Re-wiring
This guide was originally
created to show users how to replace and re-wire the user side internal
telephone cabling with Category5e/6 cable in an attempt to reduce interference
that could hinder broadband services like xDSL.
However is now updated with
other tips and tricks to improve line stats further.

Contents
Front Cover.................................................................................. 1
Contents Page.............................................................................. 2
Introduction................................................................................. 3
The Rules..................................................................................... 4
Cable Education.......................................................................... 5
Tools and Items Needed.............................................................. 6
Getting Started............................................................................. 7
Extension Wiring...................................................................... 22
Ring what?................................................................................. 30
Help with Extension Wiring.................................................... 39
Other interesting stuff/notes..................................................... 41
Bibliography.............................................................................. 42
Introduction
Hi, the first thing a lot of people will
be wondering is why!?! The answer is simple. With rate adaptive services
becoming common in the
So… having more speed for your money is a
good incentive! But there are other factors that can play into it. RF
Interference - Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) from devices as simple as an
AM radio can interfere with xDSL signals and this can be very annoying, and can
result in slower connection speeds, and even connection drops. Some other
examples of devices can be an old TV (or even a neighbours’ TV next door), a
radio, lighting (some Christmas lights can be especially bad). Here is a memo
that BT passed to ISP’s;
“It has come to BT's attention that an
extremely small percentage of seasonal lighting, which can be used both
internally and externally, may cause interference with the broadband service.
When the lighting control unit is set to any mode other than a steady state it
may generate high levels of radio frequency noise and may cause the broadband
service to lose synchronization.”
Other reasons could be that the carpet installers
nailed and stabled though your phone line, which can not only slows your rate
adaptive xDSL service down or make’s it inoperable
but it can also interfere with your POTS (Plain old telephone service).
Another reason for rewiring with cat5e/6
is that a lot of users will have poor quality telephone cable such as none
twisted pair ALARM cable, this cable just wasn’t designed to carry xDSL signals and should be replaced if it’s causing a fault
or hindering performance.
So you now want to learn how? Well first
there are some rules. But before the rules I must just point out that I am
going to add material from other sources (all listed throughout and at the end
of this document), along with notes, comment’s and pictures from myself. If
things seem repetitive, don’t worry it’s simply because I want you to
understand it fully and not make a total cock-up of it all.
The task is very simple, just read the
WHOLE guide before starting with anything, and make sure you understand it all,
especially the rules…
The Rules
and Main points
Just before the rules there is one main
point, if it’s not broke, then don’t fix it! As it is probably not worthwhile
replacing good quality twisted pair telephone cable, that is in a good
condition and well terminated, replacing cable in that state with cat5e/6 can
show very little or no improvement.
If you know how to get your line-stats
from your modem/router then do so, then if an NTE5 Master Socket (covered later
in this guide) is fitted, take the line-stats from test socket and compare. If
