UK Question regarding Internet phone line

[Uplight99]

Not sure if this is right place to ask, but anyway.

Long story short, signed for BT and are getting the equipment delivered tomorrow. This building used to be a pub and has been converted into flats.

BT have run their check and have said there’s definitely a line somewhere in the flat, however I have looked in every room to no avail. It’s possible that the phone point is behind a plasterboard wall somewhere. They said they will get an engineer out to find the line/install one but I might have to wait a couple weeks.

I know it’s just the case of trying to locate where it is in the flat but I don’t know how to approach this. I am am electrician and I know if it wasn’t low voltage then I could probably find it. However as it’s low voltage cable I don’t know the process of finding it, this isn’t really my area of expertise.

Does anyone know an easy way to detect where this would be? If I can find it myself without having to get an engineer out it would be great. Maybe there’s some sort of tool that can detect the cable? Like a cable finder however as I said it’s low voltage so this won’t work

 

[Simon47]

The second picture you have posted looks like a phone line distrobution block, and that all looks like phone cable coming into it, but as you say that could be for the intercom system.

Yup, standard 201C box, with what looks like a 20 pair distribution cable coming into it from below. As long as the BT guy can get a cable from there to somewhere in your flat, then you should be good to go. Hopefully no-one has just hacked off all the cables because they were in their way (seen that).
BT technicians all have tone sets - one part connects to a cable and injects a signal, the other is a sensitive inductive pickup to search for it. Essential bit of kit given how their records "aren't always accurate", and cables can have a tendency to get ripped out or cut.

 

[Uplight99]

Yup, standard 201C box, with what looks like a 20 pair distribution cable coming into it from below. As long as the BT guy can get a cable from there to somewhere in your flat, then you should be good to go. Hopefully no-one has just hacked off all the cables because they were in their way (seen that).
BT technicians all have tone sets - one part connects to a cable and injects a signal, the other is a sensitive inductive pickup to search for it. Essential bit of kit given how their records "aren't always accurate", and cables can have a tendency to get ripped out or cut.

Thanks for the answer, exactly what I was looking for.

So you’re saying there’s a possibility that it may not even be possible for them to do it? I have been assured over the past couple weeks from multiple BT operators that there’s a “100% certainty” the engineer can sort it out. Going to be very annoyed if that’s not the case...

 

[shaun1]

Thanks for the answer, exactly what I was looking for.

So you’re saying there’s a possibility that it may not even be possible for them to do it? I have been assured over the past couple weeks from multiple BT operators that there’s a “100% certainty” the engineer can sort it out. Going to be very annoyed if that’s not the case...

If that is a bt box with a multi coming in then theres phone lines in building. And it looks like the white cables are outgoing lines to the flats. So the BT engineer can use their cable tracer to track it down in your flat, or worst case they will have to run another one from that service cupboard. They will likely just run it down the comunal halls stapled to the top of the skirting. Its pretty small and inconspicous.

 

[Uplight99]

If that is a bt box with a multi coming in then theres phone lines in building. And it looks like the white cables are outgoing lines to the flats. So the BT engineer can use their cable tracer to track it down in your flat, or worst case they will have to run another one from that service cupboard. They will likely just run it down the comunal halls stapled to the top of the skirting. Its pretty small and inconspicous.

Ok cheers.

The data cables are a huge mess as you can see from the picture and they don’t appear to be terminated in any way. Do you think this will be an issue? As I say I’ve never really worked on the data side of things so this stuff is all new to me.

 

[Simon47]

They aren't data cables, they are phone cables. While that DP is untidy, it is very very far from being the worst I've seen
For phones, each line uses one pair of wires - and as the smaller cables are usually 3 pair (that's the most common size used), thete will be unused pairs. So you'll see the blue/white pair connected, and the rest just left lying around.

 

[snowhead]

As above, that's quite common for a B.T. D.p

I used to work on /commercial buildings and it was very common to see that and worse.

The problem nowadays being the B.T engineer gets the job to install /repair a line to a specific property with an allocated time.
The job and time does not allow for tidying up a previous mess unless it's causing an issue related to the job.

