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Connecting phone destroys internet connection!

Was wondering if anyone could help me find out where my problem is.

I have had Sky broadband connected a week or so ago but whenever I plug a phone into the line (through the filter) the noise on the line goes up so much that the internet becomes unstable and sometimes drops.

I have no extensions and have just tried fitting a filtered faceplate to my master socket after trying all 3 filters supplied by Sky with no change. I have tried 2 different phones with no change.

I can see it in the router stats that as soon as i plug a phone in (I don't make a call or even take it off the hook) the noise margin drops from 14db to 0db then when I unplug the phone the noise margin jumps back to 14db.

Anyone got any ideas what I could try next or is it a fault on the line?
2009 wins: 4x BTCC tickets, Balvenie Whiskey, DVD set, Vodkat kit, €5 Mastercard
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Comments

  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,128 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Have you tried it when connected to the BT test socket behind the master socket faceplate?
    Normally this is a classic sign of filter failure, but you seem to have ruled that one out.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • espresso
    espresso Posts: 16,448 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    whitegra wrote: »

    I can see it in the router stats that as soon as i plug a phone in (I don't make a call or even take it off the hook) the noise margin drops from 14db to 0db then when I unplug the phone the noise margin jumps back to 14db.

    Anyone got any ideas what I could try next or is it a fault on the line?

    Forget the BB for a moment, can you make successful voice calls?
    :doh: Blue text on this forum usually signifies hyperlinks, so click on them!..:wall:
  • kwikbreaks
    kwikbreaks Posts: 9,187 Forumite
    Given that you've tried multiple filters and two different phones then it seems to me that the inescapable conclusion is that you must have a line fault of some sort.
  • I tried it through the test socket, trying 3 different filters and 2 different phones before I got my filtered faceplate. There was no difference.

    The filtered faceplate does lower the noise on the broadband (noise margin is 2db higher) compared to the Sky filters when there is no phone plugged in but it has no effect in solving the main problem.
    2009 wins: 4x BTCC tickets, Balvenie Whiskey, DVD set, Vodkat kit, €5 Mastercard
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,128 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Try the BT quiet test, dial 17070, option 2. Is there noise or crackling on the line with just the phone connected to the test socket?
    Got to be a line fault.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • macman wrote: »
    Try the BT quiet test, dial 17070, option 2. Is there noise or crackling on the line with just the phone connected to the test socket?
    Got to be a line fault.

    I'll try that when I get home tonight, I do get some noise through the phone as well when the phone and broadband are connected but I haven't tried the phone on it's own recently.
    2009 wins: 4x BTCC tickets, Balvenie Whiskey, DVD set, Vodkat kit, €5 Mastercard
  • kwikbreaks
    kwikbreaks Posts: 9,187 Forumite
    If you hear a noise through the phone when the router is turned on which goes away with it off and have eliminated a filter problem then that is a known type of line fault caused by a dodgy joint somewhere along the line. Report the problem through your ISP as a standard BT voice engineer may not have the kit to locate the fault.
  • kwikbreaks wrote: »
    If you hear a noise through the phone when the router is turned on which goes away with it off and have eliminated a filter problem then that is a known type of line fault caused by a dodgy joint somewhere along the line. Report the problem through your ISP as a standard BT voice engineer may not have the kit to locate the fault.

    This sounds exactly like it. I'll give Sky a ring tonight and see if I can run the gauntlet of script readers to get to someone who knows what they're talking about...
    2009 wins: 4x BTCC tickets, Balvenie Whiskey, DVD set, Vodkat kit, €5 Mastercard
  • ComplexP
    ComplexP Posts: 328 Forumite
    kwikbreaks wrote: »
    If you hear a noise through the phone when the router is turned on which goes away with it off and have eliminated a filter problem then that is a known type of line fault caused by a dodgy joint somewhere along the line. Report the problem through your ISP as a standard BT voice engineer may not have the kit to locate the fault.

    I had exactly the same issue.

    The above is exactly the right advise to follow. Ensure you report the fault through the ISP and double check that the Openreach engineer that turns up is a BROADBAND engineer.

    I had 3 'standard' line engineers come to my house and declare that there was nothing wrong with my line before a specialised broadband engineer came round and tracked the fault to a loose wire at the pole outside my house within 30 minutes.
  • kwikbreaks
    kwikbreaks Posts: 9,187 Forumite
    The magic term is HR DIS or High Resistance DISconnect Fault. I doubt the front end support person is likely to have heard the term but if you can get them to at least record it against your call then maybe just maybe...

    Good luck.
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