Eugene's observations

The I-Plate (interstitial plate) is a filter (beyond regular microfilters) for use on DSL Broadband lines to improve the speed & stability of the connection. It works by filtering the bell wire that is no longer used but can act as an amplifier for distortions if it leads to other sockets in the house. Speed increases of between 1.5 and 3 Mbps are not uncommon as the bell (or ring) wire that used to visit all phone extensions in the days before phones had suitable ringers inbuilt, can pick up electrical distortions from household devices such as cordless phones, microwaves and computer networks.

Identify the master socket - the one closest to where the phone line enters your property. This is the only place where an I-Plate may be beneficial. To be suitable for hosting an I-Plate the master socket must be 85mm wide and of the NTE5 type with a horizontal split in the centre and screws in the lower half. If it has a BT Openreach logo the speed uplift may not be evident because there is a bell wire filter already in place, however the I-Plate can assist in line stability due to the I-Plate radio filter. Also, if your router already plugs into the master socket directly, no benefit is to be expected.

If you have a microfilter built into the master socket with one socket marked ?ADSL? and another ?Phone?, then I-Plate technology is already present and microfilters are not needed anywhere in the house.

The I-Plate will not help if there are no extension sockets, but will probably help even if you do not have your phone extension sockets in use. The full benefit of the I-Plate may not be experienced for a few days after fitting as the BRAS profile is recalculated periodically.