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Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 9:42 am
by cprompt
I have installed an ooma system at my computer store at the beginning of January, when DSL became available. The problem occurred back then, but it was in conjunction with a damaged phone line, that the company has just replaced, so I haven't pursued this.

The problem is that when I attach the phone line to the ooma, without using the DSL filter per instructions in the box, my DSL speed immediately drops from around 3 MBs to about 500 KBs. Also, when I hook up the ooma scout, then the DSL connection drops entirely. So - do I have to use the filter, even though the instructions say NOT to use them?

Thanks for any help anyone can give me!

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:10 am
by murphy
Run the incoming phone line directly to the DSL modem. Also connect the incoming phone line to the input of a DSL filter. Connect the output of the DSL filter to the rest of your phone wiring. No other DSL filters are needed. Connect your hub and scout wall jacks to this wiring. Plug a phone into the phone jack on the hub. Plug another phone into the phone jack on the scout. Connect the network jack of the DSL modem to the Modem jack of the hub. Connect your computer to the Home jack of the hub. Or if you have a router, connect the WAN/Internet jack of the router to the Home jack of the hub.

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:36 am
by WayneDsr
I too have the same problem. It did not start until I upgraded my old 3.0 dsl to 6.0. Suddenly lost all internet speed once I hooked ooma back up like you did. Before that I had no problems at all. Not sure what the connection is with the speed upgrade, but that's when it all started.

I then reconnected everything up as stated by MURPHY. I put a DSL filter in the phone box and connected the phone side of it to line 2. This should have filtered all dsl out to line 2 and anything connected to line 2 should have been fine. But it wasn't. Same thing happened, although not as bad. Brought my 6.0 (about 5.1 actually) to below 2.0.

Now if you do not have a landline with your dsl (you didn't mention) then you could just rewire the connection between your hub/scout with line 2 from the phone box.

Wayne

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:49 am
by cprompt
Hi Murphy

I'm not sure what you mean by "Connect the output of the DSL filter to the rest of your phone wiring". There are several jacks throughout the building, and no way to connect them in the way you describe (at least, I don't think there is).

And to WayneDSR - you're correct. I didn't mention if I was still using the landline, and I should have. Let me give a more complete description.

I have a single phone line, with a distinctive ring pattern, coming into my store. The DSL is on that line, so to utilize regular phones, every phone (or fax machine) needs to have the filter.

My intent is to utilize ooma for much of my outgoing calls, but it cannot be used exclusively. Some outgoing calls will still go over the landline - the fax machine is one example, and because we get customer computers to work on that have dial-up, we need to have a couple of places where I can still plug the landline into a modem.

Appeciate the help - hope this clarifies my situation.

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:59 am
by southsound
Another option for those who use DSL with an existing phone line is to use a device called a DSL or ASDL Splitter. I have one made by Wilcom - it is a model PS-15. If you have access to where the line comes in from the network interface (usually on the outside of the house) you can place this device ahead of all the interior phone wiring. In our house, the line runs from the network interface to a connection block. The PS-15 has both terminal strip and RJ-11 connections for the line from the telco, the DSL modem, and the telephones. With this device, the modem is not affected by anything on the voice side of the device - and you do not need the DSL microfilters in front of the ooma hub or at each phone. Cost should be about $40 with shipping. You can find the PS-15by doing a google search or PM me if you would like to know the ordering information where I got mine.

Disclaimer: I do not have any financial relationship with Wilcom or the dealer I purchased mine from. I worked for ATT and the Bell system back in the early '80's - but it took me until last month for our local telco to finally move us into this century with 1.5mbps DSL.

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:16 am
by WayneDsr
To Southsound:
Is there a difference between your filter and the old dsl splitters filters that came with SBC/yahoo dsl? (Now at&t) I used the old filter in the way you suggest and it did not fix the problem. I installed the filter in the phone box outside, running the dsl to line one and phone to line 2.
The issue was still there when I connected the hub to the wall of line 2 via WALL on the hub.
Like I stated before: I did not have any issue until I upgraded from my old 3.0 mbit DSL to 6.0.

Cprompt:
Do you need ooma at more that one area of your office? I just connect the hub directly to the scout via WALL on both and bypass the problem totally. Have a phone connected to each in order to use the 2nd line feature. You could do this if desks were relatively close and you could just run a long cable.

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:29 am
by cprompt
Hi WayneDSR

Unfortunately, the hub and scout need to be located in two different but connected buildings. The long cable won't work - though it's a great idea!

The other problem that I haven't mentioned is that whenever I hook up the scout, my DSL completely drops the connection. I will do some more playing around with filters, etc., but am puzzled as to why this happens when I connect things exactly as instructed.

I guess the biggest question I need answered is: If I am using the landline on the same line as the DSL, do I need to filter it before sending it into the ooma box? The instructions say "No", but that causes the loss of speed, and the loss of connection when the scout is attached.

Thanks again for any more suggestions!

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:39 am
by southsound
WayneDSR,

The DSL Splitter is indeed a different device than the microfilter supplied by the telco. In fact, although they have been around for quite a while and Wilcom is a common supplier to the telcos, my installer had never seen one and wanted me to use the microfilters. I had him put his test gear on the splitter and he was amazed. The splitter is still a passive device, but works where the microfilters will not. I knew I needed one because I had over 13 phone devices in our home. No all were phones - 2 ReplayTVs, fax machines, cordless phones, DishNetwork, etc. You can read about the device at the following link: http://www.wilcominc.com/item.cfm?ProdID=35

ooma Mods - maybe you could suggest this device to your technical group and see if it might not solve a lot of speed issues.

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:45 am
by WayneDsr
Bottom line, you must totally isolate your ooma and scout from the dsl signal.
By putting a filter on the WALL connection on the hub and a DSL filter on the WALL connection on the Scout, you still have DSL signal in between. This DSL is what causing our problem.
IT DOES NOT STATE THIS IN THE DIRECTIONS.
Do you need DSL anywhere else in the building besides where your modem/ ooma hub is?

Wayne

Re: Ooma slowing down connection

Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2009 11:47 am
by WayneDsr
Southsound. Thanks. The dsl filters that come with DSL self install kits are not working in this case. Time to bring in the big guns or go "dry Loop"

Wayne