topic Re: NTE5A and a master socket on the same line in Broadband & Landline

NTE5A and a master socket on the same line

YorkshireMidge — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 20:58:59 GMT

I have a situation in my house wiring where Openreach in the past have installed a master socket off an NTE5A and I wondered if anyone had come across problems if that has been done? I've only just stumbled across the issue and I can actually see how it has arisen so extra detail is provided below for the curious. It seems to me that as a minimum, if a line test is done by EE/BT with the NTE5A face plate in place, it will give potentilaly incorrect readings.

History:

There is a two pair U/G cable into our house - and one pair was terminated on the NTE5A, and there is a two pair internal cable going up into my home office. I would expect pins 2,5,3 to have been originally connected through to a secondary single outlet socket.

I then became a homeworker for several years - and a separate business broadband and business line was brought in on the second pair. Because that needed to be in my home office too, Openreach pinched pin 3 to form a second pair over the internal cable and crimped them directly to the incoming pair. The internal cable and two lines terminate on what I have just found out is a dual MASTER socket. I have a vague memory that you can simply cut the components off a master socket to turn it into a secondary and given the way Openreach chose to do this, I expected that to have been done on the half of the dual socket that goes via the NTE5A.

That second service is long gone and will never be needed - so I'm minded to put everything back to how it would have been originally if there is potential for issues.

Re: NTE5A and a master socket on the same line

JimM11 — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:03:55 GMT

@YorkshireMidge Why do you think that there would be an issue, only one off the pair's would be a live connection the other would be disconnected if FTTC then back at the main street cabinet?

It's not easy to test now on a sogea connection as no voice element or dial tone anymore connection wise, just high frequency data. Do you need to have a possible connection where you wish to have the Hub operating off two socket's so you can move it about? old linked post from a while back once i find and link it below. Still looking for the post,

Typical wiring master to extension.

Re: NTE5A and a master socket on the same line

YorkshireMidge — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 07:51:58 GMT

@JimM11 I'm not concerned about the ceased business broadband circuit - that bypassed the NTE5A and terminates on the (dual) master. So it was a bit of a corner being cut to do it that way (there is no isolation point for the house wiring), but I kinda get why Openreach did it that way and was certainly a tidy solution.

My concern is Openreach used a dual master in my office for both lines so my live personal broadband circuit currently passes through the NTE5A and then goes to what is effectively a second master. See below. My thinking is that will alter the characteristics of the line - though I'm not sure if it will actually cause a problem or not. At the end of the day, I can put it back to how it used to be if there is no definitive answer as that second broadband service will never be needed again.

Re: NTE5A and a master socket on the same line

JimM11 — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 08:25:47 GMT

@YorkshireMidge Will not cause any issue's, i ran also two Master socket's on a single FTTC connection reason was very similar, Years back the sky Hub sat central in the hallway at the time going back 10years ago, and then relocated all the gear to a room upstairs as office so re-routed connection and installed 5c MK4 plate and changed wiring about as you can do with that faceplate to have the phone connected still to the Hallway Master socket. When i joined EE back Mar2024 do suspect they changed the FTTC to sogea or OR did cannot be sure, had a lot off issues OOB with the 6+ hub on the connection at the time but was incoming junction box OR direct crimped the AB connections and error's all disappeared after that, JB was circa 50years plus old but it was whatever it took to stabilise the 6+ Hub and NOT have sync issues on the modem stage.

I did run OR master socket in office, extension in the main bedroom, extension in the LR area and an extension in the hallway that one and still to this day is the secondary Master socket.... Now on FTTP so all cabling still in place should i need it, VF dropped the ball with the Line Transfer so has taken them 3 months 3 weeks to sort it all out, just got connection back mid last week but Number now gone pie in the sky so to speak 40 years number lost bit of a pain but it is primary an emergency use only landline NOW for sure...

Edit:- added master socket typical old style arrangement.... Once cleared for general viewing.

Depends really which filter plate's are installed but you will get the general idea.

Re: NTE5A and a master socket on the same line

YorkshireMidge — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 09:45:48 GMT

Great - thanks for the info/advice. I may well tidy it up at some point anyway if I have a spare single outlet secondary knocking about, but the key point was making sure it wasn't likely to have been causing any background issues over the years to add to the ones I've already hit following my Plusnet to EE shift.

Re: NTE5A and a master socket on the same line

JimM11 — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 10:01:39 GMT

@YorkshireMidge No problems, you have nothing to worry about connection wise, you hit the Fan straight away and i suspect your BT Smart Hub 2 will hold it's own with zero issues hardware wise.😶👍