Found the culprit to my DSL disconnects!

LeperKing

For some bizarre reason everytime I switch on the lights in my bathroom with a condensation extractor fan, my DSL connection goes! I confirmed it when I set up a repeating ping connection to a website. Everytime I switched it on, I got ping timeouts and it wouldn't come back until I flicked the switch back.

My setup is BT 2Meg using a ZyXel 600 modem and a wireless router.

Are there any electricians who can give a qualified answer on what's happening. I'm guessing I need to have a power conditioner on the power supply to the modem.

P.S. I made sure it wasn't the router, it's definitely the modem.

LK

abcd

There are several possibilities here

1) The bathroom fan / lights are generating radio-frequency noise that is interfering with the wireless connection between your PC and the router

2) The power lines to the fan / lights are running close to your phone line, and creating interference on the phone line.

3) Your suggestion that the fan / lights are generating interference on the power lines in your house which are getting to your modem via its power supply.


Number 3) would seem to be unlikely, because it would probably affect your other electronic devices too.


Tests to isolate the problem

For 1) connect your PC directly to the modem to bypass the wireless connection. If this is the problem, a possible solution is to change the wireless channel used by your router (see its manual for how to do this).

For 2) bring up the modem's status web page (see its manual for how), and look at the dsl status. Then turn on the bathroom switch - if the dsl connection drops, but the modem web page keeps updating, then its likely to be a phone line problem. (Do you have a phone on the line - listen for static when you turn the switch on/off).

For 3), try running an extension lead from various other power sockets in your house/apartment to power the modem - power-line interference is likely to affect different sockets differently.

Sponge Bob

not one of these lads then ???

LeperKing

Thanks for the suggestions abcd.

It's definitely not 1), like I said I checked it wasn't the router. There is no RF noise being generated.

I'll look into 2) and 3) tonight.

LK