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Following our own experience of living and working in areas where the high speed cable networks do not exist, we have, in common with many others, struggled to get fast consistent broadband over the standard BT telephone line. 

There are various reasons for the lack of high speed broadband over telephone lines, some of which you can do something about and others which you have to accept, including:

1. The distance you are from your local telephone exchange - the further you are away, the lower the speed which you can obtain.
2. The number of people using the same broadband provider in your area.  This is called the contention ratio, and ADSL broadband provides a 1:50 contention ratio, which means that no matter what speed your broadband provider advertises for your area, you may be sharing that same connection (and therefore the speed) with up to 49 other users.  This is why broadband speed dips during peak times, such as in the evenings and also why ADSL broadband is always advertised as up to XMbps. 
   One solution to this may be to sign up with a lesser known ADSL Broadband provider, although they may not advertise as high a speed as other providers, you can actually gain in the evening when everyone else in the area is fighting over bandwidth from one of the better known providers.
3. The way in which you connect to your broadband modem is also important.  If possible, you should connect using an ethernet connection, which uses less processing power on your computer than a USB connection.  If you are connecting wirelessly, it is important that you ask yourself whether this is necessary - could you have an ethernet lead which you plug into your laptop?  If you need to use wireless connections, the strength of the signal is important - look for a wireless router which supports the newer 802.11n protocol (although you may need a different network card for your laptop).  At the very least, use 802.11g.  You can find good value 802.11n wireless routers and adaptors at Dabs.com by searching for Wireless-N Router.
   
4. Interference from other equipment within your home which is connected to your telephone line.  This is normally solved by ADSL broadband filters, although the  poor quality ADSL filters which are supplied by some major internet service providers (ISPs), which do not effectively separate your computer signal from your voice line and result in various problems such as those listed below.
5. The amount of electrical equipment within the home, which can cause electrical interference on the line.

Why do you need an ADSL Line Filter?

An ADSL Line Filter is required whenever you connect a computer to the internet using Broadband over a standard telephone line (non-cable).  The filters divide the signals on the telephone line between the high pitched computer modem sounds and the lower pitched human voices.

ADSL / DSL broadband enables your computer modem to share a voice telephone line, by transmitting data at high frequencies outside of the range of human hearing, thus enabling both computer and voice services to be used at the same time. Without any equipment installed between your broadband modem and telephone, the interference from the modem makes the telephone unusable as you can hear the high pitched squeal in the background. You also have to bear in mind, that unlike a standard 56K dial-up modem, a broadband modem connects to the internet as soon as you switch on your computer - as a result, the interference is noticeable as soon as you switch on the PC, even if you have not connected to your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

Most broadband internet service providers send you a pack with modem and two DSL line filters to plug into the telephone sockets.  However, this is often insufficient and the quality of the filters supplied often leaves something to be desired. You need to plug an ADSL/DSL line filter into every phone socket into which you need to plug equipment other than a broadband modem (for example, a telephone, fax machine, satellite set top box, TiVO and 56K modem) - you then plug that equipment into the filter.  Your broadband modem can be connected into any of these filters at the same time.

Problems with Broadband Filters provided by Broadband Providers

• Phone refuses to ring on an incoming call

• Slight noise on the line (high pitched squeal or clicks)

• Phone calls breaking up

• Frequent loss of internet connection, particularly if the phone is being used

• Caller display no longer works

• No ring tone

Why use our filters?  

Although our filters are lower cost than those available directly from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), normally Z-Blocker filters, we are pleased to say that the filters we supply have been tested under stringent conditions, and resolve all of these problems.  They allow you to use your normal telephone line without any interference, they resolve the problem of the telephone not ringing and also ensure that you do not lose the broadband connection when someone makes a phone call !

We provide a 12 month warranty on all ADSL Broadband filters and if they do not resolve your problems, offer a full money back guarantee.

Our ADSL / DSL Broadband Filter Range

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