Phone down, ADSL still working?

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MisterBigglesworth

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Hiya all,

I have the strangest problem. Our phone is literally dead, but here I am on the net and posting this. How is this possible? I know the lines run to the same point, but do the 2 lines work independantly? Does this mean its the phone thats dead? Sorry for the very noob question, but I always thought that the lines ran together to the exchange, then got seperated?

Please educate this neanderthal :D
 
yip you have it correct

adsl is digital and your phone is on analog

2 different lines going to telkom

atleast thats what i think
 
AFAIK it uses all wires. It would be pretty idiotic if it does not.

Crazy: Just chill a bit. I had the same thing a few months back. Phone came back online 3 days later.
 
I still have this problem. I phoned Telkom over a week ago about this and still no resolution - not even a peep from a technician. Bought new POTS flters... did nothing. Removed all additional extensions... did nothing. Of course, I have to invest at least an hour to wait in the 0800 375 375 "support" line queue to get the standard "it has been assigned to a technician" response - and "he couldn't reach you on any of your numbers" (3 cellphone numbers provided).

Also, we have had ADSL line drops like mad for about a week (down about 25% of the time) - and the only thing Telkom will say about that is "get a new router". Funny, this particular router has worked flawlessly for a year. So I got a new Telkom router today, and, you guessed it. I think the truth is that Telkom's network is more susceptible to power cuts than they are admitting....

Yet again, I was going to hire a new South African employee for my business but the job just went to a new hire in our Spanish office. If people like me are making these decisions on a micro-level, I hate to think what investment opportunities the country is missing out on on the bigger scale. A BIG factor: ADSL for business use (unshaped) is barbarically expensive - 3 employees here consume a 4 GIG account each... costing more than R3000/month for something that in Spain and the UK costs R400/month and supports a workforce of 20 employees' usage + VOIP joining the offices (no usage cap, 5 times faster, instant support and 99.99% uptime).

Telkom + Eskom = 3rd world economy for a long time to come.

Oh... and have you read that HILARIOUS explanation of how Telkom are giving us extra bandwidth: GIGs vs GBs. You can find it on the adsl.telkomsa.net site, but don't look now as it is spitting out HTTP 500 errors.

I know it's not cool or PC to monopoly-bash because these parastatals are a "fact of SA life" and good money-spinners for the public coffers. But really, when will the policymakers get that developing countries need infrasctructure to develop? India, Brazil, and even Bangladesh get it...

;- rant over -;
 
Ok...thanks for the info. First thing Im gonna check is the actual phone...maybe its dead and its not the line??? From there on...will check as above. Thanks again! :)
 
CrazyFig said:
Ok...thanks for the info. First thing Im gonna check is the actual phone...maybe its dead and its not the line??? From there on...will check as above. Thanks again! :)
Click to expand...
I don't think phoning the ADSL support center is going to help with a voice line problem.
Phone 10217 for voice line issues.
 
Well, found a phone to test with. Unplugged old phone, plugged new one in and it works. So looks like it was the phone that was dead. But now something else is happening thats odd. If the phobe isplugged in, my Mega 100WR does not connect to the internet. The DSL light just flashed all the time. If I unplug the new phone, then it connects. This is so weird...anyone have any ideas? Should I just save myself some hassle and get the Telkom okes in???
 
While not directly related to your problem, to answer your original question, yes it is definitely possible to have DSL with a completely dead phone line. Had this happen to me for around 2 weeks last year when some knob broke a cable during construction somewhere. The entire line, DSL + voice went down for about 5 days, but then suddenly I got DSL connection, even though the voice line remained completely dead (not even a hiss or anything on the line). After about 2 weeks, telkom discovered that the tool engineer that fixed the line break had set the voice line as a spare.

And telkom say that they can't provide DSL without a phone line. Liars.
 
Not uncommon.

Do note that when Telkom comes to fix the Analogue line they will break the ADSL portion.
 
Fark. Well...it works as is...just have to unplug the phone...but damn...such a frickin hassle...like having a frickin modem again. Stuff it...better get on the line to Telkom :(

Thanks for all the help ;)
 
Our telephone pole got struck my lightning this afternoon. I was amazed to find out my adsl still works...wewt.
 
Jhbgirl said:
Our telephone pole got struck my lightning this afternoon. I was amazed to find out my adsl still works...wewt.
Click to expand...

My phone pole was also struck by lightening on Saturday. My ADSL still worked, then gave up the ghost yesterday afternoon.

Dont you just love the highveld thunderstorms!
 
Yes, it is possible, happened to me last year. Telkom found that it was a faulty port on the exchange side. ADSL still worked, but phone was dead. Phone needs power on cable to work, adsl does not need power on cable.
 
Hmm seems my line wasn't dead...just my wireless telkom approved phone...pfft. Sooooo glad my router wasn't plugged in.
 
I have just developed a similiar problem on one of my PABX lines at the office. The line also carries my ADSL (incoming line gets split before the chronoblock and the voice side is flitered)... My ADSL is working 100%, but the voice is soo scratchy and bad that i can't hear clients and they can't hear me.

I have unplugged both the POTS filter and the ADSL modem and the voice side is still inaudible.

I am logging a call with 10212 now in order for them to test the line and send a techie out.....

I can't believe the ADSL still works?!
 
There will be 2 frequencies running on your line, both of different wave lengths. One is the ADSL and one on the POTS or PSTN. Because they are different they won't interfere with each other if you have a POTS filter on your telephone handset or Fax machine. Once the line gets to the exchange it spilts to the DSLAM and to the PSTN network. Now this is where the problem can come in where the one works and not the other. It could be at the exchange.
 
So it's a faulty port at the exchange or some fool has brushed up against my wires in the exchange!
 
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