DIY ADSL connection?

[Timothy Murphy]

I want to connect the phone/ADSL splitter in my house to a desktop computer by a long (10 metres) telephone wire. This has to go out of the house and back again, so I have to drill 2 holes in window-frames.

I'd like to keep the holes as small as possible, so I am wondering if I can cut the telephone wire, and re-join it, either just by binding each of the 4 wires together, or by soldering them. Would this give a good enough connection for ADSL?

The alternative is to drill 12mm holes to allow the RJ-11 (or RJ-12) connector through.

I know I could get a crimper to do this, but I have to do it this weekend, and don't have access to any sophisticated electronic store.

Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.

[Owain]

Probably.

Soldering or use some choc-block should be okay.

Preferable would be to get the router as close to the master phone point as possbile and run from that in Ethernet

Owain

[John MacLeod]

Yes, but if you're going that route use a proper telephone junction box for the join.

Yes, if done properly, but you should really use Cat5 cable.

You don't need a sophisticated electronic store for these things.

[Andy Dingley]

Don't do it. Always place the ADSL filter close to the router. Always use an NTE faceplate for ADSL, not a microfilter. Don't hand-crimp RJ11s onto cables, never crimp them onto flexible cables.

I'd put my NTE (master socket) somewhere I can also put a router, then run 10BaseT (or wi-fi!) from there to any computers. If I have to move the NTE to achieve this, I'd do it, and I';d do it by running the awkward cabling as my phone drop cable.

[Dave Liquorice]

Or better still install the modem/router at/near the NTE before the link to the computer needs to go outside and run ethernet around to the computer.

Naw Cat3 (telephone cable) is fine if just carring the ADSL/POTS circuit. Ethernet as above should be Cat5 or better of course.

store.

Quite, even Maplin have them. B-) And of course many of the DIY sheds these days along with cable and plugs.

[fred]

In article , Timothy Murphy writes

You really want to be using external telephone cable for the outside leg:

you may be able to get that locally.

These are ideal for joints (inside):

use a special tool for punching wires in (cheap one use tools are avail, don't try to bodge with a screwdriver) but screw terminal versions are avail.

Round twisted pair telephone cable is fine, that is the same stuff that is used from the exchange so it is fine for ADSL, whether filtered off or combined with voice.

[Timothy Murphy]

Thanks for your response. But the microfilter/splitter is provided by my supplier (Telecom Italia); I wouldn't dare to change it.

Several people have suggested that the modem/router should be near the input splitter. I've tried with the telephone cable connection from splitter to modem both short and long (10 metres) and it didn't seem to make any difference.

The problem with a short cable is that a WiFi modem is supplied, and the WiFi signal does not get to where it is needed if the modem is near the input.

The system worked fine with a long cable for 2 years; it has just started to have problems, with the ADSL connection being dropped every hour or so, and only re-starting when the modem is switched off and on. This happens with long and short cables in exactly the same way.

Telecom Italia swapped the modem, but this made no difference. I'm pretty sure the problem lies with the connection outside from the exchange; but it is more or less impossible to get Telecom Italia to check this.

[Timothy Murphy]

I'll follow your advice re external cable.

For the moment I've solved the problem (unsatisfactorily) by moving the desktop down to the telephone input into the house, so I don't need an outside wire at all.

[John Weston]

Agreed, if at all possible. My recommendation for the OP is to run a new Cat5e Ethernet cable from a new wall-mounted RJ45 socket near the phone master socket to a new wall-mounted RJ45 socket near the computer. Use whatever route you prefer for the cable, preferably keeping it away from mains cable - and animals... Run 2 or 4 cables while you are at it. See:

This will use solid wire Cat5e cable, to punch-down blocks at the back of the new wall sockets. The punch-down tool you'll need can be the "use once and throw away" type, or the better "pro" type. Both are here: . As always, other suppliers are available. When terminating the cables, make sure you leave plenty of slack so you can remake the joints if necessary in future.

