ADSL loses sync with Sky Digiboxes connected

I am having a real headache, hopefully somebody can help.

I am on the edge of ADSL range at 5.35km. Per my router my attenuation
is 58db downstream, noise ratio 20db.

Every since having sky the boxes have caused problems on ADSL losing
sync. I have microfilters in the line. In past left boxes disconnected.
However now have multiroom and getting threats from Sky of extra
charges.

With Sky boxes connected attenuation does not change but noise ratio
changes to 6-7db. If eft for a while ADSL loses sync and have to
restart router.

After an argument Sky sent an enginner. He says BT problem - need to
check line and upgrade it.

BT Fault service say line ok and won't do anything as voice is ok. They
say go to ISP.

ISP won't do anything as the line is ok at master socket with no other
devices connected.

What can I do - any ideas?

or does anybody know a fix/work around.

All I can think of is once a week to make Sky boxes dial myself but
this is a hassle.

Rob

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> I am having a real headache, hopefully somebody can help.
>
> I am on the edge of ADSL range at 5.35km. Per my router my attenuation
> is 58db downstream, noise ratio 20db.
>
> Every since having sky the boxes have caused problems on ADSL losing
> sync. I have microfilters in the line. In past left boxes disconnected.
> However now have multiroom and getting threats from Sky of extra
> charges.

Plug it in once a week overnight. There is a trick you can do with a 9v
battery to make it think it is connected to a phone line. Basically a 9v
battery is wired accross an RJ11 (or into an empty telephone socket)
with a battery clip. The sky box see's this as line voltage (on a call)
and thinks it's connected to a line. Just plug it in every once in a
while. It used to work well, however not done it for a few years.


> With Sky boxes connected attenuation does not change but noise ratio
> changes to 6-7db. If eft for a while ADSL loses sync and have to
> restart router.
>

The sky boxes/wiring (which is usually about as good as the rest of the
install) is at fault. It is fairly common from experience.

> After an argument Sky sent an enginner. He says BT problem - need to
> check line and upgrade it.
>

Thats a cop out and a lie. If it works without the sky in and fails when
it is in it's clearly a fault with the sky wiring or boxes. It's
probable that the sky engineer is the typical fuckwit they employ and
clueless.

> BT Fault service say line ok and won't do anything as voice is ok. They
> say go to ISP.

And they are right. Your service is fine without the boxes connected.
That makes it your equipment at fault and BT will just charge you to
come out and unplug it to prove to you what you already know.


> ISP won't do anything as the line is ok at master socket with no other
> devices connected.

Fault is customer equipment. Period.


> What can I do - any ideas?
>
> or does anybody know a fix/work around.
>
> All I can think of is once a week to make Sky boxes dial myself but
> this is a hassle.

It's less hassle than a big bill from BT, which you decide not to pay so
they cut your phone off. They then ask for a massive deposit and if you
refuse you will be put onto pay&call which does not allow incoming calls
or broadband.

There are a couple of points worth noting here:
(1) Does each sky box have a filter at the START of it's grotty lead
(2) Does the DSL loose sync with the sky extensions plugged in (if they
have been hard wired into the network by sky they have broken the law -
they should be on wandering plugs or wired to the faceplate of the
master socket) WITHOUT the boxes attached or with just the extensions in?
(3) Is it both boxes or just one. Isolate the culprit. It's not rocket
science, just unplug things one at a time, from each end until you have
a clear guilty party and then deal with it.
(4) It's unusual as they are thick as shit, but make sure they have not
wired the bell wire (no 3 orange with a white band) up on the extensions
they have provided (the little plug blocks pop apart with care and the
wires are held in place by a clear plastic clip that pops up. It is
worth removing this if they have done so.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> I am having a real headache, hopefully somebody can help.
>
> I am on the edge of ADSL range at 5.35km. Per my router my attenuation
> is 58db downstream, noise ratio 20db.
>
> Every since having sky the boxes have caused problems on ADSL losing
> sync. I have microfilters in the line. In past left boxes disconnected.
> However now have multiroom and getting threats from Sky of extra
> charges.
>
> With Sky boxes connected attenuation does not change but noise ratio
> changes to 6-7db. If eft for a while ADSL loses sync and have to
> restart router.
>
> After an argument Sky sent an enginner. He says BT problem - need to
> check line and upgrade it.
>
> BT Fault service say line ok and won't do anything as voice is ok. They
> say go to ISP.
>
> ISP won't do anything as the line is ok at master socket with no other
> devices connected.
>
> What can I do - any ideas?
>
> or does anybody know a fix/work around.
>
> All I can think of is once a week to make Sky boxes dial myself but
> this is a hassle.
>
> Rob
>
Have you tried changing the filters, particularly the ones between the
master socket and the Sky boxes ? Place the filters as close to the
master socket as possible so the extension cabling for the Sky boxes
is also filtered.

On 26 Mar 2006, Rob wrote:

>I am on the edge of ADSL range at 5.35km. Per my router my attenuation
>is 58db downstream, noise ratio 20db.

I can understand each party (Sky, BT, ISP) being unable to solve it, as
the combination of distance, router, Sky boxes, filters, is the cause.

If you have friends/neighbours/relatives/colleagues with other makes of
router, or other ADSL filters, you could try those...

>What can I do - any ideas?

Ignoring one (costly, but useful) alternative, to use a second BT line,
the first thing I'd suggest is to try a filter at the master socket (if
you look back in the newsgroup, you'll see www.clarity.it mentioned but
I have no personal experience of those filters - just that one *may* be
able to solve things, if you can put the router nearby and there's some
other design where an unfiltered pair can be fed off to another room so
if the router is elsewhere in the house, it can still get ADSL going).

