DSL Mystery Hiss

[topper1]

About 2-3 weeks ago my phone line started hissing and my DSL connection started crashing. It's the first trouble I've had since I set up the system for the first time last June. The hissing stops when the modem is turned off. Sounds like a bad filter, right? Wrong. Verizon tech support suggested unplugging my phones and reconnecting them one at a time. Once again, the hissing only happens when the modem is on and it doesn't matter whether one, two or all three phones are connected. So then I replaced ALL of the filters. Same problem. Then Verizon sent me a new modem (It's a Westell 7500, as was the first modem). Same problem. Then I tried hooking up a different computer. Still no good.

Right now it might as well be 1986, because to use the modem I have to stay off the phone and if someone picks up the phone while I'm using the modem, the modem crashes.

Any ideas? All help greatly appreciated after four days of troubleshooting.

[smith6612]

If you are able to get both the DSL modem and a filtered phone out to your NID, does the same problem occur at the NID itself? If so, it's an issue with the copper on Verizon's end of things. We basically need to rule the house's wiring out first as being the source for the hissing. A bad filter will cause the hissing, but so will bad wiring/splices.

While you're at it, if you can post up your modem's Transceiver Statistics that would be appreciated. Visit http://192.168.1.1/ and choose System Monitoring, Advanced Monitors and then Transceiver Statistics. If you need a Username and Password, try the following:

admin/password

admin/password1

admin/admin

admin/admin1

[topper1]

Thanks. I went outside and opened up the NID. I found that there was some moisture and slight corrosion on the connection cable. After blowing out the connection I plugged in a landline phone and it worked. However, I should point out that the problem only exists when the modem is on and when I plugged a phone into the NID it crashed the modem, so I would not have expected to hear static on the line when plugged into the NID. Anyway, the problem still persists inside; when you pick up the phone it crashes the modem, and when the modem is turned on the phone line has lots of static. You can even hear "modem noises" sometimes. So I suppose there is some inside problem but I don't understand why it would only have begun a few weeks ago, unless the problem is somehow due to the outside  moisture causing the phone connection to not be properly grounded....?

Here's the transceiver statistics, collected after all of the above was completed;

Transceiver Statistics

Transceiver Revision A2pB020b3.d20h

Vendor ID Code 4D54

Line Mode ADSL_G.dmt

Data Path FAST
Transceiver Information Down Stream Path Up Stream Path DSL Speed (Kbits/Sec) 3232 608 Margin (dB) 4.1 7.0 Line Attenuation (dB) 31.0 13.0 Transmit Power (dBm) 15.8 11.9

[topper1]

Latest episode; after an hour's work with Verizon's internet tech support, he suggested I have someone come out and check the line and connection to the house, and he transferred me to the right department to make an appointment. The woman on the line *argued* with me about the need for an appointment, saying that it was an internet problem and needed to be handled by them. I informed her that her respected colleague had done all he could, as had I, and if I had to pay for line repairs within my home I would regret it but would do what was needed to get the problem fixed. But so far I'm unimpressed and am shopping for a new ISP after less than one year of service from Verizon. If it does not get fixed on Monday, I'll be calling Cablevision.

[smith6612]

If those Statistics are from the NID itself, I can already see there is a large problem with the loop without having to know the rest of the information you mentioned in the OP. Basically, your line is not synced correctly (Correct rates are 3360kbps downstream, 864kbps upstream) and your margin is very low considering your speed and distance. Verizon will need to repair the loop on their end of things given those stats.

[topper1]

Thanks very much for this information. I wonder why no one at Verizon asked me to do what you just did...in any case I am now completely at a loss as to what to do. Verizon, is anyone out there reading this?

[topper1]

Update- after about an hour on the phone, my wife finally spoke to a supervisor who agreed that this was a DSL issue. So....now we are waiting for things to get better. So far not much seems to have happened yet but at least there seems to be acknowledgement that there is something amiss on the Verizon end...

[topper1]

Still waiting for a fix, or even a promised return call from the supervisor who said she was working on the issue...

[topper1]

Still not working, and no one will talk to us on the phone. Rude customer service just now on the phone. Still no callback from the supervisor who guaranteed she would follow up. This is the worst customer support I've ever experienced.

[smith6612]

Register over at DSLReports.com and visit their Verizon Direct forum. Those are technicians that tend to do a much better job than what you can get over the phone.