The new Openreach Master Socket 5C  is a tool less design and has become part of standard kit.

The tool less design of the Openreach Master Socket 5C is to aid users accessing the test socket, as no screw drivers will be needed. Instead, pushing the tabs on the side of the lower half will prise the front from the socket, exposing the test socket to the end user for testing when faults occur.

The new master socket is a more rounded design than previous master sockets, which is more aesthetically pleasing. However, this does come at a cost, the port is lower down and we have found this can cause problems if the socket is mounted close to the floor as filters and adapters will not have as much clearance as previous sockets. With this master socket, Openreach are also providing a new MK4 filtered faceplate in some instances. This provides two ports, one for a router to plug into and one for a telephone to plug into. If one of these is fitted, then an ADSL micro filter is no longer needed, but this does mean that a router can only be plugged into this socket, as any other sockets will be telephone only.

Technically the new master socket 5C does the same job as previous iterations. This version simplifies the process of accessing the test socket, which can only be a good thing for end users as it removes the need for tools and potentially quickens fault diagnostics.