should a phone on a dsl line get a dialtone w/o a filter?

[invictius]

My phone went dead last night, but dsl is (obviously) fine. Tried another phone, same problem, tried another line filter (though not a new one) still the same problem. Plugged the phone in direct w/o a filter - thought I could hear some noises at first, but now I can't. Can't get a dialtone even with only the phone plugged in. It's a weekend, so I can't see if my line's been disconnected or is faulty, but dsl still works, so I have to assume it hasn't been. With the phone plugged in alongside dsl, I once heard what sounded like a dial-up modem noise. Can phones get a dialtone without a filter, or is there something wrong with my line? And does dsl work even if you don't have a phone service?

[ƒÓÒl]

Yes, DSL can work without phone service. In the phone companies building they have both a digital line and an analog phone line multiplexed together, and they work independently of each other. They just like dual billing ;)

And yes, a phone should pull dialtone without a DSL filter, it just won't sound too great all the time, and long periods of playing data streams on a phone can damage it.
You can test if it's a phone line problem in your house or on their side by opening up the grey phone box outside. Plug your (corded) phone into the jacks in there one at a time until you get the one on the DSL, and listen to see if it's the same out there as it is inside. No dialtone +DSL=telco problem...good dialtone=your problem, and you could be billed for repairs if you don't have the maintenance plan.

Anyway, it sounds like there's a problem and you shoud give them a call monday morning, or post a repair request on their webpage if they have one.
Just tell them "no dialtone, but DSL is working" then they'll have a clue what to look for.

[ƒÓÒl]

By the way, there's several different ways for them to hook-up your DSL service, that's why I suggested to look in that grey phone box outside.
There should always be a dialtone in that box, no matter what has happened to the lines in the house.

Just look for the one module that has your house lines connected to it. It may even have a filter out there too.

[jivetrky]

By the way, there's several different ways for them to hook-up your DSL service, that's why I suggested to look in that grey phone box outside.
There should always be a dialtone in that box, no matter what has happened to the lines in the house.

Just look for the one module that has your house lines connected to it. It may even have a filter out there too.


mmmm, unless the problem is inside his house, he's not going to have dialtone in that grey box. That gets shut off at the switch. It's not like cable where they actually come out to your house and disconnect the wire (analog cable anyway)

And yes, DSL works independantly of dialtone. I was late on a bill a few months ago and the phone got shut off. But DSL worked fine. So i jumped on Skype and used it until I got the phone turned back on (which was only a day or two)

[invictius]

I should have mentioned from the start that I wasn't in the U.S, but I figured it was an either/or problem, so didn't mention my location - Australia. I've got a black box in the cellar, from there, a cable comes from a power line (at least, that's my observation from having a line hooked up at another house - a physical line had to be connected from the power line). So I don't have a "box" as such - no phreaking for me :P . This black box is fairly small, a bit less than your hand, and from seeing one at another house, didn't notice any jacks at all.

When we didn't pay a phone bill before, dsl worked while the phone service was suspended, but when it was actually disconnected, it didn't work. The reason I'm a bit cautious of reporting the fault:

Tried to change telcos a few months ago, but was unable to unless I allowed the new telco to take over the entire line. I held off on that (plus, the telco were going to find out why I couldn't get a service without dropping my original telco). The main telco here is government owned, and there haven't been any independent telcos until recently. The govt telco try to make it as hard as possible for other telcos to take over the line, apparently not liking the competition (this is a direct quote from the non-govt telco). A few weeks ago, I rang the govt telco, and they said I don't have an account with them, in fact, there was no service operated by them on the line I was using to phone them. That made me think "well, where the heck is the bill going to?".

The non-govt telco said this is a result of having trouble getting the line under their control - I'm effectively in limbo, I'm certainly not on the non-govt telco, but the govt telco says I don't have an account with them. If things in Australia are the same as when the line disconnection took place a few years ago, I really don't want to rock the boat about the problem - I'd rather have no landline service than no dsl - it's been hard enough to get it in the first place. If someone, apparently without an account with them, rang up about a fault, for all I know, they could say "hmm, better disconnect the line altogether" - I'm better off as I am atm, and just getting the landline reconnected isn't going to be easy.

In short, there's nothing I could have done to cause this - the last time I used the phone was early friday, haven't screwed with the line or any cables, my father tried to use it on saturday and said he couldn't get through - whether he experienced the same problem as me, or it was just his inexperience with using a phone, I don't know. If there's a suspension or disconnection of the service, it must have happened late on friday. I don't really want to act until I can confirm from an Australian that dsl isn't affected - maybe things have changed, as jivetrky suggested, since I was last disconnected. I only have a landline because I thought it was the only way to get dsl - a couple of years ago, you couldn't get dsl when using a pre-paid service - and the line rental for that is 2/3 less, 1/2 price calls on weekends. Heck, I might even go with VOIP.

[jivetrky]

yeah, I cannot say for sure how things are there. But with my DSL service. They said that if I stopped the phone service it would also stop my DSL service (kinda crappy I think!) So I would at least pay them for basic line.

[ƒÓÒl]

mmmm, unless the problem is inside his house, he's not going to have dialtone in that grey box. That gets shut off at the switch. It's not like cable where they actually come out to your house and disconnect the wire (analog cable anyway)

I know that, that's why I suggested he check the outside feed. I've seen a few phone installs, having worked for the "old" AT&T for years, I'm only called when it's an inside the house problem, and it's pretty common to have dialtone just end abruptly be it an inside or an outside problem. :)

Anyway, I'm a bit confused about the problem now because if the only equipment that's involved in the DSL hookup is from a power line..well...unless he's talking about the protector feeding in from an underground phone cable to the house. That would make more sense.
Ours has three bolts on it, left and right were for the service and the center one is for ground. It's what was used before the grey plastic box was common.
It is unusual not to have a DSL modem that connects your computer to the DSL service.

But it does sound like you're in the ugly limbo between providers there invictius, and that's probably where your dialtone went.
One thing I've found is that it's always better to order a "second" line from the new provider, and when it's installed and working, cancell the number you had with the first provider. So you have to call your Mum and give her a new number, no big deal.
You will likely have to eat a double phone bill for one month, but it sure beats being stuck in between the two providers...that could take a while to settle out because the first one conveniently "loses" your information for a while trying to discourage your switching. Don't tell them anything more until you have the second provider hooked up and working.
That's what I'd do anyway.