a big improvement is seen, due to the poor extension cabling etc, then rewiring
could be a good decision to make.
1) If you do not know what you’re doing;
pay a professional to do it.
2) You must NOT replace or move any of BT’s property; this
includes but is not limited to the following;
The Master line box is the "demarcation" point between your telephone equipment, wiring and BT's Exchange Line.
The reason this is so, is that everything on your side of the master, is your problem. Everything on BT's side, including the Master line box itself, is BT's problem. It needs to stay this way!
Now if you want to something along the lines of; move the Master socket (to get rid of the crap wire between that junction box and master socket) or to relocate the Master socket to where the drop cable enters your premises, then to do this is YOUR choice, if you mess it up, then you will need BT to sort it out, IF they sort it out for you that is (keep reading).
If you successfully move your Master socket to have more “high quality user-side wiring” then good for you, but it is ILLEGAL to do this, if it is clear and obvious that you moved it yourself and BT issue’s a fine and/or terminate your line. Don’t say you weren't warned.
That was the warning… just in case you didn’t understand the ILLEGAL part.
3) When inserting wires into IDC terminals, use the correct tool! DO NOT use a flat blade headed screw driver, as this pushes the blades apart and doesn’t make a good connection in the wire (if it makes a connection at all!).
The whole point of this exercise is to upgrade your normal or damaged cable to high quality cable, but badly terminated connections (by not using the correct tools!) can make it worse that just using rubbish cable.
So when wiring to IDC terminal’s please use the correct tool, as IDC tools can be found as cheap as 49p!
4) Your new Category 5e/6 cable must be SOLID core cable. Most cable you buy over 10meters is usually solid core, but check! This is very important because the IDC connectors are not designed to terminate STRANDED core cable.
5) Rule 5 – this rule is an easy one, and it’s to ensure you read every word in this guide.
You must understand it all, before doing ANYTHING!
If you find yourself breaking this rule in anyway, then you MUST follow rule 1. J
Cable
Education
The list below shows the current versions of category cable
Cat 1: Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA. Previously used for POTS telephone communications, ISDN and doorbell wiring.
Cat 2: Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA. Previously was frequently used on 4Mbit/s token ring networks.
Cat 3: Current cable standard, used for data networks utilizing frequencies up to 16MHz. Popular for 10 Mbit/s Ethernet networks.
Cat 4: Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA. Provided performance of up to 20MHz, and was frequently used on 16Mbit/s token ring networks.
Cat 5: Currently unrecognized by TIA/EIA. Provided performance of up to 100MHz, and was frequently used on 100Mbit/s Ethernet networks. Suitable for 1000BASE-T gigabit Ethernet.
Cat 5e: Provides performance of up to 125MHz, and is frequently used for 1000BASE-T gigabit Ethernet.
Cat 6: Defined by the ANSI TIA/EIA 568B-2.1. It provides performance of up to 250MHz, more than double category 5 and 5e.
As you can see CAT5e cable supports frequencies up to 125MHz and with ADSL running at up to 1.1MHz, ADSL2+ at up to 2.2MHz and VDSL2 into double figures.
So using CAT5e/6 for your extensions
defiantly means it will be stable, and due to the high quality of the cable, interference
at the lower frequencies will be reduced, as all category cable is backward
compatible.
|
Pair |
Colour |
Pair |
|
1 |
BLUE |
1 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
3 |
GREEN |
3 |
|
4 |
BROWN |
4 |
Above shows the colour of the pairs found
in CAT5e/6 cable, and lists the number of the pair.
Below shows a picture of some gray solid
core CAT5e cable with the outer sheath removed to show the twisted pairs.

