DSL Issues: Solved

Sun Jun 8 21:27:47 UTC 2014

For those who are following the saga of my DSL problems, the system seems
to be up and running again.

I split the phone system near the demarcation point (where the phone line
enters the house), using a Comtest Networks CPE-01V POTS/DSL splitter.
Comtest don't sell to the public, but you can obtain one through Hall
Telecommunications (1.800.265.2667). They charged something like $30
including shipping by Purolator. This is the splitter suggested by Len
Sorensen.

I generally prefer devices with screw terminal strips. This spitter makes
a punchdown connection, but that seems to work quite well. You insert the
unstripped wires into the connector and then press down a tab to force the
wires into insulation-displacement forks. (There's a YouTube video showing
how to do this.)

Then I used two conductors in CAT5 cable (obtained from Home Depot) to run
up an unused chimney from the basement to the third floor. This goes to a
dedicated outlet plate, which connects to the DSL modem. The phone network
is now decoupled from the DSL feed at the splitter so the DSL connection
should be more reliable. In any case, it appears to work.

One suggestion if you're doing phone or network wiring in a building. If
possible, bring each outlet back to a patch point or terminal strip,
rather than daisy-chaining them together. This way, if something goes bad,
you can isolate it very easily. Phone or network cable is cheap and a
daisy-chained system is a nightmare to troubleshoot.

One of the things I learned from this exercise: If you use a DSL
connection, then the provider (Teksavvy in this case) only provides up to
the demarcation point. If your modem works at the demarc but not inside
the house, you the customer are responsible for fixing that. I can picture
a situation where the signal strength is marginal but sufficient at the
demarc, but not any distance inside the building. I don't know how you
would fix that. Maybe someone needs to make a 'DSL amplifier'.

Peter

> For those who are interested in my adventures getting DSL functional
> again:
>
> I inspected the phone wiring at the point where it enters the house, and
> in my previous installations of phone lines, I had used plastic ties on
> one of the phone lines to tie it to a cold water pipe. That pipe is
> sweating copiously in the warm weather, so it could be that the
> combination of water and being close to a metallic surface would attenuate
> the DSL signal. In any case, I insulated the pipe and moved the wire away
> from the pipe.
>
> I moved the modem to a second floor phone outlet where it seems to work
> semi-reliably. I have a temporary ethernet cable up to the third floor to
> my working computer, and that functions reliably..at least for the moment.
>
> My existing system does not split the line where it enters the house.
> There are filters on all the phone outlets, an arrangement which used to
> work properly.
>
> There are several suggestions on the internet (including Len's comment,
> below) that it is better to split the POTS and ADSL lines close to the
> demarcation point - ie, where the phone line enters the building. That
> makes sense, since the added capacitance of the other phone lines would
> tend to attenuate the ADSL signal. So the idea is to split the signal at
> the demarc, and then use the second set of wires in the phone cable
> (yellow and black) up to a separate phone outlet that is used only as an
> ADSL connection.
>
> Tomorrow I'll contact Wilcom and see if I can order a suitable splitter:
>
> http://www.wilcominc.com/item.cfm?ProdID=35&result=1&stockalert=No#skus
>
> (Their webpage suggests using UPS for delivery. I will attempt to use USPS
> instead, since UPS charge atrocious border clearance fees.)
>
> Any other suggestions, such as a local source for the splitter, would be
> welcome.
>
> (The 8-Port Ethernet switch also appears to be acting up, but one
> technical challenge at a time..).
>
> What do people do who do not have a resident electrical engineer to sort
> out this stuff?
>
> Peter
>
>> On Fri, May 30, 2014 at 06:42:43PM -0400, phiscock-g851W1bGYuGnS0EtXVNi6w at public.gmane.org wrote:
>>> Something recently changed with our Teksavvy DSL connection (they
>>> 'optimized it, apparently) and now the modem (Sagecom 2864) works close
>>> to
>>> the demarkation point in the basement and at phone outlets on the first
>>> and second floor, but not on the third floor, which is a little bit
>>> further. I suspect the signal has gone down a bit in strength and it's
>>> not
>>> enough for the modem.
>>>
>>> Unplugging phones has no effect.
>>>
>>> This is highly inconvenient since everything is cabled back to that
>>> modem.
>>> Changing over to wireless or some other solution is a major disruption.
>>>
>>> The phone still works fine at the third floor outlet, so the connection
>>> is
>>> basically OK.
>>
>> Working at 64kbit isn't the same as working at 25Mbit.
>>
>>> Anyone have any thoughts about a good DSL modem to try in this
>>> situation?
>>>
>>> Any advice appreciated.
>>
>> For which kind of DSL?
>>
>> After all VDSL2 needs different modems than ADSL2 or ADSL.
>>
>> Looking it up, it seems the 2864 is in fact a VDSL2 modem.  When I had
>> mine installed they ran a dedicated line from the demarc point for the
>> modem, and put the splitter/filter by the demarc point (which means I
>> don't need filters anywhere in the house which otherwise I would have).
>> It also means there are no splits on the line going to the modem which
>> tends to help the signal quality a lot.
>>
>> Of course I got my VDSL2 link early enough that I have a cellpipe.
>> I should probably talk to teksavvy about switching to a sagemcom that
>> I buy instead of paying $8 rental each month.
>>
>> --
>> Len Sorensen
>> --
>> The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
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>>
>
>
> --
> Peter Hiscocks
> Syscomp Electronic Design Limited, Toronto
> http://www.syscompdesign.com
> USB Oscilloscope and Waveform Generator
> 647-839-0325
>
> --
> The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
> TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
> How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists
>

-- 
Peter Hiscocks
Syscomp Electronic Design Limited, Toronto
http://www.syscompdesign.com
USB Oscilloscope and Waveform Generator
647-839-0325

--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists