Internet connection dropping out

[Spinney]

Hi all
Using the internet on my laptop at my partner's flat. Broadband, tiscali, Windows XP

The connection drops out now and then, accompanied by one of the green lights on the modem box (or whatever the black box is called!) flashing instead of being steady.

So, it could be
- something wrong in my laptop (but I think it happens on Mr Spinney's laptop as well, so possibly not)
- something wrong with the modem
- something wrong with the filter box that the phone also plugs into
- something wrong with the telephone line in the flat
- something wrong at the tiscali end

Any ideas how to work out which of these it is? I'd rather try to isolate the problem if possible before contacting tiscali's wonderfully helpful and efficient* help line.

Ta

Spinney

[* = irony, in case you hadn't guessed!]

 

[beanzontoast]

Well, from experience of other ISP's things they may ask include -

1. if you've tried a different microfilter
2. if you are wirelessly or cable connected
3. if your phone is working otherwise
4. if you've tried unplugging and restarting the modem*
5. if the modem is near any other electronic equipment

*being sure beforehand that you won't lose your settings before you do this - has been known

There are other possibilities. The unsteady broadband signal is interesting. It's a case of ruling out things at your end first.

 

[ian turner]

If it's the adsl connection light that is flashing (and since you mention it's generally solid this seems likely) then first try different microfilters (the splitter with one connection for phone and one for the router/modem).
If there isn't a microfilter between the router/modem and the phone socket then er put one in.
Otherwise if trying different ones doesn't work then it may be that yourpartner has telephone line problems or all the microfilters you tried were dodgy.

 

[ColinJ]

I had that problem several times. 

First time, I was also having problems with Caller Display not working reliably on one of my phones. It turned out to be a cheap and nasty filter. A good quality replacement filter sorted that problem out.

The second time I had connection problems, both phones had quality filters so I was stumped. I put up with the problem for weeks before I remembered that I'd added a cheap 3rd phone in another room (because there were parts of the house where I couldn't hear the original phones ringing). I'd forgotten to put a filter on the 3rd socket - d'oh!   

I did have it a 3rd time but that turned out to be due to problems at the local exchange.

 

[slowmotion]

My work computer is on the end of a long telephone extension lead and has been for years. A couple of months ago, I suddenly couldn't get an internet connection so I rang up my ISP, BT. I described my system, filters, etc. etc. and he took remote control of my PC. After about twenty minutes he told me that the problem was my extension lead, and that I should move the PC closer to the phone outlet. Anyway, at the very end of the call he said my voice was very faint. Ten minutes later I tried to log on having done nothing at all, and it worked perfectly.

It was just a temporary fault on the phone line, and nothing to do with my end.

Good luck.

 

[Spinney]

Thanks all - looks like replacing the filter is the first step.

 

[marinyork]

A very cynical person would conclude it's tiscali's fault as this is an extremely common complaint with them.

 

[Black Sheep]

because it's half relevent:

if your wireless keeps dropping in and out and you have cordless phones in the house, move the router away from the phone as it can interfere
if that doesn't solve it then also access the settings of the router and change the channel that your router is using to broadcast, keep trying until you find one that has less interference.

 

[marinyork]

Forgot to ask, what's the SNR?

 

[ian turner]

You could also ask about attenuation

 

[Shaun]

If you still haven't managed to resolve this, you could try looking at

 

[ColinJ]

I think Shaun's internet connection dropped out at the critical moment...

 

[Shaun]