Why is there a DSL jack on a DSL filter?

Yes, just make sure you get a splitter designed for that,

Get a splitter and connect it properly.

That has a lot of downsides, and I only recommend it if four things are true:

1) You aren't a hardcore user who wants every bit of performance out of your DSL connection. 2) You don't have or plan to add devices like alarm systems to your phone line. 3) You rarely if ever change around your phone wiring. (For example, you don't have a fax machine that you sometimes connect to one phone line, sometimes to the other, and most of the time it's in a closet.) 4) It just happens to work for you, that is, you get the fastest DSL speed available for your service class, see few if any data errors, and almost never lose sync.

The problems with using cheapo filters are many:

1) If you have a jack anywhere in your house that you don't use that's in poor condition, it will degrade your DSL quality. 2) If you have or add an obscure device somewhere that you forgot about (satellite receiver, alarm system, answering machine), it can degrade your DSL quality. 3) When you add new devices, you need to add new splitters. 4) If any of the wiring in your house is low quality and/or goes past a source of noise, it will reduce your DSL speed or cause you to lose sync intermittently.

DS

Reply to
David Schwartz
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Yes. DSL uses frequencies higher than those required for voice calls, but some phones don't handle those frequencies very well, thus infiltered it results in a "hiss" for voice calls.

Flexibility. You put the splitter filter near your computer so that the DSL modem is near your router and plugs into the unfiltered side. The other filters go by phones, which plug into the filtered side.

If you are having problems with your voice phone line, you take a known working phone to that jack and plug it in. If you can make calls, the problem is within your house (either wiring or phones). If you still have problems, you call the phone company.

Why on earth are you doing either of those? Just hook the DSL modem at a convenient point inside the house.

Reply to
Clark W. Griswold, Jr.

I assume a DSL filter filters off the DSL signal. Is that correct?

I just switched to DSL from cable. The kit I got includes three DSL filters. One end of the filter plugs into a phone jack, the other end has two jacks, one labeled DSL, the other phone.

If the purpose of a DSL filter is to filter off the DSL signal, why is there a DSL jack on a DSL filter? (I assume this DSL jack has unfiltered signal. Is that correct?) Why not just plug in to the wall jack?

A separate question. The phone box on the outside of the house has a test jack. What does it do? I plan to plug a DSL filter to the test jack and have all phone lines connected to the phone jack on the DSL filter and have the DSL line which is a separate line connected to the two screws to which the current phone lines are connected. Is that a good idea? Or should I leave the test jack alone and cut the wire of the DSL filter and connect the red and green wires to the screws?

Reply to
John Smith

Thanks to all those who replied to my question.

Sorry that I did not make myself clear. I only have one telephone number but there are five lines going into my house from the phone box. One of the lines is dedicated for DSL. That line only goes to one jack. That's what I meant by "a separate line". Now I see the term has a totally different meaning to other people. Oops!

Reply to
John Smith

"John Smith" wrote

It is a matter of convenience. They assume that at one location you will want to connect your DSL modem to the same jack where you have a phone. If that is not the case and all you will connect to that jack is the modem, then no, you don't need a filter there.

If the DSL really comes in on a "separate line" then this whole discussion is moot and you don't need any filters at all. Connect your DSL line directly to the modem (only) and you are done.

Reply to
Ken Abrams

Or it keeps the dsl signal from being "bled off" by other devices.

Saves you from having to buy a splitter... If you want to learn about electronics go study "low pass" and "high pass" filters.

No. If little cable in there is removed from the "test" jack, then there will be no dial tone/signal on the terminals.

Or should I leave the test jack

As I recall,

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has some instructions for doing something similar. There are also available "whole-house" filters (or POTS splitters) made just for this. This would be important if you have more than 6 or six phone devices in your house. Browse some of the older posts in this group. (available here:
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Reply to
Kay Archer

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