So I’m having a weird problem at my house right now. My DSL Internet connection keeps coming and going, with the system constantly retraining.
That is, until I was on the landline phone with someone. I noticed it came on at full capacity–and even stated that the line could handle even more (If I paid for it.)
But the second I hung up, it started messing up again. So I tried calling my own number, and then leaving the phone off the hook. The connection came back. I hung up, withing a minute or two, it was gone. I repeated this a few times.
I have a line that is going directly to my outside box, rather than through my house, as the line quality inside is not good. The line is not rated for outdoor use (as it was a jury-rigged solution), and has been out there for a while. So I assumed that was the problem, and was planning to buy an outdoor-rated cat5e cable soon. But the fact that it is working fine as long as I keep the phone line busy gives me pause.
I’ve heard of the opposite happening before, where the DSL failed when the phone was in use. That is usually caused by a bad DSL filter. But this is the opposite, so I’m not sure if that’s a filter issue–and, if it is, what is actually happening.
So do any Dopers have any ideas of what’s happening and how to fix it?
Lots of things could be contributing. But I would start with the phone itself. What happens if you completely disconnect it? There have been issues where phones on the hook have caused issues. Not as bad as you describe, but the principle is there.
An issue with line terminations comes to mind as well. It could suggest a fault at the exchange end. But exploring the actual wiring you have may be a good start as well. The best thing to have is a filter/splitter that ensures there is no shared Y split cable connected to both the modem and the phone. You want the modem connection be as straight through as you can have with no side spurs. So the filter should split the phone off. Another test would be to disconnect the entire phone spur, and only leave the modem connection. See if that cures it. If it doesn’t I would be talking to my phone company.
If it used to work just fine, you did nothing to change any wiring, and then it suddenly started having this problem, then probably something wrong at the telephone company end of the connection. Try calling them.
DSL is an AC signal with a quadzillionth of a watt of power.
When you operated your phone, you pulled DC power through the line…
Now if there is a joint in the line that is actually wet with water … well water , especially a wet metal oxide film, is not actually conductive to the DSL signal.
Electrolysis … the DC current pushed ions into the film and water, and it improved conductivity significantly. . for the AC DSL signal to pass through.
The effect of the joint being improved is called “wetting”… The faulty joint may be called a dry joint, the addition of water into that sort of “dry joint” , doesn’t actually make it “wet”, in this meaning. the dryness is the lack of a solder ( or interference fit of metal parts if its a mechanical connector, like a bolt or clamp… ) , the water makes it more “dry”…
I am sorry, but I am a bit confused. What is a “joint” in this context? Could it be a part of the phone wire that doesn’t quite connect properly, just due to weathering the elements? Again, it is an indoor wire that runs at least partly outside.
Or are you saying it’s the wires that are screwed into the outside jack? Or, worse, further up the chain–and require the phone company to take a look? (I do not like dealing with Windstream support. It takes days for them to actually realize you need a call. And I have to pay if they don’t find anything wrong on their end.)
I note that I shut the phone off this morning, to disable the forwarding, and I never lost the connection again. So could what you are describing be temporary?
I think I am going to replace the wire anyways, and I can check the wires then.