Join or sign in Register for your free TechRepublic membership or if you are already a member, sign in using your preferred method below. Use Your Email Use FacebookUse Linkedin

Modems and Line Noise

Locked

This is frustrating…….
I have 2 modems (2400 Boca and 56k Hayes) I use to dial into sites from home and for months I had nothing but line noise for months with Verizon. I move now several states away, get TimeWarner digital phone, and I still get noise. You can not hear it, but it interferes greatly when dialed into other modems. I hooked up Vonage last night. I still get line noise.
Is it because they are near 4 computers?
Can it be the phone lines themselves? I will have to buy new ones then.
I never needed to install drivers for these before. Procomm 2.1 always used them as generic with no problems in the office.
These 2 modems are the ones used at work with no problem so I know they are good, but at home I can barely log into a site.
Any helpful suggestions would be very much appreciated This affects my work.
If you require any more info, please let me know.
Thank you.

Topic

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

In house wiring is likely your cause.

If just one of your extensions is badly wired it can cause interference with all of them. In many newer homes they put in an edge connection, which is the demarcation between the external and internal telephone wiring. If you have one, try the modem from there and see if you experience the same problems.

Do your digital phones have filters?

James

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

I am not even using wall jacks anymore. I went from wall jacks, cable modem, to VoIP. See below.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

I would connect them to a separate power circuit from my other equipment at this point.

Also, try turning off all induction power equipment in your home. What appliances came with you in the move?

Things with motors and moving parts create electric line noise. Pumps, refrigerators and freezers have pumps, Furnace, space heater, fans, electric razor, etc…

You can try unplugging devices that run all of the time and see if the problem goes away.

It is probably something on the same circuit, but if you don’t find it there then check the garage, and other parts of the house.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

Remember when you would watch Saturday morning cartoons as a child and your dad would shave? It would make the TV picture turn to snow. This is what you are experiencing, but you are “seeing” it in a different frequency than that of the UHF and VHF band. It is most likely caused by a motorized piece of equipment that is having a problem.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

I did all of that countless times the entrie months of Nov and Dec.
I moved again (Jan) and got a regular analog line from Bellsouth and that works. It seems that digital lines do not support data, only voice. TW and Vonage finally both told me that after the fact after calling them many time about it. I am surprised that BS works and am just happy.
Other factors to help may be because this house is freshly built, so everything is new with the running lines. I am not even getting DSL so that I do not mess up my data connection.
Thanks for trying.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

You can also try the following URL:

http://www.macattorney.com/mnk.html and scroll down to “Simple things to try first to see if they will help improve your modem connection”.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

I did most of that (except for the device) countless times the entrie months of Nov and Dec. I did not have the time to learn to build it.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

Call Time Warner and have them do a line check.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

It would not be TW if the same problem was with Verizon’s analog service and Vonage’s VoIP service. See below.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

I don’t get it. Are you plugging these modems into your vonage or vonage-like box? as in dialing up over a voip line? That would explain an aweful lot of your problem. or are you plugged directly into an analog pstn/pots line?

jim

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

Jim, these modems used to work at my company with no problems. At my previous address, Boston MA, I had constant line noise for months on Verizon (analog wall jacks) and I been using them for years. I moved to Raleigh and still the same problem with TimeWarner (digital line via cable modem, not wall jacks). Also with Vonage (modems plug into an adapter box and then into the router).
The modems are good. I am either looking at my phone wires they are using, interferance from my power cords or computers, or just simply do not want to work outside the office, which I am now 800 miles away from.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

what other old telco equip have your brought with you to the new house? ans machine? fax?

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

Are you using DSL? Thats coming in through “in house” phone wiring to the modem and then to the router. I would still see if there is an analog jack somewhere at the point where the external cable enters the house. Or is this high speed cable access(I’m from Canada, don’t know all the providers)?

Swapping out telephone cables is a cheap test. I used to have some great RJ11 cables cause I worked for a telco manufacturer – they were sheilded and it did make a difference in some marginal situations. The point about electrical intereference from other equipment is also valid – I’ve had fans and old air conditioners interfere with monitors and modems. The solution we used to use was a power bar called an ISO bar which isolates electrical connections even on the same power bar. The test of course would be to either unplug some of the equipment, turn it off, or plug it into a different circuit.

