How can you upload and download data at the same time?

Hi,
I was wondering how you are able to download and upload at the same time. I mean, there is one cable coming to your house. How can you send some stuff one way and other stuff the other way? Imagine a water pipe, you can't have the water travelling both ways in a single pipe!
Also, does uploading affect downloading and vice versa? Do they interfere? Would I get a lot of gaming lag if I uploaded a lot even if I have 150meg down?
Cheerio!
Ben

Different frequencies. Just like a tv can sent multiple channels down the same cable, so you can have broadband send with one frequency band and receive with another at fhe same time, over the same cable.

To answer the 2nd question. When you download, your computer still sends i got it message back. If you upload a lot at thesame time as downloading the downloads slow down.

^

The upload and download use different frequencies like iand has stated.
But correct me if I am wrong,there are 2 wires in one cable [the cores], one is for upload and the other for download,
Like an Ethernet RJ45 uses send and receive TX and RX.
The voice line part of the line [not sure which core it uses] is filtered of at the master socket and also uses another frequency.

Opps! sorry I just posted the BT/OR layout, but VM uses coaxial TV cable so it is all down to the different frequencies that are used I guess.

Edited by deleted (Tue 14-Oct-14 00:12:07)

Nope. Both wires are used.

Strangely, if one wire is disconnected at any point the broadband will continue working, much degraded, but the phone will not work at all.

If that's pointing to Ian's post you aren't thinking threaded mode .

No, points to Subject. Can't have empty body text.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Nope. Both wires are used.

Strangely, if one wire is disconnected at any point the broadband will continue working, much degraded, but the phone will not work at all.

If that is the case then it looks like the BT/OR copper wires are acting like the VM coaxial cable because in the old analogue TV system and the current freeview systems the TV signal can still in some cases work [degraded] if the outer of the coaxial is broken.
So I guess if one wire in a copper pair breaks the same could apply.?
The phone would not work or pick up a lot of interference.?
Strange though.

Phone would not work as it needs the + and - supply from both wires to work.

The xDSL works by pumping RF down the copper wires, be that 1, 2 or 4 wires.

ok the blind leading the blind. Have not read the ADSL tech docs for over 20 years now....

As others have said the phone needs 2 wires to provide the power for the phone. If one of the wires is broken, then the phone power is not there and does not work. Not 100% sure if its actually a one wire for send, one for receive now, but in any case if one wire is broken it does not work.

For broadband this is different. There are allocated frequencies for upload, download and also for normal voice talking. The filter you may use stops any broadband frequencies from being sent to the phone or vice versa. Both the upload and download signals are sent over both wires at the same time, which helps the broadband modem detect noise errors on the line and fix them, providing a more reliable signal.

As broadband broadcasts over both wires at the same time it can run with 1 wire, but it then reverts to comparing with the earth pin from the mains, which means it can no longer compare the signal between the 2 wires anymore. It therefore runs in a reduced slower mode, but still works.