OT: DSL/Modems

[GCC Consulting]

> 
> With DSL it can be a capacitance that is 'shorting' the HF 
> carriers.  Noise you can hear is usually more of a problem for 
> the LF devices - eg things you can hear.  Noise you can't 
> hear - interference from radio/tv/etc - will affect the high end.
> 
> > Since their DSL service is from Covad, I don't want Verizon messing 
> > with this line. DSL is fine.
> 
> > The easiest thing was to move this modem to a shared dial-up phone 
> > line. They are connecting to A 9600 BAUD connection for 
> both dial-up 
> > connections they have to make. The interesting thing is the 
> > transmissions are actually going faster over the dial-up rather the 
> > shared DSL/phone line. Now it is possible that this line has been 
> > somewhat noisy for the last few years and has just gotten worse.
> 
> > As I said originally, this combination worked for over a 
> year without 
> > a problem. Only since early Sept. did they start to have a real 
> > problem.
> 
> And since you have a time frame where this occurred some 
> nosing around might give you the answer.
> 
> Has ANYTHING been added in the building.  Is it a building 
> with more than one client - and if so check the wiring closet.
> Has there been a new cell-phone tower put up nearby?

This is in New York City and this office building is about 15 stories.  And yes,
there have been new tenants moving in and out.  This has occurred both on their
floor and other floors in the building.

> 
> Are they in an area like we had here - with storm after storm 
> after storm dumping huge amounts of water - and thus causing 
> water penetration into the transmission lines.
> 
> If the dial-ups are going faster than the DSL and you don't 
> want to contact COVAD/Verizon with the problem, it would seem 
> logical to drop the DSL.

The DSL connection is fine.  No lose in transmission speed. The problem is only
on the dial-up side and only on this line.

When I moved the modem connection over to the other line, I found that my
pcAnywhere connected faster then it did last year.  Also, transmissions to GEIS
and their factor went faster.  This seems to indicate that this particular line
has had problems, although minor, for some time.  

I don't have access to the phone closet.  And since I bill for time, my solution
is the most cost effective.  Less then an hour of testing, one 25' extension
cable and a duplex adapter.  The only other thing was to have a hole cut in the
wall between one office and the other for the cable to run through (building
maintenance man did this within 5 minutes of the call).  Plasterboard walls made
this easy.

If or when they have a problem with the DSL, then I'll call for service.  As it
is now, I don't want anyone messing with it.  I have tested the speed and they
are actually getting more speed then they are paying for.

Richard Kreiss
GCC Consulting