solid core twisted pair while the typical cable used in these types of leads is stranded core untwisted.
The IDC terminals on the phone sockets are designed for CW1308 type solid core but do work OK with stranded cable (as long as it is not the truly horrible "tinsel" wire).
Twisted pair cable is better at rejecting interference than untwisted "side by side" type cable. But unless you have particularly noisy mains wiring or lots of kit chucking out loads of electrical interference it shouldn't be a problem.
I would not recommend it for extending your broadband connection but for an ordinary phone it should do the job. As long as the wire goes into the IDC terminals OK and makes a good electrical contact, some very thin wires can fail to make any contact with the terminals.