As a note when I first started work it was for the G.P.O and although I worked on electrical and not telephones I worked in both Exchanges and Postal Sorting Offices.
No G.P.O telephone engineer would have left a D.p in that state, it's only since privatisation that the standard has dropped.

 

[telectrix]

reminds meof when i worked at Alstom.each office floor had a 100 pair box with all the extensions fed from it. almost evey week some employees would move their deak location and , of course, needed to keep the same extension number. this entailed finding the pairs he/she came from and the pairs he/she was moving to, and swapping then in the 100 pair box. over the years, it had turned into a rat's nest.. nothing labelled and so, 1 weekend I was given the job of tidying up.. re-dressing the cables and preparing a chart showing which terminals related to each number. 1 box took me 2 full days. the next 3 weekends were booked in for the others. when all had been done, boss fitted padlocks to the cabinets and gave me 1 set of keys while he kept the others locked away. telling everyone that nobody but me and him could access the cabinets on pain of disciplinary action. made me feel good.

 

[snowhead]

Bet you've still got the key Tel??

 

[Uplight99]

They aren't data cables, they are phone cables. While that DP is untidy, it is very very far from being the worst I've seen
For phones, each line uses one pair of wires - and as the smaller cables are usually 3 pair (that's the most common size used), thete will be unused pairs. So you'll see the blue/white pair connected, and the rest just left lying around.

Finally got through to BT to get an engineer sent out on the 27th. Apparently it’s down to the engineer if they want to enter a flat however so because of this virus I might have to wait even longer. Tempted to just do it myself...
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As above, that's quite common for a B.T. D.p

I used to work on /commercial buildings and it was very common to see that and worse.

The problem nowadays being the B.T engineer gets the job to install /repair a line to a specific property with an allocated time.
The job and time does not allow for tidying up a previous mess unless it's causing an issue related to the job.

As a note when I first started work it was for the G.P.O and although I worked on electrical and not telephones I worked in both Exchanges and Postal Sorting Offices.
No G.P.O telephone engineer would have left a D.p in that state, it's only since privatisation that the standard has dropped.

So it’s basically just a case of getting a phone cable from that box into my flat? If so then surely I could just do it myself? I have the tools to terminate data/phone cables

 

[Uplight99]

They aren't data cables, they are phone cables. While that DP is untidy, it is very very far from being the worst I've seen
For phones, each line uses one pair of wires - and as the smaller cables are usually 3 pair (that's the most common size used), thete will be unused pairs. So you'll see the blue/white pair connected, and the rest just left lying around.

Got in my loft and managed to track 2 phone cables and a coax down the wall and managed to locate them in a box hidden in the wall. I think these are the phone cables however they don’t have the faceplate on them, they’ve just been connected blocked with the blue and white cores and left in the back of the box. Are these the right cables? If so is it just the case of terminating the blue and white cores into the phone line face plate?

 

[freddo]

as there are 2 cables, the other could be going to a point somewhere. If you can't trace it you will have to wait for BT. I wouldn't recommend attaching phone sockets to random wires sticking out the wall!

 

[Uplight99]

as there are 2 cables, the other could be going to a point somewhere. If you can't trace it you will have to wait for BT. I wouldn't recommend attaching phone sockets to random wires sticking out the wall!

I followed where the cat5 went to and it seems to drop down the wall behind some tiles where the kitchen is. As it’s tiled I can’t trace it. Maybe it’s behind the kitchen worktops?

 

[westward10]

I suggest you leave well alone you have no idea what you are tampering with.

 

[Uplight99]

I suggest you leave well alone you have no idea what you are tampering with.

You’re probably right mate but that wasn’t the answer I was looking for. If it’s just the case of terminating the cores I’m more than competent enough to do so.

 

[westward10]

You’re probably right mate but that wasn’t the answer I was looking for. If it’s just the case of terminating the cores I’m more than competent enough to do so.

Anyone can terminate a few cores but you have absolutely no idea what they are doing.