DSL & phone calls

[Braindrain]

There have been several times when the browser cuts out. I can't get
into MSN Explorer or Verizon. It doesn't happen a lot, but I "think" I've
noticed a pattern: it seems to happen when someone is using the house
phone. Now, I know that can happen with dial-up, but I didn't know it
could happen with DSL. Of course, when I mentioned this to my mother,
she thought I was crazy. (Well, I am...but don't tell her I said that!:p )

So, what do you think: am I imagining this, or is there a connection
between the two?

Thanks!:)

[Mike Weins]

It can happen if you don't use the filters that should've come with your dsl package. They plug into the wall (phone jack) and then you plug your phone line into them.

DO NOT plug your dsl line into the filter.

If you don't have these filters, any decent computer store or electronics store should carry them. Or contact your isp and they should send some out at no charge.

If you want I can give you the why's this happens in simple english :)

[Braindrain]

If you want I can give you the why's this happens in simple english :)

I'd appreciate that because I'm still trying to convince my mother
that it's the DSL causing it.:)

[Mike Weins]

Ok a normal phone jack has 4 wires. They are divided into pairs, the outside 2 are one pair and the inside 2 are the other.

This is how you can have 2 numbers on one phone jack...and how you can have dsl on the same line. It doesn't matter which 2 wires are used for dsl or the phone line (ie they'll both work with either the outter pair, or the inner pair).

Phones work on a low frequency, dls works on a higher frequency.

Now these 2 frequencies don't play nicely. The lower freq of the phone line can "jump" or "cross" over to the higher frequency of the dls line. This can cause disconnections, slow downs, and errors (regarding internet connection).

The filters job is to isolate the frequencies keeping the low phone freqs on their wires and the high dsl freqs on their wires.

Older phones and older houses are guaranteed to have problems with dsl being on the same phone system.

If you had a new pair of wires routed from the phone box outside directly to the dsl modem you wouldn't have these problems...unless there was a problem with the outside phone box.

I can give you a couple of links for a greater technical explination if you want :)

[SalpalSally]

Thank ZS.:) I appreciated your explaination of how DSL works with your phone line.

I just got DSL a month ago and now I'll know what the deal is, if I have any problems.

So far so good though.;)

Question...Is Dorry and/or Cagey here. I miss them.

Sally:)

[Mike Weins]

I am sad to say I haven't heard anything from Cagey in a long long time :(

Dorry is ok, just taking a break for awhile.

[Quahog]

There could be many reason for your Dsl connection to be going in an out on you. To me this sounds like a classic example of an electrical short. Dsl and pots (Plain old telephone service) lines are electrical in nature and subject to shorts.

This happen quite frequently if you have older wiring or have a lot of jacks in your home that are spliced to one line. It is reccommened that you have your phone lines intalled from the telephone box outside (NID) straight to the jack. This is called a home run. It is also possible that your equipment could be causing the problem. Cordless phones are famous for this. What you can do if possible is to unplug all your phones and see if you are still having the problem. If you are not try plugging them back in one at a time a see if the problem comes back. There a a few other things you can do if you are still having the problem but try this first.

Glenn

[Braindrain]

All our house phones are cordless, so that may be what the problem
is. The telephone line was installed from the telephone box to the
jack-that much I do remember, because the people installing it
had to keep going in and out of the house to test the line.

I have the sneaking suspicion that it's both cordless phones, 'cause
it doesn't seem to matter whether it's my phone or the phone in the
kitchen that's being used-I still lose the browser.

And, this house is fifty years old, so that probably has something to
do with it, too.

Thanks, guys!:)

[Mike Weins]

Odd I've not heard of cordless phones interrupting dsl service :confused: We had (at one point) 2 cordless phones in the house. 1 was 900Mhz and the other 2.something Ghz.

Now we only have the 900Mhz since my cat decided to knock the other off the table repeatedly (guess he didn't like it) and eventually busted it :D

He leaves the older one alone though....silly cat.

[Quahog]

To answer your question about the cordless phones, they can sometimes create interference that leaks back onto the DSL line. The filter is not always enough to stop the leak either. This is quite common with cheaper 900mhz phones.

Gina, when you lose your web browser, have you looked at your DSL modem? Do any of the leds on it flash or do they stay solid? There should be an led that says ADSL or something to that effect. When your connection goes down it should blink. If it is going down then it could be a problem with your phones, lines, etc. If it stays solid than it could be an issue with the computer itself.

[Braindrain]

Actually, no, I haven't looked at the modem when it's down.:o
The modem is in the kitchen with the Mac, not here in my room.
And, yes, we have the cheap cordless phones.

The next time the browser acts up, I'll check the kitchen.
(There's always a "next time"!:rolleyes: )

Thanks for that tip!

[Braindrain]

Well, it happened again today. I couldn't see the modem in the kitchen
because it's way up on top of the desk. So, I told my mother about this
discussion.

Guess what?? She said that if that was the case, we should go back
to using Comcast! She didn't want to switch to Verizon in the first
place. She then went on to compare DSL to dial-up. Apparently,
anything that isn't "high-speed internet" isn't good enough for her.

Did I mention that Comcast "doesn't service Macs"? That's the line
I got everytime we lost the internet connection (at least once a
week) with Comcast. So then, I had to argue with our "so-called"
internet service provider, to get them to actually provide internet
service!!:mad:

I suppose that we'll be switching back to Comcast sooner or later,
because she always has to have her way...:rolleyes: :mad: