Interference from christmas lights

After tearing my hair out for days - I finally found the cause of my
ADSL router losing sync. Every evening around tea time, my router
would suddenly lose connection. The line light would stay off for 10
seconds, then it would flash orange (negotiating) for 10 seconds, then
go to green (connected) for about 10 seconds. Then it would repeat
that same cycle for the whole evening until exactly midnight when all
of a sudden it would start to work normally again. Next night,
exactly the same and so on...

My wife - bless her - managed to come up with the coincidence between
this problem and the putting up of the crimbo lights last week. I
have a single rope light along the front of my house about 15m long.
This light has a control box which sets the different patterns of
flashing. While ever this rope light is on, the adsl router loses the
plot. When the light goes off (timer set to go off at midnight) the
line comes back to life.

I fitted a good filter in the supply to the rope light but still have
same problem. Anyone have any other ideas ?

Cheers

Jim

On 17 Dec 2003 09:10:36 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (Jim Hatton) wrote:

>After tearing my hair out for days - I finally found the cause of my
>ADSL router losing sync. Every evening around tea time, my router
>would suddenly lose connection. The line light would stay off for 10
>seconds, then it would flash orange (negotiating) for 10 seconds, then
>go to green (connected) for about 10 seconds. Then it would repeat
>that same cycle for the whole evening until exactly midnight when all
>of a sudden it would start to work normally again. Next night,
>exactly the same and so on...
>
>My wife - bless her - managed to come up with the coincidence between
>this problem and the putting up of the crimbo lights last week. I
>have a single rope light along the front of my house about 15m long.
>This light has a control box which sets the different patterns of
>flashing. While ever this rope light is on, the adsl router loses the
>plot. When the light goes off (timer set to go off at midnight) the
>line comes back to life.
>
>I fitted a good filter in the supply to the rope light but still have
>same problem. Anyone have any other ideas ?
>

At a guess - the rope-light passes close to your phoneline at some
point. If this is the case you'll have to move one or the other!

Regards,
Harry.

On 17 Dec 2003 09:10:36 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (Jim Hatton) wrote:

>After tearing my hair out for days - I finally found the cause of my
>ADSL router losing sync. Every evening around tea time, my router
>would suddenly lose connection. The line light would stay off for 10
>seconds, then it would flash orange (negotiating) for 10 seconds, then
>go to green (connected) for about 10 seconds. Then it would repeat
>that same cycle for the whole evening until exactly midnight when all
>of a sudden it would start to work normally again. Next night,
>exactly the same and so on...
>
>My wife - bless her - managed to come up with the coincidence between
>this problem and the putting up of the crimbo lights last week. I
>have a single rope light along the front of my house about 15m long.
>This light has a control box which sets the different patterns of
>flashing. While ever this rope light is on, the adsl router loses the
>plot. When the light goes off (timer set to go off at midnight) the
>line comes back to life.
>
>I fitted a good filter in the supply to the rope light but still have
>same problem. Anyone have any other ideas ?

Heh - one for support departments to keep in mind over xmas, I think.

Make sure the crimbo lights don't run parallel to the phone line, make
sure the switcher box gizmo is away from the phone line.
--
Dan Ros, Nildram.

The views expressed in this message may
not be that of Nildram Ltd unless indicated.

In article <(E-Mail Removed) >, Jim Hatton
wrote:
> After tearing my hair out for days - I finally found the cause of my
> ADSL router losing sync. Every evening around tea time, my router
> would suddenly lose connection. The line light would stay off for 10
> seconds, then it would flash orange (negotiating) for 10 seconds, then
> go to green (connected) for about 10 seconds. Then it would repeat
> that same cycle for the whole evening until exactly midnight when all
> of a sudden it would start to work normally again. Next night,
> exactly the same and so on...
>
> My wife - bless her - managed to come up with the coincidence between
> this problem and the putting up of the crimbo lights last week. I
> have a single rope light along the front of my house about 15m long.
> This light has a control box which sets the different patterns of
> flashing. While ever this rope light is on, the adsl router loses the
> plot. When the light goes off (timer set to go off at midnight) the
> line comes back to life.
>
> I fitted a good filter in the supply to the rope light but still have
> same problem. Anyone have any other ideas ?

