house has a BT line, looks like a nte5 socket i think (http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u...tiger/NTE5.jpg)

The router and phone are plugged directly into the master test socket (bottom right) via a filter (as the user faceplate has been removed completely! and the wires that would supply this cut and pushed back into recess), leaving a look very much like image above.

is this the best way for BB speed, and would popping an 'i-plate' on be of use to this situation?

thanks

The wires are actually to extension sockets.

If you look at the back of the faceplate you'll see a BT style plug poking out that plugs into the test socket. This is then split to the socket on the face plate and the terminal blocks the extensions are wired to.

So in fact there would be little if any performance drop if you put the faceplate back on as the extensions that may have been giving you problems (if indeed that is why you did this in the first place) are no longer connected.

You can also get faceplates from places like Solwise that incorporate the ADSL filter into the back of the plate. These have both a normal phone socket and the RJ11 socket for the modem on the front. They also have filtered terminations for extension sockets. If you need extensions then this type of faceplate may be a better bet than a normal one or even the iplate.

By the way if you were using extensions did you use filters in all the extensions with phones plugged in? That would certainly upset your broadband connection.

It look as though it may have been incorrectly wired to me. The backplate should have only two wires connected to it: to A & B. All the extension wiring should be to the faceplate. Having done that a pre-filtered face plate often makes difference to Broadband, negates the the need for filters on every extension, and looks a lot neater.

If you plan to do any rewiring yourself - beware. You are not supposed to touch the wiring to the backplate as that is BT's 'demarcation point'.

should state that that is not a photo of my setup. just an example of the socket. mine has no front to it, and the filter is plugged into (what i called earlier) the master socket, this is now known to be the test socket (the bit on the left when the cover is off)
therefore my question on is this better than i-plate

all the i-plate does is take the effect the ring wire has on adsl out of the equation(basically the same as disconnecting it completely). this only applies if you have ext'ns connected(which you don't) so therefore the setup you have will be fine. if you wanted you could get an adsl filtered faceplate, then do away with the filter. these sometimes have a better filter inside them and can improve the quality(though only by a little), and then negate the need for any additional filters in the house if you ever decide to have an ext'n.

there are extensions in the house. built in
they go from this as there are a group of wire i cannot pull easily out, plus the set that have been cut which look like they connect to the mising 'face'

If these extensions are off the same line as the NTE5 and the NTE5 is indeed the point at which the incoming BT line is terminated then someone has wired your house up incorrectly (at the very least!)

The whole point of the NTE5 is that the line and the line alone terminates on the bit left screed to the wall. All customer side equipment MUST be attached to the removable face plate. That is so you can totally isolate all customer equipment from the line for fault finding and testing.

If you get a fault on the line and Openreach come out and find extensions wired off the line terminals of the NTE5 they are not going to be best pleased. And could well charge you to wire the extensions up correctly.

what?! even if it was as part of the house when we moved in? and all i want to do is make it look better!

There should never ever be any extension wiring terminated on the backing box of the NTE5. That contravenes the rules. The whole point of the NTE 5 is that ALL customer side wiring is attached to the removable face plate where it can be completely isolated from the line in the event of a fault.

That makes it easier for you and BT (or whoever you rent the line from) to check if the fault lies with the network or your wiring. By wiring to the incoming line someone has broken that rule. So when you need a visit from Openreach (who maintain the network) they are well within their rights to remove this extension wiring and are not obliged to put it back correctly (depending on how much of a jobsworth you get ) and you may well face a charge!

If I were you I would get a replacement face plate and rewire the extensions properly to the faceplate. Technically you are not meant to touch the BT line but if you are careful you could cut off the extension wires very close to the terminals. Just don't leave any bare copper showing that could short out. Just be aware that the line carries 50V DC all the time which can make your fingers tingle a bit and the ring voltage can certainly give you a belt. So insulated tools are a must! If you don't fancy a bit of DIY some electricians are willing to do phone wiring.