>All I can think of is once a week to make Sky boxes dial myself but
>this is a hassle.

Well, that's certainly cheaper than the 200+ for a second phone line.


--
UK ADSL <http://tinyurl.com/5jpa4> - Happy to save with Plus.Net!!

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, John P
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>> I am having a real headache, hopefully somebody can help.
>> I am on the edge of ADSL range at 5.35km. Per my router my
>>attenuation
>> is 58db downstream, noise ratio 20db.
>> Every since having sky the boxes have caused problems on ADSL losing
>> sync. I have microfilters in the line. In past left boxes disconnected.
>> However now have multiroom and getting threats from Sky of extra
>> charges.
>> With Sky boxes connected attenuation does not change but noise ratio
>> changes to 6-7db. If eft for a while ADSL loses sync and have to
>> restart router.
>> After an argument Sky sent an enginner. He says BT problem - need to
>> check line and upgrade it.
>> BT Fault service say line ok and won't do anything as voice is ok.
>>They
>> say go to ISP.
>> ISP won't do anything as the line is ok at master socket with no
>>other
>> devices connected.
>> What can I do - any ideas?
>> or does anybody know a fix/work around.
>> All I can think of is once a week to make Sky boxes dial myself but
>> this is a hassle.
>> Rob
>>
>Have you tried changing the filters, particularly the ones between the
>master socket and the Sky boxes ? Place the filters as close to the
>master socket as possible so the extension cabling for the Sky boxes is
>also filtered.

My Sky installer plugged the Sky box directly into the Master Socket,
with the filter plugged into the Sky telephone plug, (This is for Sky+).
When i queried it, he said this was how he had been instructed, and
there have been no problems with either Sky, Sky+ or ADSL.

--
Richard Faulkner

Daniel Richards wrote:
> (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>>
>> Every since having sky the boxes have caused problems on ADSL losing
>> sync. I have microfilters in the line. In past left boxes disconnected.
>> However now have multiroom and getting threats from Sky of extra
>> charges.
>
>
> Plug it in once a week overnight. There is a trick you can do with a 9v
> battery to make it think it is connected to a phone line. Basically a 9v
> battery is wired accross an RJ11 (or into an empty telephone socket)
> with a battery clip. The sky box see's this as line voltage (on a call)
> and thinks it's connected to a line. Just plug it in every once in a
> while. It used to work well, however not done it for a few years.

Yes, but the OP's problem is that Sky are not receiving callbacks from
his boxes, your solution only 'fools' the box into setting PPV events.

--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Mark Carver wrote:
> Daniel Richards wrote:

>> Plug it in once a week overnight. There is a trick you can do with a
>> 9v battery to make it think it is connected to a phone line. Basically
>> a 9v battery is wired accross an RJ11 (or into an empty telephone
>> socket) with a battery clip. The sky box see's this as line voltage
>> (on a call) and thinks it's connected to a line. Just plug it in every
>> once in a while. It used to work well, however not done it for a few
>> years.
>
>
> Yes, but the OP's problem is that Sky are not receiving callbacks from
> his boxes, your solution only 'fools' the box into setting PPV events.

Sorry, sent before I'd finished !

....although as you say, plugging the box in once a week should be OK

--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 12:00:26 +0100, Richard Faulkner wrote:

> My Sky installer plugged the Sky box directly into the Master Socket,
> with the filter plugged into the Sky telephone plug, (This is for Sky+).
> When i queried it, he said this was how he had been instructed, and
> there have been no problems with either Sky, Sky+ or ADSL.

May be the last choice, but get yourself a faceplate filter instead. You
do not need to worry about what going out through the BT phone socket
since its filtered already.

I've tried the following:

1. XTE-2005 Master Faceplate (http://www.adslnation.com)
2. Solwise ADSL Master Faceplate Splitter (http://www.solwise.co.uk)

"Daniel Richards" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:FDtVf.188308$(E-Mail Removed) ...
> (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>> After an argument Sky sent an enginner. He says BT problem - need to
>> check line and upgrade it.
>>
>
> Thats a cop out and a lie. If it works without the sky in and fails when
> it is in it's clearly a fault with the sky wiring or boxes. It's probable
> that the sky engineer is the typical fuckwit they employ and clueless.

Not ALWAYS true though. I mean, if i plug 5 phones into the house line, i
can expect the phones to have problems ringing, theres nothing wrong with
the items on the line just that the power being supplied wont power the
ringers on all the phones.

Every device creates some sort of line noise, it might be worth knowing how
old the cable is, how many devices are on the line etc.. He is as he said
on the boundy of getting ADSL at all.

It is both boxes. I can see the S/N drop with just the router and
nothing else plugged in as I connect either box. 1 box is is an Amstrad
of 5 years old. The other is a SKY+ 160 which is about 14 months old.

Never have a problem if boxes unplugged. In fact this is what I did for
a long time - SKy nw complaining as have multiroom (survsed for 10
months with unplugged).

Cabling in house is 5 years old.

1 box just plugs into a microfilter then into existing phone socket.

The other has a short run to a microfilter then an extension (with
doubler wired on end) to master socket.

I will try new microfilters
http://www.adslnation.co.uk/products/xf-1e.php

Then if fails will try router via one of these into master socket and
connect laptop by wireless.

After that will go for the filtered master faceplate.

Thanks all.