The fact that the filter didn't work suggests that the interference isn't
going back down the mains cable, but is radiating from the lights
themselves. You might be able to verify this by tuning an AM radio to a
blank channel and holding it near the lights.

Where is this 15m long line of flashing lights in relation to the
telephone cable. Is it parallel to it, perhaps? You may be able to effect
some screening by wrapping the lights in perforated metal foil and
earthing it, if this is practicable. Otherwise it may be a case of
weighing up your priorities and deciding which you'd rather do without.

Rod.

Cancel christmas ?

On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 17:52:18 -0000, "aj" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Cancel christmas ?
>


Bah humbug!

dont believe you !!!!!
you must be trying to duck the whole christmas thing!!!!
:-)


"Jim Hatton" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> After tearing my hair out for days - I finally found the cause of my
> ADSL router losing sync. Every evening around tea time, my router
> would suddenly lose connection. The line light would stay off for 10
> seconds, then it would flash orange (negotiating) for 10 seconds, then
> go to green (connected) for about 10 seconds. Then it would repeat
> that same cycle for the whole evening until exactly midnight when all
> of a sudden it would start to work normally again. Next night,
> exactly the same and so on...
>
> My wife - bless her - managed to come up with the coincidence between
> this problem and the putting up of the crimbo lights last week. I
> have a single rope light along the front of my house about 15m long.
> This light has a control box which sets the different patterns of
> flashing. While ever this rope light is on, the adsl router loses the
> plot. When the light goes off (timer set to go off at midnight) the
> line comes back to life.
>
> I fitted a good filter in the supply to the rope light but still have
> same problem. Anyone have any other ideas ?
>
> Cheers
>
> Jim

In message <(E-Mail Removed) >, Jim Hatton
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>I fitted a good filter in the supply to the rope light but still have
>same problem. Anyone have any other ideas ?

If it's got a non flashing mode try using that, other wise fitting some
capacitors across the output side of the PSU might work, and try moving
any lights/cables etc. as far away from the phone line as possible.

I wonder if anyone's Xmas lights are killing their neighbours ADSL? That
could be mightily off-pissing.


--
bof at bof dot me dot uk

Thanks for the advice from everyone. I tried the constant, non-flashing
mode and that works a treat. All of the flashing settings cause the
interference. Phew - cheers all.

Jim


"bof" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:q2JosPC$0X4$(E-Mail Removed)...
> In message <(E-Mail Removed) >, Jim Hatton
> <(E-Mail Removed)> writes
> >I fitted a good filter in the supply to the rope light but still have
> >same problem. Anyone have any other ideas ?
>
> If it's got a non flashing mode try using that, other wise fitting some
> capacitors across the output side of the PSU might work, and try moving
> any lights/cables etc. as far away from the phone line as possible.
>
> I wonder if anyone's Xmas lights are killing their neighbours ADSL? That
> could be mightily off-pissing.
>
>
> --
> bof at bof dot me dot uk

In message <brsm4q$6l0$1$(E-Mail Removed)>, Jim Hatton
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>Thanks for the advice from everyone. I tried the constant, non-flashing
>mode and that works a treat. All of the flashing settings cause the
>interference. Phew - cheers all.
>

A classic demonstration of the sensitivity of the OFDM modulation system
to impulsive noise!


>Jim
>
>
>"bof" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:q2JosPC$0X4$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> In message <(E-Mail Removed) >, Jim Hatton
>> <(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>> >I fitted a good filter in the supply to the rope light but still have
>> >same problem. Anyone have any other ideas ?
>>
>> If it's got a non flashing mode try using that, other wise fitting some
>> capacitors across the output side of the PSU might work, and try moving
>> any lights/cables etc. as far away from the phone line as possible.
>>
>> I wonder if anyone's Xmas lights are killing their neighbours ADSL? That
>> could be mightily off-pissing.

--
bof at bof dot me dot uk