ADSL link + telephones

[denisaf]

There are 3 telephone wall plugs in this house. The one in the lounge has a ADSL router + filter + telephone. This works well. However, on occasions we wish to use the phone in the kitchen. Plugging it into the wall socket breaks the ADSL link. Is there some way we can get round this, perhaps by putting filters on the kitchen and bedroom phones?

[patio]

With ADSL you should have line filters on ALL phone jacks...whether they are being used or not.

[denisaf]

Maybe I was not clear. Normally there are no phones plugged into the kitchen or bedroom wall sockets. Occasionally we plug a phone into the kitchen one, the ADSL link is then broken. If I put line filters on the kitchen and bedroom filters can I leave them pugged in the whole time so we then have the 3 phones + ADSL working continually?

[patio]

The filters should be on all outlets...whether a phone is plugged into them or not is irrelevant...

[denisaf]

Patio, thanks for that comment. I had had problems with my ADSL connection some time ago so had sort the advice of the ISP technical advisers. They, at no time told me that all the phone outlets should have line filters. they just tole me that the ADSL would drop out if I inserted a phone in one of the other outlets. I should have checked with other sources. It has been easy to find other sources once I started looking. Any way, thanks to you, I know what to do to get the working arrangement we  were seeking. I will now procure 2 ADSL line filters.

[patio]

If you see a DSL service truck in the area just ask the driver...they hand 'em out like candy here...

[soybean]

With ADSL you should have line filters on ALL phone jacks...whether they are being used or not.

patio, are you absolutely sure about this? It doesn't make sense that an unused wall phone jack without a line filter on it would cause problems.  One reference, http://support.hubris.net/knowledge_base/013.html, simply says "Any cord that does not connect to your DSL modem should have a DSL filter on it."  That implies that no filter would be needed on phone jack if nothing is connected it.

I think I could conduct a test on this issue. 

[Aegis]

It may not cause problems in itself, not having a filter on an unused jack, but what happens any time the original poster plugs in a phone?  Loss of DSL service.  More convenient, I think, to filter all the jacks, and not have to move a filter and a phone when necessary.

The general advice I seem to remember is to filter all the phone jacks on the premise.

[2x3i5x]

Well, if you don't have that filter in the jack, you would be losing the ADSL signal (no internet then) and i you have the filter, the phone should work fine without internet loss.

I have filters on all the wall jacks that I have a phone connected to and I have DSL internet and it works fine. I can call somebody and surf the net at same time as it should be.

[soybean]

Well, if you don't have that filter in the jack, you would be losing the ADSL signal ...

Yes, that's true IF that jack is being used by a phone, fax machine, etc.  But, if it's not being used for anything, then not having a filter on it is not going to cause loss of the ADSL signal.  But, Aegis makes a good point; it's a good reason to put filters on all jacks.

[patio]

I had issues when i first got it...incoming phone calls would cause the DSL signal to drop...all phones worked fine.

After i located an empty jack and threw a filter on it the issue dissappeared.

[denisaf]

I was not aware until now that there were more posts on the subject. I had expected to be advised when there was a post.I did what was recommended and put filters on the phone outlets and the system now gives no problems. Thanks to those who provided the advice.

[soybean]

Hmm, a reply after 4 months.  Great.    I gather you put filters on all phone jacks, even ones that are not being used if you have any. 

I'll say again that I do not have a filter on unused phone jacks at my residence and this does not cause a problem.  And, logically, I see no reason why it would.  The purpose of the filters is to filter out DSL "noise" which can degrade the quality of telephone conversation and interfere with use of some devices that use an analog signal such as fax machines.  So, if a jack is not being used, then it does not need a filter. 

If other users find they need a filter on all phone jacks, including unused ones, I wish I knew the technical reason for that.  Perhaps there's some technical difference in DSL/ADSL services or some technical difference in the way phone lines are installed in a building that would account for this.