My DSL connection keeps dropping out. Email connects but not the browser. ISP says "check cables". Help!

Question

Rebooting seems to fix the problem. PS I am using a router.

Answer 1

Common causes of dropped DSL connections, in no particular order:

1. Noisy phone lines, external to your home.
2. Noisy phone lines, internal to your home.
3. Missing filters on phones in the home. Common on wall mounted phones. Every phone, fax, and answering machine MUST have a filter installed.
4. Installing a filter on the line to the DSL modem. This will prevent connection completely.
5. Mis-wired phone jacks. Switching the tip and ring won't affect phones much but will affect DSL.
6. Bad cable connecting DSL modem to phone jack.
7. Too many phone jacks in your home.
8. Router issues. Look for a firmware upgrade for your router. Some older Linksys routers had issues with dropped connections.

Noisy phone lines: If you hear ANY noise on a phone -- snaps, pops, hums, etc, there is too much noise on the line. You can isolate whether this is internal or external by plugging a phone directly into the jack on the network interface box outside your home. If the noise goes away, it's in your house wiring. If it doesn't, it's external to your home. Internal noise is your problem unless you have wire maintenance. External noise is the telco's problem, call them.

Missing filters: As stated above, EVERY device connected to a phone jack (except the DSL modem!) must have a filter.

Mis-wired phone jack: Open up the jack that your DSL modem is plugged in to and switch the red and green wires and see if this improves things.

Bad cable: Try another one. Many DSL modems come with 2 phone cables. Try both, even if the instructions indicate that you're using the correct one.

Too many jacks: Most DSL sysetms will start to degrade if you have more than 2 or 3 jacks in your home or if you have a large home with long wire runs internally. The only fix is a "home run" installation for your DSL. This is commonly used for business installations and is mandatory for high bit-rate DSL installs.

Installing a home run connection: Open the network interface box outside your home. It's usually near the electric meter. There should be 2 phone jacks inside and only one of them should have a wire connected to it. Unplug that connection and hook a 2 connection splitter to the jack. Hook a filter to one of those jacks and connect the wire to the filter. This will filter all the phones in your home. Connect a wire to the other jack and run it to a new jack by your DSL modem. Connect your DSL modem to the new jack. You will now have a dedicated run to your DSL modem and the best possible connection for your home.

Answer 2

They should do a line check, make sure you usb or ethernet cables are not to long so you are not loseing signal.

Answer 3

sure they ought to. yet they don't seem "human beings of religion". As they declare to be. they are human beings of worry. they ought to no longer insure their church homes and mosques both. yet they do. again a educate of no faith.