Tools
and items needed
Items needed are going to be tools/equipment, time, and of course… cable.
Of course you can purchase any of your items from the place of your choice.
Getting Started
When in possession of all your tools and have the amount cable needed, your first thing is to make a map of your current wiring setup; this is done to just help you know what you’re replacing. Doing this can also help you understand rule2 (see above) make sure you know what is yours to replace, and what is BT’s. Please make sure you read this entire guide before starting, as you do not want to get halfway thru and then end up getting stuck.
Next I am just going to go through some basic socket education.
No matter what type of socket you have, they are very simple to understand.
This table shows the main types of sockets you should find in your premises.
If it is different, try do a little bit of research before starting.
“LJU = Line Jack Unit”
|
LJU1 |
Dimensions: 55 mm x 55 mm x 25 mm |
|
LJU1/1A |
Master IDC Socket, with a capacitor, resistor and surge
arrestor. |
|
LJU1/3A |
Secondary (extension) IDC socket without any components fitted. |
|
LJU1/4A |
Master screw terminal version of LJU1/1A. |
|
LJU1/6A |
Secondary screw terminal version of LJU1/3A |
|
LJU2 |
Dimensions: 68 mm x 68 mm x 25 mm |
|
LJU2/1A |
Master IDC Socket, with a capacitor, resistor and surge
arrestor. |
|
LJU2/2A |
PABX Master IDC Socket, with a capacitor, but no resistor or
surge arrestor. |
|
LJU2/3A |
Secondary (extension) IDC socket without any components fitted. |
|
LJU2/3C |
Secondary (extension) IDC Socket is as a 3A but with reverse
configuration (left latching), designed to accept 430/630 plugs rather than
the normal 431/631 plugs. |
|
LJU2/4A |
Master screw terminal version of LJU2/1A. |
|
LJU2/5A |
PABX Master screw terminal version of LJU2/2A. |
|
LJU2/6A |
Secondary screw terminal version of LJU2/3A |
|
LJU2/7A |
Master for a table top payphone (contains an earth connection
for lightning protector) |
|
LJU3 |
Dimensions: 85 mm x 85 mm |
|
LJU3/1A |
Master IDC Socket, with a capacitor, resistor and surge
arrestor. |
|
LJU3/2A |
PABX Master IDC Socket, with a capacitor, but no resistor or
surge arrestor. |
|
LJU3/3A |
Secondary (extension) IDC socket without any components fitted. |
|
LJU3/3C |
Secondary (extension) IDC Socket is as a 3A but with reverse
configuration (left latching), designed to accept 430/630 plugs rather than
the normal 431/631 plugs. |
|
LJU3/4A |
Master screw terminal version of LJU3/1A. |
|
LJU3/5A |
PABX Master screw terminal version of LJU3/2A. |
|
LJU3/6A |
Secondary screw terminal version of LJU3/3A |
The main difference upon looking at an LJU style line-box is the size of the unit; all can be different in terms of how they are mounted to the wall. Most users will have an LJU style master / or an NTE5 master and an LJU slave (secondary extension), that is, if any extensions are installed.
Of course if you do not have any extensions then you have no user-side wiring to replace, as the only wire you as the end-user are allowed to replace is the cabling after the Master socket, have a look up at Rule-2. As you may have guessed you can learn a lot from this guide, but you have already been warned if you are attempting to do something along the lines of; Relocate the Master nearer to the drop-cable (where BT’s cable enters the premise), and then using cable such as Cat5e/Cat6 to a new extension (where your Master Socket was originally situated)
Again I will point out you are NOT allowed to do this; as it would breach your contract with BT, just contact BT and get them do it, simply ask for a Master Socket relocate.
If you’re looking to install your own extensions, then this guide does cover how to do this (but not the DIY side of it), if you are looking to use Category5e/6 cable then you’re a wise person. J
Take a look at all the pictures of the front and back of the sockets, familiarise yourself with them and your own equipment.
This guide will show you how to wire your extensions from an NTE5 type master socket using Cat5e/6 cable. If you have LJU type master socket and wish to use an NTE5 ADSL face plate, you are not out of luck! The NTE5 can be installed legally by the user.
(Or contact BT and they will fit one for around Ł30)
This guide shows how
to wire the extensions in IDC terminals not the Screw types.
Extra Note: If you
have an LJU style Master line-box, they are exactly the same as the LJU
extension sockets apart from the extension sockets do not have components inside,
So wiring to them is
practically the same as wiring to NTE faceplate or extensions.
Now
nearly every BT Master line-box installed since around the 1980's has been this
kind.
As you can see, the lower half is separate in three sections. The rear section
on this picture is the surface mount "back-plate" however this could
be embedded in the wall as a flush mount. The top front section is the front,
this holds the master components.
The separate lower front panel is the "face-plate” / “front-plate".
So if your BT master socket isn't this type, then devices
like ADSL-Nation’s superb XTE faceplate adaptor and BT’s NTE5 ADSL adaptor faceplate
are of NO USE to you, as they replace the lower front half of the NTE5
unit, with a face-plate that contains the filter components.
If you wish to use an ADSL-faceplate then you just wire one up as normal, depending on what kind of extension setup you want, (this is explained in the included instructions)
If you would like to acquire and fit your own NTE5 line box, you can still
legally do so.
As long as your not breaking Rule-2 by replacing the current BT Master Socket with your own
custom NTE5.
Many places sell NTE5 units.
Austin Taylor sells NTE5’s.
Get to http://www.austin-taylor.co.uk/pages/nte5.htm
Clarity.it sells NTE5's.
Get to http://www.clarity.it/acatalog/lineboxes.html
Solwise.co.uk sells NTE5’s, other items and tools.
Get to http://www.solwise.co.uk/telesun.htm
Many more places will sell or resell the NTE5 Master Line Box, but again these are not BT Master Sockets, and as said, should not be used to completely replace the BT Line box.
I will cover this fact in more detail below; this is a side note about the rear of the NTE5 and its faceplate.
Below shows a picture of the same NTE5 shown above found on Google Image search, this time it shows the rear of the NTE5 Socket.

