Can't get 5m ADSL Cable

1

149oaks

Registered User
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263
Not sure if this is the correct place to ask but here goes.
I have a Vodafone modem connected to the standard phone line jack in the house by means of the ADSL 1m cable supplied with the modem. Now we're changing around somewhat in the house and I want a 5m cable in order to run it under the carpet. However I can't get one.
I've called Vodafone, been to Argos, electrical wholesalers, checked Currys etc online and have had no luck (some places gave me cables to try out - I took the ADSL cable with me and they tried it in a "5 box" and it fitted the same as the cable they gave me, but what they gave me was too big for both the phone jack and the modem). I know I could do it with a filter/joiner but don't wish to as it will reduce signal.
Amazon uk have 5m ADSL cables but will they work in Ireland as I think our phone fittings are different to the UK.
Any hel would be appreciated.
 
You could try giving Maplin a call as they are quite good with info. and would be able to tell you about the UK aspect.
 
Thanks Guys.

These seem like a simple regular telephone cable, so anyone know why you're told by the provider (Vodafone) that you need an ADSL cable. One other thing about the telephone cables is the actual connections are a bit flimsy compared with the strength and protection on the connections of the ADSL cable supplied.
 
When asking for an ADSL cable, shops may assume you're looking for a Cat5/6 cable, and so give you cables with the larger RJ45 connectors at either end.

If you have the standard Irish connectors, to extend the distance from your phone socket to the modem, you need a cable with RJ11 connectors either end.

The cables linked to by rgfuller are standard telephone extension cables, and will do the trick over that distance. What Vodafone are probably trying to say is that you should use a twisted pair telephone extension cable that complies with the CW1308 standard, but I've never seen those on general sale here. The twisted pair cables are less succeptible to interference.

Get on to speedtest.net and test the speed of your connection with the 1m cable you have. Then, switch to a 5m telephone extension cable and run the test again. My guess is your speed will be very similar, even unchanged.
 
There's a good chance you'll get away fine with an ordinary telephone cable over that distance. The difference between the different cable types is there is less signal loss the more tightly wound the two signal wires are around each other. Higher frequency signals are more badly affected by poor quality wiring so you'd have to use CAT5 for Ethernet for instance, but may find ADSL works fine over a flat cable. A lot of signal losses in a home setup occur at junctions and not over the wiring itself anyway. Here's a discussion of different wiring types:

http://www.adslnation.com/support/cables.php

It's likely that the cable you tried where the plugs were too big was a CAT5 cable with RJ45 connectors for Ethernet.

Your best bet is probably to do a speed test over your ADSL connection as currently set up. Then insert your 5m telephone cable between the modem and wall socket and try again. If there is no degradation then Bob's your uncle. Do multiple tests with each setup because speed tests will vary for extraneous reasons even without your cabling difference. Chances are you'll be fine unless you're already near the signal quality limit.
 
Thanks guys. This is the type of experienced information I was looking for. A lot of testing to be done so as seperately we're also experiencing a lot of line drops due to a new smart fone my daughter got. Vodafone tell me I'll have to test all 13 modem channels to see which 1 will work best for all devices in the house. All this new technology is great but does cause a lot of frustration - guess it's the price of progress.
 


DO NOT use WiFi when doing any speed tests, in fact turn WiFi off on the modem to get any useful information from the test.

AFAIK there is no such thing as "ADSL" cable and IMHO all advice given above is sound.
 
Thanks SparkRite
Don't know how to turn WIFI off on modem, I assume using a yellow LAN cable between modem and laptop with wifi turned off on laptop is the same thing.
 
149oaks said:
Thanks SparkRite
Don't know how to turn WIFI off on modem, I assume using a yellow LAN cable between modem and laptop with wifi turned off on laptop is the same thing.
Click to expand...


Well, its not quite the same but if you don't know how to disable it just make sure no WiFi device is logged onto it.

Speed test sites are notoriously inaccurate, way better to interrogate the modem itself, to see what speed it synchs at.

If you tell us what make/model the modem is then I'm sure either myself or other posters will be able to help.
 
Thanks Sparkrite
The modem is the standard residencial 1 supplied by Vodafone - it says HOME GATEWAY and Model HG556a on the back.
 
I take SparkRite's point about variability of speed tests, but I'm not sure I'd be too worried about it in this case. If you take several speed tests (e.g. www.speedtest.net) you will probably get a good idea of your average speed. In this case, you don't care whether it's a good absolute measurement of your actual bandwidth. You are only trying to compare between the situation with and without your new cable, so a few tests should serve to give you a decent relative measurement. Run them reasonably close together so that you don't have to worry about time-of-day variability, i.e. peak vs. non-peak usage. You can also go down the route of looking at the modem stats, but it's a bit more complicated.
 
Thanks Dub_Nerd
Since my post almost an hour ago I've been trying to run a speed test (I've signed up and logged in) and haven't succeeded. It's held up stating "Selecting Best server Based On Ping". Do I need to do something else or is there a problem with this site - speedtest.net?
 

No you're not doing anything wrong.....I rest my case re: online speed test sites....

A lot better and instant method is to logon to your modem, in your case, start your Internet Browser and type the following IP address http://192.168.1.1 into the address bar and press Enter on your keyboard.


( If it looks for password it is usually: User name: admin Password:VF-IRhg556 )

Unfortunately I am not familiar with the client front end of your modem but generally on the first page it will show upload/download syncing speeds.

Do the above while connected directly to the main tele socket and then at your extended socket and you will instantly see if there is any degradation in syncing speeds.

Easy huh?
 
Guys.

Thanks for the advice and help I really appreciate it - but just step back a minute and look at what I wanted to do in the first place.

I have a 1m ADSL cable supplied with a modem I bought from Vodafone. I want to get a similiar 5m cable. This to me is like having a car with only 10 ltrs of petrol and I want another 50 ltrs.
Why is the Tech industry like this - a simple consumer demand turns into a nightmare? Is this our price of PROGRESS? FRUSTRATION?
n.b. this is not a critisim of those who are helping me, more a reflection!
 

Absolutely not 149, but you did ask about dsl speeds and I think all information you received is relevant.

All we are trying to do is help you. and to that end why don't you try and follow some of the advise you have been given, it really is quite simple.

Read all of the replies you have received and take the time to follow them.

Sorry if this is not the reply you hoped for.
 
It's a good question 149oaks. The short answer is that technical know-how is expensive and hard to come by in all walks of life, not just computers and networking. Recently when I wanted to extend a different kind of wire -- an electric one to a new cooker, it cost me over a hundred quid to have a guy come and do it. We expect a great deal more flexibility when it comes to computers -- they are much more general purpose things. That flexibility also has a price, though. Customer service is a necessary (and expensive) evil to a volume business like Vodafone. You'd like to think they'd know the difference between a twisted pair cable and a flat cable, and the uses and limitations of both. But they probably don't. They are people reading from a standard script.
 

Btw, I don't know if you got over this problem, or if you were able to run the modem diagnostics that Sparkrite suggested.

A third option is to try an even simpler speed test, the one at: http://www.upc.ie/broadband/speedtest/ -- it's UPC's speed test, but it doesn't matter that you are not a UPC customer. If it hangs like the speedtest.net one did then there may be a problem with Java on your computer. But give it a shot.
 
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