Our flat recently switched ISP from WXC to Telstraclear. With WXC (the ISP we've been with since we moved here), we had a VOIP line.

With Telstraclear, we switched back to a regular phone line. The reason for switching ISPs was because they offered us a deal that was $20/month cheaper, with more data, and 2 months free connection.

Now we discover that there's something wrong with our phone line. Having tried different routers, filters, cables and jacks, it turns out that the phone will always disconnect the ADSL. A standard filter won't fix the problem. Talking to a Telstraclear technician, they gave us the option of sending someone out to install a splitter on the phone line, which if it fixes the problem, will cost $200. A splitter will also mean that we can only use the modem on the jack that it's installed on.

How is a splitter different from a normal ADSL filter, other than being wired in?

Is it that a splitter is installed on the line's intial point of entry into the house, and therefore any extensions to that line can be wired on the "filtered side", stopping those extensions from causing problems? If this is the case, couldn't I just get under the house and disconnect everything but the initial point of entry and see if that fixes the problem?

If we do get a splitter installed, we could try and get the landlord to pay for it. Could be a tough sell given that fact that we've had working Internet and phone for the last 3 years.

Another option is that we switch back to WXC and our VOIP line, but then we have to pay a $200 disconnection fee to Telstraclear, plus we go back to paying more per month.

Yet another option would be to pay for a VOIP line on top of what we've got, and just use that instead of our real line.

Finally, we could just not use the phone at all. Not a desirable outcome given that mobile isn't quite cheap enough yet.

Advice? Thanks for your help.