For more pictures, read my section on wiring the NTE5, but take notice that on the NTE5 above, you can see six terminals on the face plate.
Some may have 1-6, some have 2-5 (as 1 and 6 do not do anything anyway, and ADSL faceplates usually come with 2-5 and AB (not the BT AB connectors) the AB connectors on the ADSL faceplates are used for extensions as terminals 2 and 5 are, they are for if you choose to have ADSL and VOICE or just VOICE services on your extensions or not.
When using an ADSL faceplate, I will point out that when using the AB connectors for extensions instead of 2 and 5 connectors, the wire you would place in 2 connects to B, and the wire you connect to 5, connects to A.
You must not completely replace the BT master socket with a
custom NTE5 unit, as rule-2 says.
Replacing your BT Master Socket with a custom NTE5 is a breach of BT
regulations and is illegal, and you could face consequences as described in rule-2.
How will BT tell? Well for starters only the BT installed NTE5's have the little BT logo in the top left of the unit, the logo can be a T in a circle with two dots at the right section of the T the T logo can appear in the top right of the unit, or more recently the BT Piper logo (as shown on the NTE5 I use in the wiring section).

Note: the built in BT logo in the top left corner. (As said this can be a T in a circle also)

If you are
without a BT NTE5 style Master Line Box, and unable to use the BT ADSL
faceplate, or ADSL-Nations XTE2005 ADSL face-plate instead of micro-filters,
then here is how to add your own custom NTE5 as purchased from any the places
listed above.
Again; RULE-2!
All you have to do is install your custom NTE5 master socket as the very first
extension off the BT Master socket, and then install your extension sockets
from your custom NTE5.
Basically, you have your BT Master
socket, going to your custom NTE5, going to your extensions. Simple!
Below is a simple drawing I made
in MS-Paint of what I just said above;

The diagram should be self-explanatory as it shows what colours go where. If
you do not understand that diagram then you are breaking Rule-5 and should follow Rule-1,
then you get a BT NTE5 anyway which replaces the LJU style, and then there is
no fuss at all.
I do actually recommend spending
the small amount to get BT to replace your old style master socket with an NTE5
master socket, as it just makes things a lot simpler.
However…
The exchange line connection
points on the rear of the NTE5 unit, are two screw plate terminals marked A and
B (as shown how to wire later on). Connect extension wires 2 & 5 (Blue and
White/Blue) from the BT Master to these terminals, and you now have a working
NTE5 Master Socket. Now you can fit an ADSL face plate and/or wire your
extensions.
All you are doing is pretending
the custom NTE5 is really your real master socket.
As said in Rule-2 an existing
extension cable running from a non-NTE5 master socket to an extension socket,
might also be BT property and technically
you should not move or replace it.
If a BT engineer ever comes round,
and you've replaced your BT master socket illegally with a non-BT master socket
then he/she is likely to issue one of the two consequences I mentioned in Rule-2, but they probably would not be
bothered about the extension cabling. So
if you're not sure about the ownership of an existing extension and the cable
after the master socket, then you should come get BT to remove it, like before
if BT come round they will probably install an NTE5 anyway, so then no need for
the custom NTE5. The choice, as always, is yours.
Now if you do not have any extensions
and you are installing extensions from the LJU style master box you will need
to know how the cabling works on the back of it.
|
Pin |
Use |
Drop Cable. |
Master Socket |
1st Secondary Socket |
2nd Secondary Socket |
Pin |
|
1 |
Not used |
None |
Green/White |
Green/White |
Green/White |
1 |
|
2 |
'B' wire (-50V to earth) |
|
Blue/White |
Blue/White |
Blue/White |
2 |
|
3 |
|
None |
Orange/White |
Orange/White |
Orange/White |
3 |
|
4 |
Earth (PABX use only) |
None |
White/Orange |
White/Orange |
White/Orange |
4 |
|
5 |
'A' wire (0V to earth) |
White |
White/Blue |
White/Blue |
White/Blue |
5 |
|
6 |
Not used |
None |
White/Green |
White/Green |
White/Green |
6 |
The above shows how the drop cable wires go to pins 2 and 5, (these you should not touch)
Note: The incoming cable wires before the master socket could be any colour, not just Orange or White, if it's a second line then they might be a Green or Black pair, or even Red/Slate, or Blue/Brown, maybe the incomer is not drop wire at all, so might be Blue –White/Blue or Red - Blue on even older cables, but you shouldn’t be touching them anyway!
If wiring from an LJU style master, you can wire up to the LJU extensions using those colour codes as shown in the table above.
(When using Cat5e/6) you have 4 twisted pairs (8wires)
|
Pair |
Colour |
Pair |
|
1 |
BLUE |
1 |
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
3 |
GREEN |
3 |
|
4 |
BROWN |
4 |
Four pairs, 8 wires, 4 coloured, 4 white with colours mixed on.

