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Standard User Renagade
(newbie) Mon 23-Apr-07 11:16:32
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Home ADSL Cock up!


[link to this post]
 
Right ok...

Until about a week ago, we had a reasonable network running in our house.

Downstairs Main Socket + Hardwired Extension >> Downstairs Phone >> Upstairs Face Plate >> Microfilter >> Phone / Router >>PC1 + PC2


All was working fine, we occiasionaly get slowdowns, but that is to be expected on tiscali.

Now, it was on the monday of last week that my father decided that it was a good idea to buy a new phone, as the call button on our old phone was decidedly broken.
So, in the time between removing the old phone and charging up the new portable ones that he had bought, he decided to move this old grey knackered phone from his room and use it as the main downstairs phone.

At this point I immediately noticed a problem, the reception / signal on the phone downstairs was very crackly (whereas upstairs it had been fine). So I immediately thought that he must have knocked some of the wiring downstairs when moving and unplugging the phones.

When the new phones were charged up (1 has a base unit + answerphone that needs to plug into a socket, and the other is on a radio frequency) we tried having the main unti downstairs as we had always had the old phone plugged in there fine. However, even with the new phone, the signal on the phone was still very crackly + intermittent.

So we temporarily moved the main unit upstairs to his room and plugged it into the extension socket where it works fine, and we have the radio one downstairs.

For most of monday / tuesday the adsl was working relatively ok, although we did have a couple of dropouts...but by wednesday night we could no longer access the internet at all. It made attempts to load web pages / msn etc. but kept saying there was a DNS error.

For the whole of thursday morning I was trying to find out where the problem was, and for some bizzare reason, the computer in my dads room would still load google, and carry out new searches (images , maps, web), and then very briefly managed to load a few other pages...before failing again. (for about 10 minutes during the day I managed to have normal access from my computer in the other room - connected through the router by cat5).

From this point on however, we have been able to access no web pages at all. Ping requests have not been responding (although pings to the router are still fine) and it still shows that we are connected to the lan netowork. I have tried entering manually the Tiscali DNS addresses in the TCP/IP protocol for the LAN but this didn't resolve anything.

I can only presume that somewhere the wiring must have been affected (producing the intermittent signal followed by the complete loss of connection). I tried telling my dad this, but instead he chose to ring tiscali customer support, which confirmed to me that there were no issues with the connection being provided to our phone number (the phone call to tiscali ended with the man telling us that all we need to do was reset our router).

W e have already tried connecting a laptop + router directly into the socket downstairs,which failed to solve the problem. Tonight I intend to try my computer downstairs with the router (in case there were any compatability issues) and also try my computer downstairs with the old ADSL modem, just in case the router has busted (It was a cheap 4 port router from Maplins, ADDON I believe - but we have had no issues with it before).

So, after this lengthly post all that remains to be said is HELP! I will try to reply with more information / details as required and when I can access the net (currently only in school / at a neighbours).


James
Standard User deleted
(deleted) Mon 23-Apr-07 11:51:18
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Re: Home ADSL Cock up!


[re: Renagade] [link to this post]
 
Where's the filter for the phone downstairs?
Have you tried disconnecting everything else from the line?
Got any line stats (attenuation, noise margin, errors etc) from the router?
Standard User SSmith
(member) Mon 23-Apr-07 12:17:40
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Re: Home ADSL Cock up!


[re: Renagade] [link to this post]
 
In reply to:

but kept saying there was a DNS error.



Did you try using OpenDNS instead of the Tiscali DNS servers?

Steven


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Standard User Deadbeat
(fountain of knowledge) Mon 23-Apr-07 12:40:00
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Re: Home ADSL Cock up!


[re: Renagade] [link to this post]
 
"we occiasionaly get slowdowns, but that is to be expected on tiscali."

The work of a master..... Of understatement!

To test your connection against internal faults you either must use the hidden test socket where an NTE5 type master is fitted or remove all external wiring before using any other type of master socket.

If this is a fault caused by replacing the old phone with new then I'm a little surprised that a DNS error is the result. Wireless phones are known to be troublesome where ADSL, and in many cases, wireless connections are concerned. Can you ping IP addresses outside of the LAN? For example, substitute 212.58.227.77 for bbc.co.uk.

