Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

I guess I was speaking from my personal experience; with my AT&T-supplied DSL in the Seattle area, we were given discrete filters to insert inline before POTS phones, but no filters for the modem. Now that I think about it, it makes sense that there would be a high-pass filter for the modem, so it's probably built into the modem itself. I'm pretty sure that my modem is a different brand, however.

If you have the same service, this should (hopefully) work, but keep in mind that there are several types of DSL: xDSL, ADSL, etc.

Good luck,
--Ryan

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

D,
It should be easy to bypass the installed DSL filter. Once that is done, you can use one of the individual filters and see if the modem connects. If it does, then you know the installed filter is hooked up wrong or non-functional. Perhaps a simple visual inspection of the filter will answer all your concerns. Make sure it is a DSL filter and not something else. External filters of the type you describe are just hardened versions of the same filters you were already using. Effectively they just keep the DSL signals from being attenuated by the phone internal electronics and keep the 90 volt ring signal out of the modem. I am guessing you are going to find a very obvious problem.
On the subject of the wire in the water. Many types of wire use a clay filler in the outside jacket which absorbs water. If the cable in question was a standard phone cable with 4 conductors and a grey jacket, then it is possible for that to suck water inside the jacket by capillary action. If the filter does't fix the problem, then you might want to try eliminating that wire from the system.
One rule of thumb we use is called the Nottke Rule. Go where the last person was working and double check that the work was done correctly. Even experts make mistakes.

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

I am currently at the pantry. She had a second line installed a while ago. Someone put a fuse box inline and a DSL (low pass to cut DSL noise) filter on the box for one line. The last time I was here, this was not there. I went to a phone in the back and plugged the modem it. It works fine back here. I think someone routed the lines to the wrong places. The one with the filter went to the office with the modem. The one in the back has no filter so the modem works fine.

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

This could very well could be the problem. We all came up with the same problem, and explained it 10 different ways.

I am a little surprise there has not been any noise on the phone, but it doesnt necessarily have to have any. I have had our phone hooked up and no filter was there until somebody told me to move the phone, and I noticed it. I think the phones can handle the signals better nowadays.

Anyhow, I hope that solves your problem.

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

The filter was on the line going to the office. As soon as I removed it, the modem was able to connect. Now the router decided to die. I can not connect to the internet through it even with factory defaults. I am at a loss there. I can find no reason the router should be faulty.

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

I think we have gone around full circle now...

I'll start off with the basic checks:
__ Cord from Modem to Router
__ Cord from Router to Computer (Unless it is wireless)
__ Power Cord
__ Power Switch

What kind of router is it?
Do you know if the computer is able to communicate with the router?
If the router has an internet light, is that on?

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

If you can log in with your computer not attached to the router but cannot connect when going through the router then you may need to telnet into the router and tell it your DSL login name and password. This may be especially true if you've reset it to factory defaults.


... don't ask how I know this :rolleyes:

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

He is probably right, especially if you are able to reach the router from the computer.
Maybe THAT solves your problem. :P

I better not see, "I got my modem working and logged on to my router, and now my computer won't respond.":ahh:

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

D,
You should be able to telnet into the router and check status. I suspect that in the confusion, the modem was set back to standard mode and not to feed the router. On some modems you need a turnover cable to feed the router and others it is a setting internal to the modem or router input. On some it is auto sensing. You are getting closer, just a few more steps to the gates of the Emerald City!

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

Man, sounds like exactly what I was doing last night when our old router went out. Things to check:

-Ethernet cable from modem is going into the "WAN" or "Internet" port on the router

When logged into the router:
-It is setup to handle DHCP
-It is setup to take inputs from the WAN or Internet port
-The size of the address pool is greater than or equal to the number of computers in the office
-The router is setup to automatically obtain its own IP address (from the modem)
-If the router has an option for the type of internet connection, it is set to DSL (some have options for phone line, cable, PPnP, etc.)
-And yes, if there's an option for your DSL login, you need to put that in too
-If it has an option for the MTU (maximum transmission unit), go ahead an explicitly define that as 1500. That should be the default, but on the other hand, that's what got ours to work last night.

Best of luck, these things are a black art.

Re: Mysterious Internet Connection Problem
 

I got everything working yesterday. After a little research on the modem, I figured out what was wrong. The SpeedStream 4100 is know for dropping its connection every time the DHCP lease on the ehternet port expires. For some reason, the computer can obtain a new lease no problem but the router can't. Also, for some reason, the factory default passes the public IP of the modem to the ethernet port rather than assigning one. I turned that option off so that the modem takes the public IP and assigns one to its ethernet port. I set the lease expiration time to 100 days rather than the default 10 miniutes (I have no clue why you would want you DHCP client to get a new address every 10 miniutes). I thought that still might be a bad idea so to ensure the router and modem would always talk, I gave the router a static IP outside the modem's DHCP range. That way, if something gets turned off or unplugged, no DHCP errors will occur. I am sticking to Motorolla modems from now on. They work strait from the factory.