On your phone cable you usually will have BLUE/WHITE and WHITE/BLUE, this means when BLUE comes first, it is mainly BLUE with WHITE splodges, and visa-versa.
On Cat5e/Cat6 the First colour is usually solid with no white splodges.
1=GREEN
2=BLUE
3=
4=WHITE/ORANGE
5=WHITE/BLUE
6=WHITE/GREEN
(and you have BROWN and WHITE/BROWN) as a spare pair if
needed at a future date.
That’s it for me explaining on LJU style
masters, if going from an LJU master to a custom NTE5,
The Blue wire on pin2 goes to the B connector on the back of the NTE5
And the White/Blue wire on pin5 goes to the A connector on the back of the NTE5.
Now if you have a BTNTE5 or a custom installed NTE5 (see above) then you are all sorted and ready to start the rewiring of your user wiring. If no NTE5 is installed, the next section explains all about installing an NTE5, and the user-wiring. If wiring from an LJU type Master Socket, then that is covered later on.
The face-plate on the NTE5 connects user side wiring to the Master socket by the dummy plug, this goes into the test socket (this is the socket used to test if your user-side wiring is at fault). Before you begin you may want to get the “line stats” from your modem/router, so you can do a before and after. The choice is yours.
However if your line-stats taken from your extensions/face
plate, are the same as in the test socket, then no improvement will be found
when rewiring to cat5e/6.
The following assumes your master socket is an NTE5 type if it’s the LJU style
and you do not wish to install a custom NTE5 then just follow what is said, and
mainly look the how to wire extensions (below) because the LJU style extensions
are the same as the LJU style master, apart from the extensions do not have the
master components fitted.
The NTE5…

I am first going to show you how to wire up your custom NTE5,
Note: I must point out again, read this entire guide before doing anything!
If you have a BTNTE5, then all you will be doing is inserting user-side wiring to the front plate so browse down (or just read on if you are interested).
The information shown here must not be used in violation of RULE-2!
Below shows a picture of the rear of the whole NTE5 unit.

First loosen the A/B screw in plates by unscrewing them slightly.

Below shows my simulated A/B wires, Orange being the B wire and the White being the A wire (its Orange/White because I am using an orange pair from some Cat6 cable)
However your simulated A/B wires should be the Blue/White blue pair coming from your BT LJU style master socket.

Strip around 10mm of sheath from the wire to show the core, (this is the only time you will need to strip any sheath from the main core wire.)

Here shows the wires solid core with some sheath removed.

Next thread your cable under the screw in plates, like below.

Now I do this section so that more cable is making a contact, and a BT engineer has corrected me (see how to do it the BT way in the next few steps). But bend the core of the cable around something small, (like the higher metal part of your screw driver.) see below for the results.

Next gently pull the wires back so the two “hooks” you just made are around the screws,

Once ensuring that no wire with sheath is under the plate, and ensuring that as little cable is untwisted as possible. Screw the plates down tight.


(A small wire-tie can be placed around here. Securing the wires)
A “BT bod” is trained to strip back and then 'fold' back the exposed wire this then just goes under and through one side of the NTE screw in plate, not 'hooked' round as I showed.
The picture below shows the exposed core of the wire more clearly.

If doing it the BT way, follow as said above, or just do the “hooked” method as above, or place the core of the wire under the plate of the NTE screw.

And your done, the A/B cable will go away outside/or to your BT master socket, and yes! As you can see, this is a BT NTE5 I am working on, so thanks to the BT engineer again for supplying me with that for the purpose of helping you all with xDSL J

Now onto the main part, wiring the NTE5 face plate with Category5e/6 twisted pair solid core cable, an how many pages in are we before I got here!?!

Below shows a standard face-plate, yours could be different as it could have six terminals or it could be an ADSL-filter plate.

