ADSL and microfilters

[Gazzaodi]

I just moved to SA from the US and having a wonderful time trying to get my adsl installed. Telkom says the line has been activated for 3 weeks now. However, when I connect my Linksys WAG200 (locally purchased since Telkom said they were out of stock of modems) I get not activity on the adsl side.

Questions:
1. I was told that the Linksys did not require a microfilter, it had an internal filter. I haven't been able to find documentation to this though. Does anyone know?

2. I only used cable in the US so adsl is a new area for me. What does the microfilter actually do? Would the line show completely dead if one is required but not installed?

3. I have spoken with every one along the line (on the adsl ordering side and the problem reporting side) up to and including the 'manager' for my local central office. Everyone has told me the issue is being escalated. Don't mean to bash here.. but in the states when something get's escalated that means you have a guy in a van with lots of tools showing up at your house the next day. I've been 'escalated' 4 times now in the past week and no van yet. How long should I expect to wait?

Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[SeanH]

I think your problem is that you dont have microfilters plugged into your other phone jacks. You need to purchase them from a telkom shop and plug one into every jack that has a phone in it.

 

[bwana]

I think your problem is that you dont have microfilters plugged into your other phone jacks. You need to purchase them from a telkom shop and plug one into every jack that has a phone in it.

and dont forget the alarm connection either if you have one.

 

[Rocket-Boy]

Umm i dont think so, it wasnt mentioned that its a phoine handset problem but rather a conectivity on ADSL problem if I have read correctly.

Its possible that the Telkom side of things has been done but the actual ADSL activation from the http://www.telkom.co.za/verifyadsl website is not done.

Either that or it has to be cleared and then the varification needs to be done again.

 

[bwana]

Questions:
1. I was told that the Linksys did not require a microfilter, it had an internal filter. I haven't been able to find documentation to this though. Does anyone know?

you only install the filter on extensions.

2. I only used cable in the US so adsl is a new area for me. What does the microfilter actually do? Would the line show completely dead if one is required but not installed?

The micro filter filters out the DSL signal from the telephone equipment.

3. I have spoken with every one along the line (on the adsl ordering side and the problem reporting side) up to and including the 'manager' for my local central office. Everyone has told me the issue is being escalated. Don't mean to bash here.. but in the states when something get's escalated that means you have a guy in a van with lots of tools showing up at your house the next day. I've been 'escalated' 4 times now in the past week and no van yet. How long should I expect to wait?

Any info is appreciated. Thanks.

escalation doesnt seem to mean much here does it

 

[Gazzaodi]

Its possible that the Telkom side of things has been done but the actual ADSL activation from the http://www.telkom.co.za/verifyadsl website is not done.

Thanks all, have a question here though. A tech friend told me that once my adsl is active, I open a browser and I will be forced to the Telkom site and this is when I do the verifyadsl. Is that incorrect? Is it required before the line is active?

Thanks

 

[Rocket-Boy]

Thanks all, have a question here though. A tech friend told me that once my adsl is active, I open a browser and I will be forced to the Telkom site and this is when I do the verifyadsl. Is that incorrect? Is it required before the line is active?

Thanks

It is required unless a Telscum techie came out and did it for you.
If not then enter the URL I mentioned above and it will prompt you for the phone number and order number. It then starts the verification, reboot your router and wait a few mins(up to 30 apparently) and it will be fine.

 

[Gazzaodi]

It is required unless a Telscum techie came out and did it for you.
If not then enter the URL I mentioned above and it will prompt you for the phone number and order number. It then starts the verification, reboot your router and wait a few mins(up to 30 apparently) and it will be fine.

Okay. I'm still a bit confused here. So just to get it straight. My adsl line is inoperable. So I connect to the Telkom website using another means (MyWireless) and go to the verifyadsl page and enter my info. Then reboot the router and it should come up sometime. Is that correct?

Thanks.

 

[CathJ]

Okay. I'm still a bit confused here. So just to get it straight. My adsl line is inoperable. So I connect to the Telkom website using another means (MyWireless) and go to the verifyadsl page and enter my info. Then reboot the router and it should come up sometime. Is that correct?

Thanks.

No, you should be able to get to the Telkom link with your adsl line - assuming that the only problem is that hasn't been verified. That in itself is a good test - if you can get to the Telkom site, odds are the line isn't verified. If you can't, there are other problems.

 

[Yotch]

Don't worry about microfilters until you have ADSL working on your line. The microfilters are only necessary if you wish to make/receive telephone calls while you are online. They function to remove any high frequency signals that are produced by the telephone call to prevent interference with the ADSL service. The ADSL service should work fine without any filters installed - they only become active once a telephone is taken off hook. Does your router show the correct light sequence on the front panel i.e. PPP light on, ADSL light on etc. Take a look at the manual for the router to make sure. If the router is unable to sync then the ADSL service may not have been activated correctly at the exchange.

You could also try to do the verification from the Telkom guest account - just program these into your router. Username: guest1@telkomadsl, Password: guest1. Are your modem/router settings correct VPI=8, VCI=35, Protocol or Encapsulation = PPPoE, Multiplex=LLC?

No, you must verify from your operable ADSL line.

 

[USZA]

Okay. I'm still a bit confused here. So just to get it straight. My adsl line is inoperable. So I connect to the Telkom website using another means (MyWireless) and go to the verifyadsl page and enter my info. Then reboot the router and it should come up sometime. Is that correct?

