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Old Grey BT Drop Wire – Some FAQ
What is it? It connects your house to the telephone pole, via the outside of a building. I recall seeing it first in 1969. It's quite rare these days, and there's not much information on-line. "Time for an "Old Grey BT Drop Wire – Some FAQ" blog", I thought. What...
How Do I Get My Netflix To Stop Buffering? An Engineer’s Fix.
I am an independent telephone/broadband engineer. I've recently carried out work at a couple of houses to address Netflix buffering. Was it fixed? Yes. There is a simple solution which may just lead to a “buffer-free” life. However, I thought I'd put the whole issue...
The “Cut Internal Phone Line” Problem
In recent blogs, I've addressed frequently asked questions relating to home phone lines. Here's the next one – the “cut internal phone line” I've included the cable on the outside of your property, too. This tends to induce more of a panic among users than a...
How to Fix Cut Underground Phone Line. An Engineer Shares Advice.
Another frequently-searched phrase according to Google is “how to fix cut underground phone line” It Happens Frequently – Don't Worry. Only last night I was contacted by a home-owner. His builders had unexpectedly met a cable when doing some groundwork. The situation...
Phone Socket Wiring – BT Master Socket, The Orange and White and Other Mysteries
Once again, a quick look at Google reveals that lots of people ask questions around the subject of “BT master socket wiring orange white” (Really? OK Google, we'll believe you). It looks to us that the whole area of phone socket wiring and cables confuses folks. We...
In Search of an Avaya IP Office Telephone Engineer
We've been asked to provide an Avaya IP Office Telephone Engineer recently. We love sorting out problems with “orphan” systems. Usually, these lack a maintenance contract or even a casual relationship with an engineer. We've blogged about this, including a case...
Phone System Engineers and Neglected Phone Systems
Frequently, in our work as phone system engineers, we're called out to try and sort out a fault on a business system by a desperate customer. An Awkward Conversation Us:- “So, don't you have a maintenance contract for this system” Them:- “Well, we used to...” Us:-...
The Great ISDN Switch-Off – Some ISDN FAQ, Reassurance, and Reality
A quick look at Google reveals that in the light of The Great ISDN Switch Off, many folks are asking basic questions about ISDN itself. There's no sales pitch in this blog – I am simply a (hopefully) impartial independent telephone engineer working in North East...
The Great Analogue and ISDN Lines Switch-Off – What Do I Need To Do? An Engineer’s Observations on “Phonemagddon”
Let's get one thing straight first - I'm not selling anything! I'm an independent telephone engineer in The North East of England, blogging on the occasional industry topic. I fix, rather than "flog" these days. Fixing is better. However, the hype and sheer nonsense...
Wiring a House for Ethernet (Cat 5e/Cat 6). An Engineer Gives Basic Advice.
I'm a telephone and cabling engineer working in the North East of England. I spend some of my time cabling challenging places such as pubs and houses with data cabling. I'm often asked by private customers about wiring a house for ethernet (Cat 5e/Cat 6). This blog is...
How To Find A “Local Phone and Broadband Engineer Near Me”.
Apparently, The Mighty Google says lots of people search for "local phone and broadband engineer near me". Yes, I'm one of those engineers, based in the TS16 area of Stockton on Tees. I serve business and residential customers in the North East and North Yorkshire....
Removing Legacy PBX
We're soon to enter our twentieth year of removing legacy PBX of all sizes. We are mainly engineers these days, putting things in, rather than taking them out, and fixing faults. However, we love going “back to our roots” in removing large systems from tight spaces,...
