Hi again, my woes have returned.

My home phone doesn't ring when plugged into an ADSL splitter, but does when connected directly into the master socket - and the test socket

I bought a new ADSL splitter, and my home phone started ringing again, and then after a few days stopped ringing again.

I returned the splitter to the shop, and got a replacement. My phone started ringing again for a few days and then stopped.

Thinking, that maybe the ADSL splitters might not be any good from the hardware shop I initially bought from, I bought a more expensive splitter from PC World. Again the problem seemed to have been fixed, but after a couple of days my phone stopped ringing, again.

I can now be pretty sure that 3 separate filters cannot be faulty... It almost seems as if my Master socket is damaging the ADSL splitters in some way.

It's annoying because calling my home phone...just connects to it instantly without the ring...and this means no one is able to leave any messages via BT Callminder.

If anyone has any further ideas of what might be causing the fault, I would be immensely grateful.

thanks.

Your master socket cannot damage the splitter. It is an entirely passive device.

How exactly have you tested the phone? You say you have plugged it into the master socket without the splitter and it rings. But have you left it there for a couple of days? Or have you just plugged it in for a short period of time, mad a few test calls then unplugged it and plugged it back in via a splitter?

If you haven't left it in the socket by itself for the same period of time as when you connect via the splitter you cannot be 100% certain it is the line/splitter that is the problem. It could be the phone.

Speaking of which. Does the phone use batteries? Many phones with displays and built in phone books have batteries to keep the memory alive when disconnected. I have known phones do weird things if the batteries die. Might be worth swapping the batteries, you never know!

Hi Mrorangespangle,

If you're still having problems using your line I'd be more than happy to lend a hand and get this sorted out. As Chrisjr advised, it's doubtful that the master socket is causing the microfilters to become faulty Can you drop me an email to btcare@bt.com including your details so that I can run some tests on your line. Could you also include a link to this thread so that I can refer back to it? On running some tests, I'll have a better indication of what is causing the problem so I can rectify the fault.

I'll look forward to hearing from you soon.

Robbie

It could be the phone or your router that is damaging the filter, process of elimination would be to try another phone and then try another router, it's likely that one of these devices is putting a higher that allowed voltage onto the filters output stage and over time its making the filter fail, it could also be a line fault, but if it were this you would probably have other symptoms like noise on the line, if BT is your provider you can test your line yourself online, at BT.com, any spurious voltage on the line should be picked up by a line test and reported,

The only way a phone or ADSL modem could put a voltage onto a filter is if they are faulty. And in the case of a phone it would also require some form of external power supply in order to generate this voltage.

It is a requirement of all equipment connected to the BT network that they DO NOT put any voltage of any sort on the line.

BT do that all by themselves with 50V DC there all the time and up to 75V AC when the phone rings! So most stuff you hang off the phone line is doing it's very best not to let that voltage fry it's circuitry.

When you say that your phone does not ring what does the caller get?
Is it that you are not answering or does the caller get a couple of burst of ringing and then the line trips?

Hi speckledhen. Basically the caller hears a very brief half ring, then silence...But that silence is actually the call connected. If I picked up my home phone at that time, I would be able to talk to the caller.

That suggests to me that there is something answering the call somehow before your phone has a chance to register it is ringing.

Which is definitely a bit weird. Unless the phone needs several seconds of ring voltage to register the fact there is a call coming in.

I'm struggling to see though how an ADSL filter could do that, if indeed it is the filter.

It's sounding to me like there may be some sort of line fault which in combination with the filter is causing the exchange equipment to think you've answered the call and hence stop sending the ringing signal. Quite how or why I wouldn't like to say.

Apologies if you've already tried another phone, but that is what I would suggest before going any further.

Thanks Jackthom and Chrisjr. I have just re-tried it again with another phone, and the result is exactly the same as with my phone....rings when plugged directly into the master socket...does not ring when plugged into a splitter.

It does seem bizzare. It does make me think the fault may be in the master socket....but why would my splitters work for a few days, and then stop?

Thank-you, though. Any other ideas?

I'm thinking this is going to be one of those where you have to get someone in to do some tests. I have a feeling the only way you are going to resolve this once and for all is to get someone out with the right test gear to stick on the end of the line and try and diagnose exactly what is going on.

Which probably means going to BT.

That was my point, if the router or (mains powered) phone is faulty and presenting a voltage where there shouldnt be
any, the device (the the adsl filter) this voltage is being applied to may fail, this seems to fit in with the OP's description of his problem
Without access to a multi meter a way of proving this would be to renew the phone and filter and see if the new filter
lasts more than a few days, if it doesnt replace the router and filter and see if that filter lasts more than a few days, this is expensive on filters but cheaper that calling BT out for them to state your own equipment is faulty and charging £125 (or whatever the current charge is), and you would still have to replace the faulty item .
If after changing the phone and router the fault is still present then it may be a voltage from the line, but as chrisjr states the normal state of the line is 50v dc and 75v ac when ringing applied so the input stage of the filter will be designed with that in mind
If the OP is still in the first year of his broadband contract he could call them and state the router is knackered and ask for a new one, if out of contract consider changing ISP and getting a 'free' router from the new ISP, the replacement phone would have to be at the posters own expense

Two different phones exhibit the same behaviour on the line. So unlikely to be a phone issue. Plus in the part 1 thread it is fairly obvious that quite a few filters have been got through already. And it happens regardless of the router being connected or not.

If the router or the phone was producing sufficient voltage to screw up the line then it would more than likely have rather more permanent effects. At the very least it should cause various components in the router or phone to commit suicide in order to protect the BT network.

And I doubt BT's equipment would take kindly to something like 240V AC mains finding it's way onto the line. Which is about the only thing that would trouble it. And if the router did fail in such a way as to stick mains voltage on the line I seriously doubt we would be hearing anything from mrorangespangle since his router would be a smoking heap of useless plastic.

I'm not saying it is impossible but it just seems very unlikely. In my experience if there are seriously excessive voltages in places where they are not designed to be something tends to go bang, often fairly spectacularly. But in the main it will stop working completely.

I think this needs professional investigation to track down what is going on. And perhaps the only option is to bite the bullet and accept that it may end up costing a bit to fix.

Just a multimeter measuring the 50V across the line with different configurations of phone and filter would probably be a good start to finding out what's going on.

The AC ring signal seems to be causing a DC current flow somewhere which is telling the exchange that the phone is offhook when it isn't. I just can't work out how the presence of a filter is making such a difference.

Guys...Thank-you for all your responses...and for considering my problem so comprehensively...As Chrisjr says, I think I am just going to have to bite the bullet and get a BT engineer round....but I could well do without the £100+whatever call out charge just before Christmas.

Hopefully the problem may lie in the master socket, and I will not be charged. I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks

Ant

Don't forget to find out from the engineer exactly what the problem is, so you can de-brief us all