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multiplexed home phone lines and rain problems
From: Laurence C. Brevard (Laurence.Brevard@medispecialty.com)
Tue, 26 Dec 2000 14:35:28 -0600
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GEEK FRIENDS and TECHTALK SUBSCRIBERS:I am having a strange problem with a pair of multiplexed telephone lines at home.
I wonder if anyone out there on the geeks or TECHTALK lists has heard of this or knows the operational parameters of multiplexed home lines.
SHORT VERSION: A very loaded pair of multiplexed phone lines quits working when there has been a lot of rain but a second (less loaded) pair of multiplexed lines never shows that problem.
LINE DETAILS: Lines 1 & 2 come to our house on a single local loop "pair" with a multiplexor installed on the outside of the house at the network interface box. Two separate lines come into a wiring closet and are wired to various extensions.
There is NOT a PBX or "brain" at the center of this nor any additional amplification of the lines. There probably should be because:
Line 1 is "my" number 512-343-2723 - goes to 8 extensions Line 2 is my wife's number 512-343-0941 - goes to 8 extensions
Lines 3 & 4 are multiplexed in the exact same way but there are many fewer extension locations.
Line 3 is the fax machine at 512-343-2964 and 512-343-2965 (with distintive ringing) - goes to one fax machine, one computer, one extension Line 4 is for my wife's parent's "apartment" portion of the house. - goes to four extensions
Line 5 is a clean local loop (originally used for ISDN) with a single analog circuit plus ADSL with a splitter at the network interface. That line is so clean I can use the analog portion with a V.90 modem and get connections at 53,666 baud.
PROBLEM SYMPTOMS: The normal problem is that lines 1 & 2 appear to have gone off hook but present no dial tone in the house. If you call either number you hear ringing but it never rings at the house.
A variant of the above is that once any call is made to either line, it rings in the house and then both lines work again.
Today's symptom is a bit weirder. No dial tone is present on either line. If someone calls, it rings but when you answer you get silence at both ends.
I used "remote access to call forwarding" to forward lines 1 & 2 to my and my wife's cell phones respectively.
Now when someone calls in, you get one short ring - indicating the line is forwarded - and then it forwards to the cell phone.
TELEPHONE COMPANY RESPONSES: Usually the problem has disappeared by the time the phone company technician arrives.
Over the last two years I have gotten them to change various parts of the system including the multiplexor at my house and the line card that it talks to in a wiring cabinet about two blocks away.
ONE THEORY: Since the multiplexor and the lines that it drives are all "line powered" my theory is that, after the rain, due to leakage in wet lines, there is insufficient current to power the multiplexor and all the lines connected to it.
This affects lines 1 & 2 because there are so many extensions connected. Lines 3 & 4 have only two and three extensions respectively.
If this theory is true, putting a PBX "brain" at the center and letting it drive all the extensions will solve the problem.
However, disconnecting lines 1 & 2 from the house wiring does bring the lines back to working condition after they have quit. Only time seems to fix them. This argues against it being the load on the lines.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: I do not run any sort of home phone line networking on any of these phone lines. I'm techno-morally opposed to it! I have real CAT-5 cabling running a mixture of 100TX and 10base-T Ethernet (and one old Linux system on 10base-2 coax Ethernet).
COMMENTS? Other than that I have way too many phone lines!!! And too much wire in the attic!
-- LAURENCE C. BREVARD Laurence.Brevard@MediSpecialty.com Vice President of Information Systems 5124266237@mobile.ATT.net MediSpecialty.com, Inc. http://www.MediSpecialty.com Home of OBGYN.net http://www.OBGYN.net Home of OTOHNS.net http://www.OTOHNS.net
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