James

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

Sorry.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

Are you using DSL? Thats coming in through “in house” phone wiring to the modem and then to the router. I would still see if there is an analog jack somewhere at the point where the external cable enters the house. Or is this high speed cable access(I’m from Canada, don’t know all the providers)?

Swapping out telephone cables is a cheap test. I used to have some great RJ11 cables cause I worked for a telco manufacturer – they were sheilded and it did make a difference in some marginal situations. The point about electrical intereference from other equipment is also valid – I’ve had fans and old air conditioners interfere with monitors and modems. The solution we used to use was a power bar called an ISO bar which isolates electrical connections even on the same power bar. The test of course would be to either unplug some of the equipment, turn it off, or plug it into a different circuit.

James

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

Sorry again.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

Lets see, 2400 Boca – Circa 1980’s ? How old is the Hayes ? Actually sounds like the filters in your power supply are dying so the modems may no longer be getting completely filtered DC power.

Some things you could try to isolate the problem unplug all items except what you need to test one of the modems, bypass the power strip by plugging directly into the outlet, install one of the modems in a different PC.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

Everything checks out.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

I think that the problem is that you are trying to dialup over a voip trunk instead of pots. I can see how trying to make an analog dialup connection, or any kind of dialup connection for that matter, over viop would cause problems.

I’m sure your modems are probably OK… you just need a regular phone line to use them.

Jim

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

They stopped working months ago on regualr Verizon lines. Regualr, wall jacked lines.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

Hi,

Do you have DSL? If you do are all your analog phone devices (modems, POTS, fax, ans machine) fitted with a DSL filter? If they are, try unplugging every device and then try your modems again. Often a phone device can interfere with modems. I don’t think that your phone lines are the problem, since the problem has moved with you.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

No. I had DSL for years. Moved on to Digital cable with TimeWarner when I moved from MA to NC. Then put modems on Vonage. Same problem no matter what.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

I am in tight quaters and am working on downsizing my computers from 4 to 2 (which will take me some time). Even when I had EVERYTHING in the house unplugged and off except for 1 PC and 1 modem, I was still getting noise.
I am also going to try to get to BestBuy tonight and see if they have any phone cords that are more shielded than what I have. Maybe newer cords are the answer. I tried 20 different cords I already have.
I have the modems as far away from all other power cords with little change.
I wish I could get rid of these modems but our customers still use these on their systems.
I also have a SIP phone, wired router, wired hub, and cordless phone. All in the same room (not much space here until the house is built so I tried to make the best I could out of it all).
I do ave the modem power cords in a different outlet but still next to 1 PC’s wires and a cable line. Not even sure if any of that is the problem.
So I am going to buy fresh new lines if they hve good protectiveness (?) and see what happens.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

Can you try swapping out modems? Possibly borrow one if you don’t want to buy?

I’ve lived in same house for 12 years with lousy phone lines–you know, pick up the phone, hear crosstalk or maybe even a talk radio station. We had an internal modem burn out a few years ago and spent all of $10 or $20 to replace it. Lo and behold, our phone lines stayed noisy, but our data transmission rates almost doubled–from 28.8K on a really, really good day to 53K most of the time. Good luck!

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

Yes, sorry. I have tried 4 different modems, and both 56k hayes are new within a few months. Today I even tried new phone cords and adapters. I still get crazy noise kicking me offline off sites and causing a lot of garbarge on the screen. There is no staticy sounds on the lines either.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

I have tried 4 different modems, and both 56k hayes are new within a few months. Today I even tried new phone cords and adapters. I still get crazy noise kicking me offline off sites and causing a lot of garbarge on the screen. There is no staticy sounds on the lines either.

Hey, SGT., I meant to say I brought nothing that I have not had at my old place in Boston, and I was still having problems there.

What I am trying to find out is what possible solutions there are if it is not the phone lines, modems, or other power sources.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

I had a similar problem with a client and isolated it to an Ionic Breeze. Do you have an Ionic Breeze?

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

Is it a soda? Sorry, I never heard of it.

Reply To: Modems and Line Noise

In reply to Modems and Line Noise

This question was closed by the author

[Author]

Replies