internet dies when the phone rings

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gzt

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#95300 30-Dec-2011 00:25

I friend I will be visiting this weekend has a problem where the phone rings and his adsl drops out.

He tells me there is a master adsl filter installed and several phone sockets.

I do not know yet exactly what the story is from an ADSL status point of view, all I know so far is he loses calls on skype when his landline rings.

Any clues or suggestions for investigation most welcome.

tardtasticx

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#562750 30-Dec-2011 00:39

I'm not too sure either. My mate is in exactly the same situation. We'll be on skype and the call ends after we hear a ring in the background, he comes back after a couple of mins and say "sorry phone rang". He has a master splitter, with 3 phones around the house, and sky but no alarm. No extension cables on the phones/modem ( all the standard stuff Telecom asks)

How old is your friends modem? And how old is the house?
Apparently having a master splitter, no more than 3 phones, no extension cables, sky or monitored alarm are perfect conditions for ADSL.

Kind of interested in how this will play out. Have you tried calling tier 2 support on your friends behalf?

gzt

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#562752 30-Dec-2011 00:52

I get the impression the problem started only after he had the master splitter installed, but just to complicate things he had started using Orcon at approximately the same time.

He had recently switched from Telstra or Telecom where he was using a Dlink DSL104 type box.

No Sky or alarm service in use.

Not tried support yet, don't know if he has already. I guess I'll get that in progress when I arrive if needed. My feeling is a wiring problem, or maybe older sockets in some part of the house, but this is an intuition rather than exact experience. House is probably early 1980's.

gzt

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#562754 30-Dec-2011 00:57

also i'm not yet certain if the problem occurs as soon as the landline rings, or if it is when the landline is answered / answerphone picks up.

insane

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#562758 30-Dec-2011 01:43

Would be interesting to see whether they have normal phones which are powered off the phone-line (ie non cordless) or cordless. Sounds almost like the phone ringer is pulling the line voltage down just that little too much to sustain DSL sync.

gzt

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#562760 30-Dec-2011 01:50

If I remember correctly he has one cordless with a base-station answerphone + one standard phone. I'll try out both scenarios.

KiwiNick

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#562762 30-Dec-2011 02:11

I must say this is weird, because I think both people with master filters have done the right thing.

I think the next thing to do is do some isolation tests: unplug everything except the ADSL modem and give it a go. Then try ringing the landline (eg from a mobile - you'll get no answer).

If the ADSL drops, that's a weird one (it might be a DSLAM fault).

If the caller hears anything other than continued ringing, that's pretty serious (assuming there's no divert-no-answer, Call Minder, etc).

If it stays up, try the next test.

Next test
Unplug the ADSL modem, plug in a standard telephone (corded that doesn't use mains power), and ring it. Unless there's divert-no-answer, the phone should continue to ring for about 1 minute (possibly 1m30).

But if the call gets cut off after one or a few rings, report it as a landline fault.

Next test
Plug in the ADSL modem into its appointed socket, plus the single corded telephone into a phone socket, and let the ADSL sync. Then ring the landline, and see if the ADSL drops. Move the phone around the various phone sockets, and repeat the test.

Another test is to simply pick up the phone, as for an outgoing call - does the ADSL drop then?

If all the phone sockets do the same thing, then the central filter is stuffed, or miswired. To check, plug the ADSL modem into the phone sockets - it should NOT work.

If only some of the sockets cause the ADSL to drop, that's a wiring issue.

Hoping that will isolate the fault further, and perhaps create an important clue. You may have to employ a cabler (or some other technician) to check the wiring in your house.

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KiwiNick

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#562763 30-Dec-2011 02:16

insane: Would be interesting to see whether they have normal phones which are powered off the phone-line (ie non cordless) or cordless. Sounds almost like the phone ringer is pulling the line voltage down just that little too much to sustain DSL sync.

With a central filter, that should never happen, no matter how bad the phones are. If I'm not mistaken, Naked ADSL runs at zero voltage DC.

gzt

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#562764 30-Dec-2011 02:26

Thanks KiwiNick! that's an excellent outline.

tardtasticx, very interested to see how your instance works out as well. : ).

old3eyes

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#562773 30-Dec-2011 08:16

insane: Would be interesting to see whether they have normal phones which are powered off the phone-line (ie non cordless) or cordless. Sounds almost like the phone ringer is pulling the line voltage down just that little too much to sustain DSL sync.

Not unless the fones ar rotary dial ones from the 1980s..

Modern fones with electronic ringers have hi impedance circuitry.

Regards,

Old3eyes

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#562859 30-Dec-2011 12:56

Had this happen at my inlaws. Called Chorus, master splitter was bung.

gzt

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#563044 30-Dec-2011 21:57

Arrived at my freinds place.

The adsl link only drops when the caller hangs up after getting the answerphone. Doesnt happen with the other phone.

There are two sockets next to the answerphone, so I plugged it in the other one and the problem no longer occurs.

If that was it, that was easy.

Neither socket is labeled, but it seems likely it was plugged into the adsl socket instead of the phone socket. Might take a closer look at it later this weekend if time allows.

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#563812 2-Jan-2012 17:58

Hi All

In my experience this is often caused by either a bung (as previously mentioned) or incorrectly wired master splitter.

Good luck