Odd broadband problem

[Digsy]

I'm getting this through a third party, so bear with me.

 

A friend of a friend has just installed Tiscali broadband, but when they try to make a connection, the modem reports "no dialtone" (which sounds odd to me right from the start).

 

Apparently the only way they can get a connection is for someone to be on the phone at the same time! They discovered this when calling Tiscali's helpline while simultaneously testing the connection.

 

From the outside, it looks like either conflicting drivers or maybe a badly configured line by BT. Has anyone else come across the "having to be on the phone to get a connection" thing?

[Suprasteve]

could it be a faulty filter device they send with it ?

[Willson]

I had all sorts of similar strange problems when I didnt have enough filters (I forgot one).

[chilli]

that's strange. They are not really really close to the exchange are they? If so an attenuator maybe required?

[Digsy]

That's a point. I asked if they had tried a different filter but I didn't ask whether they had filters on ALL their phone sockets.

 

Surely not having a filter on a phone socket that they weren't using at the time wouldn't make a difference, would it?

 

I suspect that they are a long way from the exchange rather than close to it, but I don't know for certain.

[ivan]

They will need filters on all the sockets (as I found out to my cost when I did my mums).

[Digsy]

Just to be absolutely clear:

 

If you have a phone on the line which does not have a filter installed, this will affect the broadband connection even if the phone isn't in use?

[geoffvalenti]

yes

[Digsy]

Well, blow me

 

I'll pass it on. Cheers