DSL filters
I’ve been having issues with my DSL ever since it was installed. I’d get random drops at seemingly unexplainable times. Every once in a while I’d forget to put one of the ADSL filters on a phone, DirecTV box or TiVo. The DSL line never tolerates that very well.
Usually the DSL line behaves itself. But when it doesn’t, it’s a total bear. Today it’s been flaky. Bad weather seems to trip it up more than good weather, although when the garbage trucks roll by it tends to drop too (don’t even ask me to explain that). I’ve been thinking in the back of my head, “I wonder if my house alarm has anything to do with this.” The alarm on my house is tied into the phone system. It has a modem so it can dial out to the alarm provider to send events and perform checkups. It’s basically just like a DirecTV or TiVo system hooked up to the phone line.
I cracked open the box on my alarm, expecting to see a nice RJ-11 jack that I could hook an ADSL filter onto. Instead, it’s got some strange jack that looks more like RJ-45. It’s actually either an RJ31X or an RJ38X plug. There’s a decent writeup discussing how the phone lines work with the alarm box.
So I called up my alarm provider and asked them about a DSL filter. They told me I could either set up a service call or I could buy the part and install it myself. Needless to say, I’ve ordered the filter and will hopefully have it around Thursday or Friday. With any luck that will solve the issues I’ve been seeing.
