A few days ago, my faithful ADSL internet connection started to disconnect every now and then. Usually, I do not care too much as this sometimes happens when some technicians are working on the telephone lines and the problem goes away in a few hours on its own. But this time, it became very persistent and I had to register a complaint with the telephone company. But before they could fix the issue, I found some workarounds that made the connection stable. Here are some of the things that you can try too, if your ADSL internet connection is not very stable:
1. Change the ADSL Splitter
ADSL splitter is a small box that comes with the ADSL modem. On one end of the splitter box, you attach the telephone line and on the other end you attach the cable going to your phone and the ADSL modem. The splitter basically prevents any noise or disturbance caused by the telephone receiver when a call is placed or received. If you have used the ADSL splitter for more than 3-4 years, then perhaps the electronic components inside the splitter might have become damaged and ineffective over time. In this case, it is time to get a new ADSL Splitter and you can get them very cheap from online stores like Amazon.
2. Check telephone cable for fault
The telephone cable coming into your house, if is hanging loose in some parts of your house or outside, then it can easily get damaged. Even if you are getting a good dial tone, the faulty telephone cable will present problems for ADSL internet connection. If there are any joints in the cable then check them once again and if it feels like the cable is broken, then have it replaced.
3. Switch to G.DMT
ADSL 2+ uses a larger bandwidth spectrum and consequently it required the copper cable line coming from the telephone exchange into your house to be nearly perfect. But if you can switch to older ADSL standards like G.DMT which use only a smaller bandwidth compared to ADSL 2+. Switching to G.DMT is very easy, all you have to do is open your ADSL modem settings (usually by visiting 192.168.1.1 in your browser), change the modulation type to G.DMT, save the settings and restart the modem.
4. Consider a new ADSL Modem
The electronic devices like modems and routers are used for many hours and sometimes days continuously. If used in hot and humid conditions, some components like capacitors inside the modem might get damaged. Even if used in ideal environments, these components do not last longer than 4-5 years. In these cases, the only solution is to replace the ADSL modem with a brand new one.
Your first action, when your ADSL internet connection is not stable, should be to call the internet service provider and have their technicians check the problem. But some of the information given here can help you when until the technicians arrive and fix the problem.