Can I move my Master BT Socket?
This is a question I get asked repeatedly. Can I move my Master BT Socket?
Is it legal to move the main socket?
There is no law regarding your master BT socket. Just a contract.
When it was originally installed, sometimes in such a ridiculous place, you will want to move it.
Sometimes the wiring has been installed by the builder or electrician, with no thought to the end users requirements.
Who wants a master socket installed behind their front door or on a window sill?
As the house owner you can have it where you want it.
No one can tell you different, it’s your house.
The contract in place is to protect the supplier from bad installation practices, It does not protect you.
In regards to the original BT installation, that was to suit the person before you.
BT Openreach, also do not hide wiring and ugly installations are commonplace.
Drilling through door and window frames, wires on show down internal walls.
Wires clipped to skirting boards and many more amateur techniques.
Want to move your master BT socket as the place it is in presently, does not work for you.
This is no problem, as long as the work is competent and does not interfere with your service, causing unnecessary call outs.
Who’s going to know? Will it work?
There are no records of every wire installed in every house in the UK.
As long as it is a competent installation, it will be fine.
Is it dangerous?
No, Its scarier crossing a London road.
Am I breaking the law?
What law is there to break? You are in a contract with certain requirements.
Openreach are not the law, just another large corporation.
If the cable comes from overhead, don’t lower its height – attach to it and reroute.
Does anybody really care?
I suggest “not really”, the socket is where you want it to be now. You are what matters.
It is not a gas or electric meter.
It will not kill you.
You are only bound by a “contract” not a designated law regarding a corporation & you.
BT boundary for your wiring responsibility
The picture below, taken from the Openreach website clearly shows the way they see your contract. It states:
BT Home Improvement Service – information and charges
We won’t be able to tell you if there’s a charge
until after an engineer visits your premises.
It’s free of charge if the problem is with our network
outside the boundary of your premises.
As you can see, the purple line denotes that you are responsible for any wiring after the
boundary line of your premises.
Moving the master makes no difference to the contract scenario.
You’ll still be responsible regardless of it being moved or not.
Can I move my Master BT Socket to a new location
Here is an installation of a master socket that the homeowner was not at all happy about. Would you be?
The Openreach employee had no idea of what they was doing, drilling from outside, in to the house.
Damaging the window sill, leaving a loop of wire on show and showing how “not” to install a BT master socket
On this occasion, the socket was removed, the wiring pulled out and shifted
to where it should have been when first installed.
Down near the skirting and next to a power socket. A reasonable place and no damage to the property.
Openreach would not come back and fix their bad work:
Instead they quoted £130+vat to replace the socket.
Can I move my Master BT Socket? Yes..!
My master socket is in the wrong place
I have seen master sockets installed in various strange places.
BT engineer London can move any socket to any location you require.
If your master socket is in the wrong place, we can move it.
This installation by Openreach shows a situation you don’t have to put up with.
The client was told by the Openreach employee,
“the incoming wire comes through at the top of the window, the master socket needs to go at this point“.
This is not the case, you can have the socket anywhere you want within the guidelines set out by your provider, during installation.
In this instance we removed the socket and connection box, pulled out the incoming wire and re-run it
closer to the front part of the house.
Drilled through the wall and installed the socket in a more acceptable location.
It now sits behind the TV in the lounge.
Can I move my Master BT Socket? – Of course you can!
Just don’t mess it up…! Or it could cost you.
This makes so much sense. Thanks for the write up. It puts it all into perspective. A master BT socket is really a piece of wire with a box on the end. I have since moved mine and couldn’t be happier. The original must have been installed 30 years ago and was completely in the wrong place. Thanks again.
Hi, 30 years ago broadband wasn’t about, Im sure it was time for an update. Im glad it helped. Bob
I read some comments online regarding this scenario, my master socket was installed by BT a few weeks back, so many said “it’s illegal to touch it”. I cannot believe people listen to such rubbish. Anyway the workmanship by Openreach was so terrible I had no choice other than to do it myself. Great write up.
Theres nothing worst than seeing wires on show when they can be easily hidden. Best of luck. Bob
I need to move my master socket (now on windowsill). But the outside supply cable is not long enough to move socket near to skirting. How can I use a new continuous longer length of supply cable?
You would need to get some external grade telephone cabling & a waterproof joint to extend it.
Better than that if you’re London or Essex bound, give us a call.
Thanks Bob.
Hi Bob, my master socket is in the hallway & I also have an extension socket behind my TV but when i connect my router to it, it doesn’t work. Can you kindly advise.
Cheers
Thanks for your enquiry. You may have an SSFP socket in the hallway (Service specific Front Plate). It’s a socket that stops the broadband from continuing down the line. Email a pic of the hallway socket & I can advise. Best regards.
I want drill a hole for curtains but my master socket is in the way. It’s a 5c mk4 and I need to drill about a foot above it. Does the wiring in wall run down to the ground or up through the ceiling? Many thanks
Hi, sorry I would have no way of knowing how the original cable was put in. It could go either way. When installing a BT master socket to your premise you can generally see the cabling come from outside to in. If you have a “new build” then generally an electrician or builder will run the cabling of which becomes your property. If it is fitted into the wall, you could undo the retaining screws of the telephone socket and see which way the cables run. Thanks for your enquiry.
If I am wanting to move my master socket who do I use would it be an electrician? Or someone more specific to phone lines etc? Thank you in advance.
Hi Leanne – Why would you use an electrician?? Would you use a gardener makes as much sense?
Always use the skilled trade:
A telephone engineer will be able to test your connection on completion. A telephone engineer will have the correct tools.
A telephone engineer will know how to correct any related broadband problems to give you the best speeds possible.
An electrician does electrics not communications.
Thanks for a good and honest post Bob. Our master socket is near window sill in the corner of the house and also extended internally to a tv connection point. Now while both are in living room, we struggle with wifi signal at fsr corners of the house. So ideal place would be near entrance porch to put a router, as its in center of the house. The best way to do this would be to extend the wire externally and move the socket. So hopfully entire house gets enough signal. Please advice.
Hi Sid: All housing construction is different, thicker walls, foiled insulation etc.- Wifi signals in general, if sent from a central point in the building are transmitted more efficiently around the area. Saying that though, it will depend on the size of your property. Wifi isn’t infinite – It has a send & receive range.
Yes is the answer to your question: At the incoming point of the BT wire, install a new comms wire to the new location. If the wire is to be used externally get an external grade wire.
Hi, my original socket was in my hallway & when I went with BT a few years ago they suggested I use the socket in my bedroom as the main socket, as at the time my PC was in the bedroom. Since then I have left BT and want my socket in the hallway to be the master. Everything we use that needs WiFi is downstairs.
When I asked a Sky employee about this he said “BT had done something to my socket and I’d have to stick with using the one upstairs.
This causes issues when we all need the internet at the same time.
Can you please advise?
Many thanks Alison
Hi Alison – This can be easily rectified. The Sky employee is not a telephone engineer.
Any local Ex-BT engineer would be able to do this for you quite easily.
Have you tried finding a local ex BT engineer? What area are you in?
Try here: http://ex-btengineer.co.uk/
Lets get it sorted for you – If you need any assistance in finding someone, let know via email: btengineerlondon@gmail.com
Thanks.