From New Zealand Connections

Most routers have a light which indicates the ADSL status on the phone line. On Dlinks, its typically labelled DSL, on other brands it may be labelled ADSL or Phone line.

Normally when you reset the modems, it can take anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes to start flashing and to stay on. This depends on a number of factors such as type of modem or quality of line. Sometimes, however, the light might not appear. In many cases this is something to do with the physical set up of the modem rather than a provider issue.

This article is written so that you can do pre-checks before having to call your internet providers helpdesk, which can be a rather frustrating process depending on your provider.

Common causes

• Phone line not plugged in

• Filters not plugged into all used sockets on phone line.

• Faulty filter

• Wrong wall outlet used with a splitter install

• Faulty modem

• Wrong phone used.

• If a new install, the service might not be provisioned yet.

As you can see, most of the issues are hardware based rather than software based.

Steps

Note: This guide assumes that you've been able to pick up the DSL signal previously. If this is your first time, you should probably ensure that the provisioning was successful (most providers will give you a time/date when it is supposed to be provisioned).

The first question you must ask yourself is if you've made any changes recently to how the modem is connected. If you have, you may want to try the old set up to see if you're getting DSL signal. If you have a splitter - make sure you are using the designated jackpoint for ADSL!

1. The first step is to make sure the modem is actually connected to the phone line. All modems must connect to the phone line. Trace the cable leading from the phone jack to the modem. The cable should be plugged into a socket labelled ADSL or DSL. It should NOT be placed in the Ethernet or sockets labelled 1-4. Also ensure that it is plugged into the DSL socket on the filter if you use one. If it is not plugged in, you'll need to ensure that it is.

2. If the cabling is fine. Try plugging a phone into the jackpoint and see if you get dial tone. If you don't, then it is highly probable that there is something wrong with the phone jack point, you'll need to try another jackpoint in the house.

3. If you do get dial tone. Is there any crackling or static on the phone line (this can suggest a fault with the phoneline). Is this the phoneline you get ADSL service on (if you have a second phone line, that might not have service)?

4. Try restarting the modem. For most routers, this means removing the power lead for about 10 seconds and reinserting it. Some modems have Power buttons which can also be used. Wait for two minutes, does the ADSL light turn on and remain on?

5. Check other devices on the phone line, are they all plugged into phone side of the filter? If they are not, they'll need to be either unplugged or have filters attached. Do you have a managed alarm (you'll need to look at a splitter if you don't have one already)?

6. If this still does not bring ADSL sync up, try removing all devices and just have the modem connected.

7. Try connecting the modem with a different filter, if that fails, try without the filter.

8. Try using different jackpoints in the household.

9. If possible, try with a different modem. Does the DSL light remain on?

If you've reached here without any success, you've pretty much covered everything that can done and by this point you should probably be talking to your internet provider to see if they can identify any issues.

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