Thanks.

Basically, yes. That's what happened to me. You have what they call "limited connectivity" until you verify your account and reset your default access i.e change your username and password. Somehow the default assignment is [email protected] - you need to change this to your username provided with your account; also, change the password provided. Basicalli, if you can access ADSL the 1st time with the "correct" access details, you'll be set to go.

 

[Gazzaodi]

....Does your router show the correct light sequence on the front panel i.e. PPP light on, ADSL light on etc. Take a look at the manual for the router to make sure. If the router is ...

You could also try to do the verification from the Telkom guest account - just program these into your router. Username: guest1@telkomadsl, Password: guest1. Are your modem/router settings correct VPI=8, VCI=35, Protocol or Encapsulation = PPPoE, Multiplex=LLC?

No, you must verify from your operable ADSL line.

Nothing goes active on the adsl side of the modem. Just the lan side and the wireless. The connect for adsl and ppp are both inactive. Yes I set the modem up with VPI=8, VCI=35, PPPoE and LLC.

Thanks all. I'm taking it to mean that the line is not active.

 

[USZA]

Don't worry about microfilters until you have ADSL working on your line. The microfilters are only necessary if you wish to make/receive telephone calls while you are online. They function to remove any high frequency signals that are produced by the telephone call to prevent interference with the ADSL service. The ADSL service should work fine without any filters installed - they only become active once a telephone is taken off hook. Does your router show the correct light sequence on the front panel i.e. PPP light on, ADSL light on etc. Take a look at the manual for the router to make sure. If the router is unable to sync then the ADSL service may not have been activated correctly at the exchange.

You could also try to do the verification from the Telkom guest account - just program these into your router. Username: guest1@telkomadsl, Password: guest1. Are your modem/router settings correct VPI=8, VCI=35, Protocol or Encapsulation = PPPoE, Multiplex=LLC?

No, you must verify from your operable ADSL line.

LOL; you sound like someone from the Telkom Helpdesk

 

[Yotch]

Can you possibly test the line with another router otherwise I would call Telkom to check that the line has been activated at the exchange.

 

[sWonAL]

No, you should be able to get to the Telkom link with your adsl line - assuming that the only problem is that hasn't been verified. That in itself is a good test - if you can get to the Telkom site, odds are the line isn't verified. If you can't, there are other problems.

lol when i got my adsl i couldn't get to that site... so i call them and that oak did it for me and it's activated in 5mins.. then its up and working..

 

[sWonAL]

3. I have spoken with every one along the line (on the adsl ordering side and the problem reporting side) up to and including the 'manager' for my local central office. Everyone has told me the issue is being escalated. Don't mean to bash here.. but in the states when something get's escalated that means you have a guy in a van with lots of tools showing up at your house the next day. I've been 'escalated' 4 times now in the past week and no van yet. How long should I expect to wait?

Sorry bro... this is SA...

 

[Gazzaodi]

Thanks for everyone's help. Still nothing. Here is the basic configuration for the modem:

Ecapsulation: RFC 2516 PPPoE
Multiplexing: LLC

QoS Type: UBR (other options are CBR, VBR)
Pcr Rate: (greyed)
Scr Rate: (greyed)

Autodetect: Disabled (enabling greys out VPI/VCI)
Virtual Circuit - VPI: 8
- VCI: 35

Username: guest1@telkomadsl
Password: guest1

Connect on Demand: Max Idle Time 5 Minutes (selected)
Keep Alive: Redial Period (greyed)

Hostname: (blank)
Domain Name: (blank)

MTU: Auto (tried setting to manual with a size of 1492 no difference)
Size: (greyed)

Timezone: GMT +2 South Africa

 

[Yotch]

Your router settings appear to be correct. Does the router report the downstream and upstream line speeds correctly i.e. 384kbps, 128kbps etc.?

If you don't have access to another router could you possibly test out the one that you are using now with the current settings on a working ADSL line? Maybe you could ask to test it at the shop where you purchased it or take it along to a Telkom shop to test it on a working line first. You can also telephone the ADSL support number (0800 375375) to enquire about whether or not your line has been activated. Just remember that there is a ~R490 callout fee if Telkom decides to send over a technician which is why I am suggesting that you make 100% sure that the problem is not on your side. Make sure that you have unplugged all telephones, faxes and lightning/surge protection while testing your router just in case one of these may be causing a problem (unlikely). Test the telephone cable that you are using between the router and the telephone extension point in case this has a break or is not making proper contact with the phone line. You could also try to do a hard reset of the router via the internal microswitch but this will cause it to return to the factory default settings which you may need to modify to get it to connect so it might be a better plan to test it first on a working line.

 

[bekdik]

Your ADSL status should show something like below. The important bit is a line state of showtime.

Line State : Showtime
Modulation : G.DMT
Annex Mode : ANNEX_A

This shows that you are physically connected to the ADSL network.

 

[Gazzaodi]

Okay, it was resolved yesterday. Still don't know what.. But the technician called to say he was on the way. About 1/2 hour later the adsl lights go active on the modem, and about 3 minutes after that he shows up at my gate. I'm thinking mis-wired in the junction box.

So I spent oodles of quality time with my broadband last night, to the tune of 1Gig of my 10Gig account gone in about 10 hours.. lol.. Guess I'll need a second accound on WebAfrica.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.