# DSL filter



## DUDE! (May 3, 2008)

Just passing this along, today my computer was running really slow, hooked up to AT&T dsl internet service. I tried various things, not very computer savy, anyway was on the phone with their tech support, run tests, was running way down the scale on dial up service. Had a service call for next saturday, they want you to be home, Anywayyyyy, I get on the computer this evening, its flying, mentioned this to my wife, she told me that sat. night she had hooked a phone line to one of the tv's and didn't use the filter, and had just unplugged it. Using the phone line without the filter was the culprit. Hopefully I'll remember this if it happens again.


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## rgsgww (Jul 5, 2008)

I haven't worked much with dsl, but it does make sense to use filters. Sometimes the electronics inside the phone interfere with the dsl signal. Kind of act like "attenuators" except they probably distort the waveform of the signal.


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## Wildie (Jul 23, 2008)

DUDE! said:


> Just passing this along, today my computer was running really slow, hooked up to AT&T dsl internet service. I tried various things, not very computer savy, anyway was on the phone with their tech support, run tests, was running way down the scale on dial up service. Had a service call for next saturday, they want you to be home, Anywayyyyy, I get on the computer this evening, its flying, mentioned this to my wife, she told me that sat. night she had hooked a phone line to one of the tv's and didn't use the filter, and had just unplugged it. Using the phone line without the filter was the culprit. Hopefully I'll remember this if it happens again.


 I was having DSL trouble and had to have a tech visit! While here, he installed a white box where the phone line comes into the house! It is sort of a splitter with one input and two outputs. One is for phones, the other for DSL. He wired the g/r wires to the phone output and the y/bk for DSL. Then he wired in an extra jack for the computer.
With this arrangement, individual filters are not required.


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## cambie (Aug 6, 2007)

Wildie said:


> I was having DSL trouble and had to have a tech visit! While here, he installed a white box where the phone line comes into the house! It is sort of a splitter with one input and two outputs. One is for phones, the other for DSL. He wired the g/r wires to the phone output and the y/bk for DSL. Then he wired in an extra jack for the computer.
> With this arrangement, individual filters are not required.


Same here. You can also buy this type of filter at home depot and install it yourself. The phone company usually doesn't give them away unless your tech is in a good mood or you've been nice.


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## Wildie (Jul 23, 2008)

cambie said:


> Same here. You can also buy this type of filter at home depot and install it yourself. The phone company usually doesn't give them away unless your tech is in a good mood or you've been nice.


 My daughter had one installed by a repair tech also! She lives on the same street as I. We are near the maximum distance from the C.O. and the DSL is somewhat flakey! Since these were installed the service has been very reliable. No more repair calls!
Maybe the telco has found that these devices save them money!


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## n0c7 (May 15, 2008)

It's called a POTS filter and a good one can usually be purchased right from the ISP or Telco company for fairly cheap - $10-30. The term POTS filter can also be used for the "in-line" filters that your ISP gives you.

This is my favorite:
http://www.wilcominc.com/item.cfm?ProdID=35


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## Thurman (Feb 9, 2009)

Just happened to stumble across this thread and it sounds like a problem I was having with AT&T DSL High Speed not being High Speed. Many phone calls and two AT&T techs to the house with no solution. Moved the entertainment center one day and did not have an easy access phone jack for the Dish Network telephone hook-up so I didn't hook it up. Voila! AT&T Very High Speed DSL. Another AT&T techy out here and he says it has to be something with the Dish Network's converter box. O.K., so I get the Dish Network people out here and they say they *have never seen this problem, ever. *We hook up the phone line and get slow Internet, unhook the phone line and get fast Internet, so now Dish Network, who's problem is it? They finally agree and give me a waiver not to charge me the $4/month for not having a land line connection for upgrades to the system. Isn't life simply amazing?


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## PunkyPoo (May 9, 2009)

I may be wrong, but I think the filters are to protect your phones and other older devices. The internet comes through the phones lines on a separate set of frequencies from the phone transmissions. The phone transmissions shouldn't interfere with your computer. But the internet transmissions can create problems for your other devices. I'm not sure this was your problem. But either way, I'm glad you've got high speed internet rolling.


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## PunkyPoo (May 9, 2009)

Here's a good explanation for you:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-dsl-filter.htm


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