You then use low-cost, ready-made, stranded Ethernet patch cables between the router and wall socket at one end and another between the wall socket and computer at the other, plus any other network equipment you acquire in future. This avoids you having to buy *and learn to use* an RJ45 crimp tool, lengths of stranded Ethernet cable and the correct plugs...

As a more expensive (and for some, not a good idea...) suggestion is to use a Homeplug network, also available from Solwise and others, in place of the far better solution described above.

[Timothy Murphy]

Thanks very much for your response. Unfortunately I am not clear (even after googling for IDC connection) exactly what the punch-down tool you mention does. Is it essentially an ethernet crimping tool?

[Andy]

Here is a clip that may help, in French unfortunately. It shows a full size Krone block as used in telephone exchanges and larger installations but the principal is the same. It is a professional punch down tool that is shown which is also capable of cutting the loose end of the wire at the same time as 'punching down' the connection.

[Steve Firth]

If it's the standard TI modem then it has an RJ45 socket on the back that you can use for a wired connection to your own network.

TBH TI are such useless bastards and ADSL is so poor in Italy that I ended up buying a router that can connect to a USB 3G dongle using the TIM[1]38.8Mb/s 3g unit which was available from my local telephone shop for EUR 150 for an annual contract with "unlimited" data. It only achieves 7Mb/s in my location but that's way faster than the wired connection.

Telecoms in Italy are generally messed up, and all of the staff at all of the shops have got "Don't ask me, I don't give a toss" written on their foreheads, so DIY is the only option for problem resolution.

[1] Yes, I know, see previous comments about "useless bastards" but the TIM 3g deal was way better than anything from Vodafone or Wind so I went for that.

[John Weston]

No, not a "crimping" tool, it's much simpler for the untrained. The individual wire, without stripping the insulation, is pushed down a slot between two blades at the back of the connector in the socket. The blades cut through the insulation and into the surface of the solid wire exactly where it is needed, making a "cold weld" at the touching points, so there can be no future corrosion between the wire and the connector blade at the joining points. If you ever need to disconnect the wire, you will feel the resistance of the weld as you break it when you hook out the wire. To remake the joint, you cut off the few mm used for the old connection and push down a fresh part of the wire, so it can make a new weld.

For more information, Google "insulation displacement connector" (=IDC, sorry for the confusion.) The pictures at

are quite useful. The punch-down tool is shown being used at step 7. My only criticism of this site is that the wires are shown routed too neatly between the cut end of the cable outer and the connection. The wires should all be of equal length, and have enough slack for the repairs I've described.

[The Natural Philosopher]

new router time then.

I have three routers 'gifted' to me that show that sort of behaviour.

I am surprised. or perhaps the one the swapped in was one they had removed from someone else's premises with e same fault as your ;-)

Welcome to Italian electrics.

[Tim Streater]

[Andy Champ]

Given that the URL underneath is .pl I suspect Polish. You really don't want to mix those up, the speakers of both languages won't like it.

Andy

[Tim Streater]

I don't think I've heard Polish spoken enough to know what it sounds like.

[Andy]

You may well have a French rear, apologies for getting the language wrong but it 'ain't English'!

[Timothy Murphy]

Thanks very much; that makes it perfectly clear. I don't recall coming across the term "punch-down" before - probably shows my ignorance of the real world.

[Timothy Murphy]

There are 5 people in the house using laptops, so WiFi is more or less essential.

To be fair, it has worked perfectly for me for 2 years. I agree that communicating with Telecom Italia is seriously stress-inducing. Actually, I have found that Telecoms everywhere are pretty bad, it seems that any company involved in communication is ipso facto incapable of communicating with a human being.

I thought of this, but a friend of mine here says the wireless connection - perhaps just in this area - is not good.

Actually, quite a good electronics retailer (Compy) has just opened nearby. I bought a new splitter/microfilter there today, and it may actually have improved things.