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Thread ID: 115905 2011-02-08 20:58:00 Xnet service drop outs - the saga continues - advice on testing my side of things globe (11482) Press F1
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1176383 2011-02-08 20:58:00 I have been suffering persistent drop outs of service from Xnet over the last few months. After pestering them they finally put a line monitor on and this is the response I got from them.

Thank you for your email.
The analyzer showed 16 disconnections over 24 hours. The next step for us and
Telecom would be to send a technician out, however if they find a problem inside
your house they will charge you a call out fee of $230.
To minimize the risk of this happening, I suggest you test the equipment on your
end first if possible.

I would suggest to isolate the line.

Isolating the line means ensuring your ADSL modem is the only thing connected to
your telephone line. Basically, any filter that has become damaged can cause
issues, as can anything plugged in without a filter. Extension cords and double
adapters can also be faulty. In order to test the quality of the connection, we
have you remove all these items.

So, to isolate the line, please:
Check all of your jackpoints, and unplug everything. Make sure you pay attention
to things such as Sky TV and dial-up modems.
Plug the modem directly into a jackpoint (this means no filter, too). If the
modem's cord between itself and the wall is the wrong type, use the cord from a
disconnected phone.

Run the system like this for a while, and see if the disconnections continue.

If they stop occuring simply plug things back in one by one, and run things for
a short while connected as they are. If you notice after plugging in one
particular device the disconnections recur, it suggests that particular filter
or device is faulty - replace it.

If the disconnections do continue with an isolated line, please reply to this
email, and we will organize that Telecom send out a technician to investigate.

So I don't have filter plugged into the wall (I think its in the little box under the eaves where the phone line comes in - well that's where the installer was fiddling anyway). Don't have sky and only have a phone plugged into a separate outlet in the kitchen. So I can only assume if it is at my end it may be the modem - maybe its been dropped or something ? Any suggestions on how I can test this before I get them to send out a tech to minimize my risk of exposure to a $230 call out fee - which in my humble opinion seems pretty steep anyway.

All advise most welcomed, thanks 		globe (11482)
1176384 2011-02-08 21:02:00 The filter should be plugged into the phone jack. Then, the modem is plugged into one input and the phone in the other. Is the phone on the same phoneline or a separate line altogether? Speedy Gonzales (78)
1176385 2011-02-08 21:05:00 If you're able to use the phone while the ADSL is going on another point in the house, I'm guessing yes, there's a filter housed in that box. Else your phone would cut the internet when you picked it up.

I've also suffered this sort of problem but I ended up just dealing with it for the sake of not wanting to pay the fee.
That said, my modem did turn out to be dropping my connection a fair bit when it was overused, but I still suspected the lines played a part.

But man it is annoying eh? Moved house though and it's been fine for the most part so I don't know. 		8ftmetalhaed (14526)
1176386 2011-02-08 21:49:00 If you're able to use the phone while the ADSL is going on another point in the house, I'm guessing yes, there's a filter housed in that box. Else your phone would cut the internet when you picked it up.




Not necessarily. I've used phone and net without a filter, and it does affect the quality of the phone but it won't necessarily cut the net - or vice versa.

1)Filter on the phone. All phones plugged into a jack in fact. And any faxes or other dialling type devices.

2)Still having issues, then get the tech out, could be something with jackpoints, wiring, phone itself, something at the gate, where-ever. 		pctek (84)
1176387 2011-02-08 23:23:00 That said, my modem did turn out to be dropping my connection a fair bit when it was overused, but I still suspected the lines played a part.

How did you establish that it was the modem that was playing up ? Did you get it replaced ? That I believe is the piece of gear that I need to test ahead of anything else. 		globe (11482)
1176388 2011-02-08 23:28:00 I had a similar prob with the Dlink modem I had (the G604T) .

When I went from Xnet (I was on ADSL1) to Telstra, (ADSL2), it kept cutting me off . In the end I decided to use the modem, Telstra gave me, when I signed up with Telstra .

I havent been cut off once . Dont know what the prob was, the DLink may have been more sensitive to line noise or something? Or it didnt like ADSL2 (even tho the Dlink supports ADSL2/+) 		Speedy Gonzales (78)
1176389 2011-02-08 23:34:00 As you appear to have had a full installation done you don't have to use filters and there will be one dedicated phone jack for ADSL that you connect your modem to.
Borrow another known good modem and test with that and if you still have a problem you will need to get a tech to investigate as the problem could be anywhere in your house, on the street or in your local exchange. 		Safari (3993)
1176390 2011-02-09 00:59:00 I'm with Safari. What's your router make / model ? Chilling_Silence (9)
1176391 2011-02-09 03:22:00 The instructions they gave you are actually pretty good and although it shouldn't matter have you tried unplugging the phone for a while ?

Also check for any sources of interference near the Modem such as cordless & mobile phones (and dont sit it on top of the microwave . . . . . ) . Have a look at the cable from the jackpoint to the modem and make sure it's in good condition, check the connection into the jackpoint itself isn't loose and unplug it to check the condition of the pins .

If it's the modem itself the only way to prove it is to borrow one as suggested, if the fault is in the cable up to your house it's the service providers problem, and if it's in the house wiring you may well be charged .

Myself when having similar problems ran a new cable directly to the Telecom demarcation, disconnected the house wiring and hooked the modem directly to the line - a bit involved for most people but it proved it out of my house wiring (turned out to be a cable fault down the road in my case) 		dugimodo (138)
1176392 2011-02-09 05:01:00 I figured it out because every time I overused the modem by being on wireless while mum was youtube via ethernet and my sister's laptop was connected upstairs via wireless (even just sitting there, I didn't have physical access to it) it would drop out, and completely lock me out of the modem. Since moving house I've also found transferring large or many files wirelessly does it too.
I brought the problem here and didn't figure it out until a while after (since three modems did it, including my bundled wired 1 port ethernet which WAS losing line connection).

So yeah hammer the hell out of it by transferring huge files on your network and see if the internet also drops out. Or try youtubing and downloading on 2 or more pc's at once.

Another thing to check is the oxidation of the ports or cables. I've noticed that phone points and extensions can become oxidised (turn green) at the connection pointsand cause failed or dropped connections. You should be able to scrape it off and/or use some sort of conductive fluid (ie a drop or less of crc) and have it help. 		8ftmetalhaed (14526)
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