100 Euro to the first person to fix my BB issue

lucernarian

Good post watty.

I'd also like to point out that with the frequent misunderstandings about it, 240 kBps would be 80% of the usual speed for a 3 Mbps line. 240 kbps would be 10% of the usual speed.

Downloads with an Internet browser are reported in kB (kilobytes), so multiply by 8 to get the kilobit value, and then add some more to get the actual connection speed. I suspect that the OP meant to say 240 kBps.

It's frustrating to see problems with a line with as low as 24 dB attenuation. I suggest writing a letter to the company secretary of the broadband provider, and possibly eircom anyway as they maintain the line. Tell them the hours of the problem and demand action etc.

I also suggest keeping that €100 for an eircom or BT engineer to stay until after 5 and pay the premium rate or get him to stay on the QT, just so that a professional will see the exact problem. Bribes can work wonders.



zilog jones, does that only happen when the phone is ringing, or does it happen whenever the phone is picked up?? You could put two filters in series. I think that would help. I think a filter only attenuates DSL spectrum noise by as little as 40 dB, so a large amount of noise would still interfere with a weakish line.

Jackz

Sounds like the problem I had, Eircom guy found (I asked him to check it as geting a new line over was going to be a pain in the ass) a dodgy connection at the pole no problem since.

lucernarian

rrpc wrote:

I've heard of that happening before. The cause was found to be a bad/old cable between the pole and the house. Some of the real old telecoms cable was stranded, and over time the strands break down at connection points and elsewhere from lightning strikes, UV, UFO and bird crap

I came across one recently with a house a mile closer to the exchange than me, and at the best they were getting 192 from a 1024 connection and exactly what you're describing kept happening.

Real old telecoms cable is aluminium grey and white twisted pair solid core, with possibly galvanised iron cables used outside. That stranded stuff is most likely the flat "extension cable" ****e sold in large DIY chains and the like. Or it could be alarm cable. Neither of which are installed by eircom men. Some types of the black cable which goes from pole to house had 3 stranded wires and 4 solid ones, but I've only ever seen the orange and white solid wires connected.

Btw, bigpaddy2004's suggestion was a very good idea. Try a different modem.

zilog_jones

To_be_confirmed wrote:

zilog jones, does that only happen when the phone is ringing, or does it happen whenever the phone is picked up?? You could put two filters in series. I think that would help. I think a filter only attenuates DSL spectrum noise by as little as 40 dB, so a large amount of noise would still interfere with a weakish line.

It seems to happen only after I hang up, and sometimes it's OK. I can't remember the SNR and attenuation stats (I'm not at home right now) but IIRC they weren't too bad. I could try putting the filters in series, as I do have two of them now

The phone cable to my house is underground the pavement, and goes along the wall in our front garden and into the front of the house. Most or all of the outside cable was replaced a year or two ago due to water damage (it used to go all along the front of the house and under the front door).

I've never seen the modem sync at anything lower than the 2048/256kbps I'm supposed to be getting.

(PS sorry for hijacking - I made a thread about my problem before here)

lucernarian

Let me know if it fixes the problem.

zilog_jones

Actually, which way would I connect the second filter? I forgot about the whole 1 input, 2 outputs thing...

lucernarian

The first filter should be plugged into the phone socket, with the modem connected directly with the cable to the modem part of the filter.

The second filter should be plugged into the telephone part of the first filter and then the phone can be plugged into the telephone part of the second filter.

If there is a modem port in the second filter, it can be ignored IIRC.

axer

OP: Disconnect everything plugged into the telephone line in your house no matter what it is.

Just plug in the router *without using a filter* and see if that stays going.

If it still has problems then try a different router with the exact same scenario (i.e. unplug everything).

Please the results here.