# dsl connection = bad phone service? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 24, 2001, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069 "2001-11-24T21:58:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/1 "2001-11-24T21:58:12Z")
this was in [a thread about verizon dsl](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=100677) in the pit: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PhiloVance \* > \*\*Sounds interesting. I don’t have DSL…I resisted the impulse to jump on the bandwagon. I have a friend who has it and loves it…but you can’t hear anything on the phone. The internet connection works great, I’m told. \*\* when i moved into the apartment i have now, i got dsl through my phone company. ever since i’ve lived there, i’ve had trouble hearing people over my phone. i thought maybe our phone lines were bad, or that maybe the problem with my actual phones (it happens on both, but they are both old and one is second-hand, so it’s not totally unfeasible that both suck), or even that i am going deaf. could it be that our dsl connection is causing this problem? if it was the dsl, would i be able to hear better when not online? i don’t think we’ve ever been offline longer than it took to reboot the computer, so it’s not something i would have noticed. how else could i test it? and would getting cable help the problem? [fixed coding] [Edited by bibliophage on 11-24-2001 at 10:51 PM] ---
**Author:** ![spheric\_thor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@spheric\_thor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spheric_thor)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/2 "2001-11-24T22:04:14Z")
I have DSL Along with my DSL modem kit came a filter to put on every phone.I only had trouble on 1 of my phones, so i put the filter on and it cleared it right up. I have AT&T service. ---
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/3 "2001-11-24T22:09:09Z")
hmm… i didn’t get any filters from swbell. anyone know where i might get one? also, i wasn’t very specific about why i can’t hear anyone. it seems like anyone i speak to on my phone is [sub]very, very quiet[/sub]. not static-y, just [sub]quiet[/sub]. was that the same problem that you had, spheric thor? ---
**Author:** ![spheric\_thor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@spheric\_thor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spheric_thor)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/4 "2001-11-24T22:21:11Z")
You could try Radio Shack maybe? or a computer store. The problem i had was quiet too.Almost like a bad connection where you could barely hear the person. The filters are called Z Blocker filters.This is what i got maybe this will help you. [http://www.excelsus-store.com/searchresults.asp?search\_id=1](http://www.excelsus-store.com/searchresults.asp?search_id=1) ---
**Author:** ![chalicesmoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@chalicesmoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chalicesmoke)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/5 "2001-11-24T22:21:29Z")
check with swbell first to see if you need micro filters. They may have installed the filter at your demarcation box. If they did it that way you will not need any micro filters. If it was a splitterless install ( the kind with the micro filters) none of your phones would work.So I would call swbell to have them check the phone line for quality issues. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2001, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/6 "2001-11-24T23:32:26Z")
I have dsl and have absolutly no problem w/ the phone sound quality. That said it sould like you have a bad microfilter (assuming splitterless). Get the above microfilter and if you can make it splitterless (sort of). At your demarcation point (the point where you 1st have access to your line). 1 Disconect your line to your house. 2 Hi Opal (boy i’m going to miss this when the fee’s go in) 3 Install a jack (RJ11c) hooked up to your house line 4 Install a jack hooked up to your telco line 5 run a direct line to your dsl modem from your telco line jack you just installed 6 install a microfilter between the 1st jack you installed and the 2nd jack you installed (you will need a short length of standard phone cable) You may be able to shortcut it a little depending on your actuall setup. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/7 "2001-11-25T01:33:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by abuse angel \* > **hmm… i didn’t get any filters from swbell. anyone know where i might get one?** Call SWBell, and explain that you will no longer be a DSL customer unless you can use the phone properly - they should give you a few for free - at least they did to me, and some friends who had a similar issue. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/8 "2001-11-25T02:51:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by abuse angel \* > \*\*hmm… i didn’t get any filters from swbell. anyone know where i might get one? > \*\* Southwestern Bell sent me a whole box of them. And here I was thinking this whole DSL success showed that maybe SWB wasn’t completely hopeless after all! ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/9 "2001-11-25T03:28:38Z")
Is this the same situation with cable? I know someone who has cable & every time they are on the phone, there is a click sound at regular intervals. My DSL is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/10 "2001-11-25T03:52:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Violet \* > \*\*Is this the same situation with cable? I know someone who has cable & every time they are on the phone, there is a click sound at regular intervals. My DSL is fine. \*\* Barring some sort of really crazy radio interference thing happening, cable and the phone should be totally independent of each other. ---
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/11 "2001-11-25T20:19:13Z")
hm… s.o. informs me that we already _have_ these filters, and that i’m just going deaf. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2001, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-connection-bad-phone-service/95069/12 "2001-11-25T23:32:11Z")
> [@](#): > > s.o. informs me that we already have these filters You would need them or you would have to talk over a data stream. What we are saying is that the filter you have might be bad.