Before beginning your investigations, it's imperative that you carry out your initial tests at least via a hardwired connection.
Standard User Renagade
(newbie) Mon 23-Apr-07 12:50:57
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Re: Home ADSL Cock up!


[re: deleted] [link to this post]
 
Originally there was no filter for the downstairs phone (everything still worked fine), only an external microfilter on the upstairs extension face plate. Currently downstairs we have the portable phone that is in radio frequency with the one upstairs, it doesn't need to be plugged in.

I have tried disconnecting the only other thing plugged into the line (main plate or extension), which is the upstairs phone. This made no difference.

Testing tonight:
- Router into test socket on main plate (everything else disconnected)
- Router into main socket (everything else disconnected)

- Ping tests with the router at different sockets
- Attenuation and margins taken at different points.

I was unable to ping addresses outside of the LAN from Thursday morning onwards, but I will check again tonight and report back with all possible information tonight.

*** Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to add is that I did also try another router as well (an older model donated to us - ex-commercial - and that again would allow the pc's to connect to the LAN, but failed to provide internet access) ***
Standard User Renagade
(newbie) Mon 23-Apr-07 23:38:50
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Re: Home ADSL Cock up!


[re: Renagade] [link to this post]
 
-- UPDATE --
I have shifted my PC and router etc. downstairs and am having / have had a go at a few different set ups.

Firstly, I tried the router into the test socket...No Internet available, but these were the line stats:

-------------

Connection Status: Connected
US Margin: 25
DS Margin: 28

US Line Attenuation: 20
DS Line Attenuation: 38

DSL Statistics: (not really sure what this is)
Near End F4 loop back count: 0
Near End F5 loop back count: 0


--------------

I am currently connected to the internet through the main face test socket (using a microfilter) , using my old Sagem F@st 800-840 ADSL modem provided by Tiscali when we first joined. After a bit of hassle setting it up (i.e. finding installation CD) I have managed to get it sorted and connected.
(used to connect @ 2.1Mbps, here it is around 2.3Mbps). I am not sure how to attain line stats with this modem.

----------------

Noting else is connected to the line at the moment. One interesting thing I did note is that when I took the face plate off, there were no wires connected to it, it was merely backing into the test socket (this is probably normal, but the first time I have taken the face plate off)

-----------------

I am now going to try the router again in a manner of different combinations, and also another router that we have, to see if I can connect with these (going into the test socket with nothing else connected, as I presume this reduces possibilities of fault the greatest.)

I will report back ASAP with the findings...Currently it seems to suggest that the problem lies in the router.

Cheers, James
Standard User SSmith
(member) Tue 24-Apr-07 00:03:10
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Re: Home ADSL Cock up!


[re: Renagade] [link to this post]
 
In reply to:

Connection Status: Connected
US Margin: 25
DS Margin: 28

US Line Attenuation: 20
DS Line Attenuation: 38



Did it give Sync rates?

For Sagem 800-840 Stats look at KITZ.

In reply to:

One interesting thing I did note is that when I took the face plate off, there were no wires connected to it, it was merely backing into the test socket




So where is the upstairs extension socket wired from? If you look here the back of your faceplate should look like step 4 with the wires coming from it going to the upstairs extension.

Steven
Standard User Renagade
(newbie) Tue 24-Apr-07 00:23:42
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Re: Home ADSL Cock up!


[re: SSmith] [link to this post]
 
Ok, If the synch rates are the rates of US and DS transmission (im pretty sure - without plugging the router in again - that it said 'synch speeds' anyway) that US is about 230kbps and DS was 21000kbps.

For the Sagem, the line stats are as follows...
Transmit Rate: 288Kbps
Recieve Rate: 2304Kpbs

Margin: 30dB
Attenuation: 29dB

----------

The downstairs faceplate looks like this: http://www.clarity.it/telecoms/nte5_faceoff.jpg

The front part detactches (not wired to anything - as shown in the picture) then there is the test socket on the right hand side...with what looks to be the wired section in the gap just behind it.

When the front of the faceplate is reattactched, a small adaptor plugs into the front of it, allowing a phone to be plugged in as well (cannot find a picture currently - quite an old wiring system perhaps)...the cable then is lead up the stairs, to an extension socket upstairs...where previously it had been microfiltered before the router and a phone being plugged into it!


Thanks
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