ADSL2+ filter or splitter

[emanning]

Hi,

I have Fusion. I've been losing my Internet connection daily. So I called today and talked to Support. Together we tested a few things and the upshot is that I need an ADSL2+-capable splitter. Or, if that's not available, get a normal splitter and an ADSL2+-capable filter.

He recommended Best Buy but they had no clue about either. Tried RadioShack and encountered same problem. I did a quick search on Amazon but didn't see anything.

Can someone out there recommend where to get either of these items? Sonic.net supplied the splitter I'm using now but apparently it's not appropriate for the DSL (or it's faulty). Previously, they twice recommended that I replace the phone, which I did. I'm hoping this really nails the problem. (Anyone have a similar experience?)

Thanks for any suggestions (specific please, if possible)!

[ksa01]

If it's really your phone that's causing the problems, then you can try the fix I found while trying to fix my own problem. My Panasonic cordless phone heavily interferes with the DSL, causing me to lose sync too. My normal splitter supplied by SONIC isn't compatible enough to filter it. However, I used a method I found on a couple of forums; I tried using another splitter on my phone (As in using 2 splitters on one phone). And well... it works! Tested it a couple of times, and now my noise margin is higher than before and I haven't lost sync at all since I tried this weeks ago.

Honestly I would rather get a stronger ADSL2+ splitter, but most of the ones that work for the people on the many threads I've read are from out of the country. Don't exactly want to pay for a huge amount of shipping and besides, this double splitter trick is working well. I mean it sounds ridiculous, but I can't complain with the results. I've tested my phone with no splitter, 1 splitter, and 2 splitters. The results were clear and verified its effectiveness.

Anyway, I hope this helps you out! Good luck getting your connection stable!

Edit: If you were wondering how I tested the splitters, I basically made a phone call while testing each setup. With just 1 splitter, my noise margin of 6 dB would drop to 2 dB, or even negative values if I remember right. And at that point, my connection would lose sync. This happened immediately as soon as I picked up the phone, so it was easy to test stability. With 2 splitters, it would either stay at the same number or drop from 6 dB to 5 dB.

However, since then, my noise margin has risen to 7.3 dB. It's been very stable, and I have never seen the number that high before, until the double splitters. In addition, I also asked Sonic to remove all speed caps on me (The speed cap was placed on me before to see if it would help connection stability, but of course this wasn't the case), gained an extra 2 megabits of download speed, and I'm having zero problems at all with my connection now.

[dane]

ksa01, which splitter type from Sonic did you have? Is it the one that came with the ZTE (small white block, three plugs), or the newer unit that comes with the Pace 4111N kit (Sonic.net labeled modem)? Or something else?

[ksa01]

ksa01, which splitter type from Sonic did you have? Is it the one that came with the ZTE (small white block, three plugs), or the newer unit that comes with the Pace 4111N kit (Sonic.net labeled modem)? Or something else?

The splitters I am currently using are the ones that came with the Pace 4111N kit, the Sonic-labeled modem. Oh, and I also tested each splitter individually to see if any were faulty, but the results were the same. Double filter seems to be the way to go for those of us with certain cordless phone units.

[michaelwright]

I prefer installing the splitter at the DEMARC (outside phone box) the Suttle 649A1 DSL Pots Splitter is a good choice and can be bought or ordered in San Jose at:
http://www.hometech.com/hts/products/ph ... 649a1.html

The Corning Cable ULM-DSL-32U2 Universal DSL POTS Splitter is better yet if you have a typical Corning NID (phone box):
http://www.hometech.com/hts/products/wi ... lmdsl.html

Either way, you get rid of the individual filters on every phone and just send the unfiltered data signal to your modem on a separate wire pair (usually the black and yellow wires). If you have a lot of phone jacks, a Tone Generator/Probe Set is very handy for locating the run to the modem jack. Although I have not tried one, and inexpensive model such as the Triplett 3375 The Fox Jr. & Hound Jr. Kit Fox and Hound Series Compact Wire and Cable Tracing Kit from Amazon for $37 should do the job if you can't find a friend with one. You can always use a 9 volt battery on the wire pair of your choice at the modem jack and a volt meter to find the pair at the phone box. (Be sure to disconnect all incoming phone service and devices first to be safe.) Or you can dump the data signal onto all of the yellow/black pairs in the house (assuming they are unused for anything else) but this is not preferred.

This is how all DSL service was installed back when you had to wait weeks for a tech to come out to make the installation. The individual line filters were developed to allow for self-installations.

Here is a YouTube video to help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSwWVAbH8C8

And here is an article describing the use of splitters:
http://computemagazine.com/how-to-speed ... hroughput/

Hope this helps

[emanning]

Wow, this is a lot of technical info for someone who's not technical. But I honestly appreciate it all.

: )

According to sonic.net Support's latest help, the problem is NOT my phone (or presumable the previous 2 I also bought to solve the problem they said I had). It's the splitter that is defective.

Sonic.net Support hasn't gotten back on my second message asking where I might get the ADSL2+ splitter they say I need. So, maybe I'll try a variation on ksa01's approach. I'll replace the defective splitter with something I bought at RadioShack last week—a "Gigaware Single-line Duplex Adapter with Built-In DSL Filter". Then if I keep getting dropped (it just happened again as I started accessing this forum--grrrrr), I'll get a second splitter a la ksa's approach. We'll see!

And thanks for your ideas, too, Michael. I'll check out the videos.

[michaelwright]

That RS filter should be fine, I'd stay away from their others because of the cost. More than $5 for a simple filter is just wrong. Check with neighbors. Normally DSL users have extra filters laying around. Good luck

Edit:
If San Jose is close, go to HomeTech. Their Suttle Inline DSL Line Conditioner is $3.29. See it at:
http://www.hometech.com/hts/products/ph ... 00lcc.html