It's the strangest thing...

june gloom on 8/8/2011 at 17:17

We've been having trouble with our DSL for a while. Every so often it will go out entirely; when this happens, we hear a strange noise on the phone, like a weird, electronic noise. I'd compare it to a fax machine or dialup, but it's too regular for that- like today it was like BEEP BEEEEEP bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz BEEP BEEEEEEP bzzzzzzzzzz all with plenty of static.

It gets weirder- by using the phone, if we stay on the line long enough, whatever's making the noise will stop and our internet will come back.

I have no fucking clue. I've swapped out the DSL filters twice, I've called the phone company (they got no fucking clue either, ring the papers) and I can't figure out what's causing the interference or why it disappears when we make a phone call.

Any ideas?

EvaUnit02 on 8/8/2011 at 18:41

Is it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRLi2vKlso8&NR=1) this? If so, that's the standard interference noise made when you have an incoming cellphone call.

Renzatic on 8/8/2011 at 18:47

Well, you have the off chance that it could be a problem with the lines in your house. You could try to rewire your entire phone system, and see if that fixes it. But most likely, it's a problem somewhere down the main line, which means it's a phone company problem. If they can't fix it (or won't, which is more likely), you're pretty much screwed. Your only options are to ditch DSL for cable or fiber.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's really all you've got. DSL is notorious for being slow and flaky at the best of times, and only barely supported by the providers. I've got a friend who lives out in the middle of bumblefuck nowheresville, and doesn't have any other option but to use DSL. He's been on it for years now, and has had the same problem with it literally since day one. They'll play the blame game and try to pass responsibility on to something else to keep from having to work on it. You keep dropping your connection? Oh, it's your router. Call the manufacturer or get a new one. Oh, you got a new router? It's still the router, so sorry.

So basically you're pretty well screwed until your local telco gets off its ass and does something about it.