Remove some outer sheath from your cable (see extension section as I show how in more detail) (so yes READ all of these sections). Around two inch’s should be enough.

Now place the pairs along side of the little holder if there is one and secure
them with a wire tie, but take note, not to pull it really tight just yet, and
it will need rotating or the faceplate will not fit into the socket. Lay the
green and brown pair, around the top of socket out of the way like shown. (If
your face-plate is different it is up to you what you do with them), I am
keeping them there so you have a spare pair at least, if something goes wrong
in the future.

Trim the Green and Brown pair down, but not too short as that they can never be used.

Choose your cutter, you can be using disposable cheap IDC terminators or the actual tool, the choice is yours. I will be using the correct tool as it has little cutters, (see extension section as I demonstrate its use in more detail) (so yes READ all of these sections)

Undo the twists in the pairs as much as is necessary, and lay the wires flat across the correct IDC number, Blue over terminal 2, White/Blue over terminal 5.

Next just simply push down with your tool - all the way down.

Continue to do the other wires, if you are not connecting the ring wire (see Phil’s section for reasons for not connecting this, near the end of the guide) then just move it aside.

If connecting the ring wire, then do so.

When done it should look like this…

Note at the bottom, I have pulled the cable tie further around. Look at the picture of the complete NTE5 unit to see why…

See how at the bottom there isn’t very much room…your face-plate would not have been able to plug into the socket as the cable tie end would have blocked it.

Above shows the NTE5 all done. Apart from you should be using white Cat5e/6 cable (looks nicer in the home/office, but it depends how you want it to look) and the A/B wires will be behind the wall in a flush mount or something. Or the drop cable or what ever could come though a surface mount, either way, it doesn’t matter because this guide is showing you how to wire… remember rule 2?
Now onto the extensions, the following socket shown in the pictures is the LJU2/3A socket.
Here is a picture of the LJU2/1A (Master IDC) and LJU2/3A (Secondary IDC)

(The layout of the PCB can change, so your components can be in different places.)
Assuming you have cut your cable to the right length, and everything is good to go, let’s wire them up.
Cut the plug off the other end, (or if you have a huge amount of cable just cut it when it’s the correct length.)

Now thread the cable through the back-plate of the extension, or if it is a flush mount or surface mount… which ever.
Strip around two inch’s of outer sheath to reveal the twisted pairs.

Then untwist the pairs (as shown below)

Choose your weapon… For the extensions I am just going to use the proper tool as it has the little cutters.

Untwist the pairs and lay the correct colour over the correct IDC number (see the list above) you could also wire-tie your cat5e at this time (go down a few pictures to see).

Start to push down and the cable will be terminated in the blades.

Keep pushing to close the cutters and they will snip the excess cable off.

Now at this point, you can decide if you wish to leave the ringer off (as you can with the NTE5 face-plate),
I connected the green pair and pin4 for neatness. You can just choose to wire the blue pair in to terminals 2 and 5.

Just tuck it up around the socket like I have done with the brown pair, you can choose not to wire the ring wire to pin3 at the master or at all the extensions.
Personally I would wire it all at the extensions and leave it off at the master if you are one of the people who would like to disconnect the ring wire. This would make it so when you wanted to connect the ring wire, you just have to connect it at the master and then you’re done, rather than open all of the extensions to reinsert.

If you are just going to wire all of the contacts then it should now look like below.

Next is to secure the cable to the front of the socket, this can be done first or last or whenever… just make sure its done so yanking on the cable wont cause all of your wires to rip out of the IDC’s.

Pull it tight (but not so it crushes the Cat5e/6). Then just cut the excess tie off.

Next screw the face plate back onto the back plate/wall mount/which ever (I am showing how to rewire), so if you are installing extensions, you should have the basic DIY skills needed to screw the thing to the wall ;-)

Now here is a late addition to the guide, I got hold of an old LJ2/1A (LJU
style master socket) Thanks BT!

Below shows my simulated AB wires again, Orange being the B wire and the White being the A wire (its Orange/White because I am using an orange pair from some Cat6 cable)

Here shows the master socket with no extension wiring, the AB cable should go off into the wall or off somewhere… Again the AB cable at this point COULD be blue and blue/white as sometimes BT installs the AB cable to a junction box then uses normal phone cable to the master box. (It could be any colour…!)