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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
 
Your best bet is probably to look outside the building and see if you can find any sign of the cable entering and try to follow it from there.

You say it is now flats, do you know if there was multiple cables installed (i.e. to each flat after conversion) or if this cable used to supply the pub, and now might only be in the one (probably ground) floor that presumably is just one of the flats?
 
Your best bet is probably to look outside the building and see if you can find any sign of the cable entering and try to follow it from there.

You say it is now flats, do you know if there was multiple cables installed (i.e. to each flat after conversion) or if this cable used to supply the pub, and now might only be in the one (probably ground) floor that presumably is just one of the flats?

I dont know, BT seem to think there is one in the flat itself. I have asked my landlord and he has been useless, doesn’t even know the address of the building he owns let alone where the phone line could be...

In the electrics cupboard, where all the main fuses are, there are coax cables and data cables running into boxes. However I’m only a 3rd year apprentice and I never work on the data side of things so I don’t know if this could be anything to do with it? I’m tempted to start cutting holes in the plasterboard to try and find it. The woman on the phone when I called BT said the engineers will use some sort of tool to find where to line is. To me this sounds like a cable finder but would this not work on low voltage cables?
 
I dont know, BT seem to think there is one in the flat itself. I have asked my landlord and he has been useless, doesn’t even know the address of the building he owns let alone where the phone line could be...
That is sadly not surprising :(

In the electrics cupboard, where all the main fuses are, there are coax cables and data cables running into boxes. However I’m only a 3rd year apprentice and I never work on the data side of things so I don’t know if this could be anything to do with it? I’m tempted to start cutting holes in the plasterboard to try and find it. The woman on the phone
That sounds likely. The coax could be a TV/satellite dish cable, or it could be cable TV/broadband, while the rest could be phone lines. Can you post a photo?

I know this site is having problems with photos, but if they are less than 1000 x 1000 pixels it seems to work.

when I called BT said the engineers will use some sort of tool to find where to line is. To me this sounds like a cable finder but would this not work on low voltage cables?
They might have some specialised tool that they can send a test signal from the exchange, but I really have no idea as never dealt with it.
 
I wouldn’t go cutting holes in the wall if you’re just a tenant.

agree with above. Find the cable coming into the building and follow it.
If it’s a fairly recent conversion, or phone line, it’ll go to a bt or open reach master socket.
if it’s older, it’ll go to a little black jointbox, probably coming in through a wooden window frame
 
They might have some specialised tool that they can send a test signal from the exchange, but I really have no idea as never dealt with it.
if they can not find the line into the building ,and the line is to the building they will cut into it or new line in that will cost .
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I bet the op will be like a beaver tearing at the walls its got to be some were .lol.
 
I h
if they can not find the line into the building ,and the line is to the building they will cut into it or new line in that will cost .
[automerge]1589385917[/automerge]
I bet the op will be like a beaver tearing at the walls its got to be some were .lol.

I have called BT twice and spoken to two different people and they have both assured me there is definitely an existing phone line in the building somewhere so I won’t be charged an installation fee.
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That is sadly not surprising :(


That sounds likely. The coax could be a TV/satellite dish cable, or it could be cable TV/broadband, while the rest could be phone lines. Can you post a photo?

I know this site is having problems with photos, but if they are less than 1000 x 1000 pixels it seems to work.


They might have some specialised tool that they can send a test signal from the exchange, but I really have no idea as never dealt with it.

These are in the electrics cupboard, I think the mess of data cables is related to the intercom however these is an IP box underneath, not sure what this is for. However this cupboard is outside and I’m on the second floor so how on earth are they supposed to get a cable to here (if that’s the case?)
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if they can not find the line into the building ,and the line is to the building they will cut into it or new line in that will cost .
[automerge]1589385917[/automerge]
I bet the op will be like a beaver tearing at the walls its got to be some were .lol.
I have a loft so hopefully I can get up there and trace any cables?
 

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These are in the electrics cupboard, I think the mess of data cables is related to the intercom however these is an IP box underneath, not sure what this is for. However this cupboard is outside and I’m on the second floor so how on earth are they supposed to get a cable to here (if that’s the case?)
That TRIAX thing is for satellite TV distribution, looks quite a fancy box for a couple of flats but maybe the pub had multiple displays for difference games, etc, or it was an inn with rooms to rent with TV facilities, etc.

The other messy box is phone-style cable but could be an intercom as you say. Presumably cables from there would have gone to the upstairs, again if inn/hotel arrangement might have allowed outgoing calls as well.

Typically BT would drill through a window edge and just drop a cable down! Not ideal, but common and simpler than trying to find an internal route.
 
Is this a recent conversion and you're the first tennant or has there previously been tennant(s) in?
If it's B.T copper you're looking for this or similar

Question regarding Internet phone line BT Openreach Master - EletriciansForums.net

If it's Fibre it's either of these, old and new type.

Question regarding Internet phone line BT Fibre box old and new - EletriciansForums.net
 
That TRIAX thing is for satellite TV distribution, looks quite a fancy box for a couple of flats but maybe the pub had multiple displays for difference games, etc, or it was an inn with rooms to rent with TV facilities, etc.

The other messy box is phone-style cable but could be an intercom as you say. Presumably cables from there would have gone to the upstairs, again if inn/hotel arrangement might have allowed outgoing calls as well.

Typically BT would drill through a window edge and just drop a cable down! Not ideal, but common and simpler than trying to find an internal route.
I’m not worried about how they do it or how it looks, I just want to be sure that I can definitely get broadband here. I don’t want the engineer getting here and being like “can’t do it”. As I said BT have assured me there’s a phone line here but I can’t seem to find it for the life of me and I’m not sure what else an engineer can actually do to find it himself. I have a loft in my flat so I’m tempted to get up there and see if there’s any data cables dropping down because that’s probably the phone line socket?
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I don’t tho
Is this a recent conversion and you're the first tennant or has there previously been tennant(s) in?
If it's B.T copper you're looking for this or similar

View attachment 58063

If it's Fibre it's either of these, old and new type.

View attachment 58064
Is this a recent conversion and you're the first tennant or has there previously been tennant(s) in?
If it's B.T copper you're looking for this or similar

View attachment 58063

If it's Fibre it's either of these, old and new type.

View attachment 58064

I think there were people living here before us. The building is actually still under construction, there still scaffolding around it. Obviously the virus came and ----ed everything so it’s been left like this for now.
Whenever we’ve had internet in our past properties there has ALWAYS been a phone line socket like the one you just posted, this is what I’m looking for in the flat but can’t find it anywhere. As it’s a conversion it makes me think it’s behind one of the plasterboard walls or something.
 
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. Is there a lid for it on the floor somewhere, perhaps with some markings? Is there a big multicore cable coming in to it from outside? (seperate to all the smaller white ones) I cant make it out from that picture
 
It could be somewhere like inside a kitchen cupboard or bedroom wardrobe if any.
I went into the loft and traced a coax and a cat5 cable that drops somewhere in the kitchen, so you could be right. However I have looked behind all the cupboards and stuff and there’s nothing. Making me think that it could be behind the tiles?
 
Looks like BT are going to have to come in to trace the cable. They can send a tone down the line and trace it that way.
 
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.
 
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...
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 :rolleyes:
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.
 

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