static and fading on cordless phone ONLY

I had a 2.4 Ghz phone (two handsets) and experienced some fading in an out, and a little interference. This phone is connected to a single jack, equipped with a DSL filter. I have two other jacks in the house that are in use. One is dedicated to the DSL modem, and one is a corded phone. Both are of course filtered.

I did some re-wiring (installed two new jacks) and some time after that, the cordless phones stated with the problems mentioned above. This occurred in all the jacks, not just the two new ones I installed. In fact, the one jack that the base is plugged into is furthest away from the new wiring, and closest to the NID, if that means anything.

Also, the weird thing is that the corded phone works on all the jacks. No static whatsoever. This led me to believe that the phones were the issue, either just getting old and not holding the battery charge, or the 2.4 Ghz signal was the issue.

So I upgraded to 6.0 Ghz. The problem still exists, but worse. The fading is more pronounced. However, the dial tone is strong and clear. The issues only begin when I start to dial and subsequently connect, or if I am receiving a call.

I have turned off/unplugged everything I can think of that would cause potential interference, one by one, and the problem has not gotten any better. My next move tomorrow morning will be to wire up to the line coming into the NID (no test port) and see if the issue persists.

What I can't figure out is:

1) Why is it only the cordless phones, and not the land line phones that see the static

2) What could I have done with the wiring to cause this? I'm pretty proficient at rennovations, and have re-wired my electrical, and the phone wires seemed pretty straightforward.

3) If I did something way, way downstream of the jack I am plugged into, would it, or could it affect the wiring upstream?

Lastly, it may be an issue with the phones, both the old and new.

Any help would be appreciated to help me wrap my head around this. Of course, I probably have left out some valuable into so please ask away.

Thanks,
Matt

 

Problems in the wiring at any point can affect the entire system. Have you tried disconnecting the new wiring?

Also, you said, "One is dedicated to the DSL modem, and one is a corded phone. Both are of course filtered."

The jack for the DSL modem shouldn't have a filter on it unless you're also using it for a phone. Then only the phone should be filtered.

 

Thanks Rick. Also, is it possible that bad/faulty wiring would only affect a cordless phone, and not a land line? Also, what could I have possibly done to make the wiring faulty? Too many bends, damaged insulation, etc?

Just looking for things to 'look' for. Thanks !

Matt

 

if a corded phone works then its not a wiring issue .

 

Mango's right. It shouldn't be a wiring issue if it affects only the cordless.

Have you tried the cordless phones in another house? Even then, two different cordless systems on two different frequencies shouldn't both be bad.

This is weird.

Are you sure someone isn't picking up another extension while you're on the cordless? That will cut the volume down quite a bit.

 

nope, no one picking up the second handset. And the corded pnone is crystal clear, no matter which jack in the house. And the cordless has static...you guessed it, no matter which jack in the house.

Ok, so the good news is that the wiring is not the issue. My next move would be what Rick has suggested, that is, take it over to the neighbors house and check it. Also Rick, when you say it 'shouldn't' be the wiring, does that mean it still might be, even remotely? Mango's response was more definate, but it may just be semantics at this point. Just trying to understand things.

So let's say for arguements sake it is not the phone. Now what? What could possibly be causing interference? I've checked the following:

Wireless modem
wireless TiVO modem
Clock plugged into same receptacle as the phone

Nothing else in the home is wireless, except the doorbell, which I doubt would cause the problem (but will check anyway). EDIT wasn't the doorbell.

Could there be anything that is corded that would be interfering?

Thanks for the help all. We are getting closer to figuring this out !!

EDIT of course the most realistic possibility is that the old phones started to lose their charge and needed to be replaced, coupled with getting unlucky and purchasing a defective new phone. The check at the neighbors should tell me something at least
Matt

 

problem solved.

Turns out the phone I purchased was a 6.0 DECT phone, which operates at 1.9Ghz, and is nothing but trouble (static, inteference, etc) according to reviews online.

So I returned the phone, got a 5.8 Ghz one, and now it's perfect...crystal clear.

So I guess the moral is to be informed BEFORE purchasing. I figured '6.0 is better than 5.8', which was completely wrong in this case.

I guess the old phones got fuzzy because they were old, and losing their charge. New batteries would have fixed that, but we needed to upgrade anyway.

Thanks again everyone and happy holidays.
Matt

 

Actually, the problem is NOT solved. With the new phone, the static is still there. I have no idea what to do. The land line is clear as a bell; but the cordless phones, even if I am right next to the receiver, is static. When my wife calls me at work, I can barely hear her.

One weird thing that I have noticed since I moved in, was that on the outside of my house, near the phone box (the grey box where the line from the pole comes in to), there is an abandoned line that is attached to the side of my house. This line, I’m assuming, the left from the last phone company, after then disconnected it from the box when I switched services. So it is just hanging there, attached to the telephone pole at one end and nothing at the other. Now, the box and the previously described wire is on the outside wall of our bedroom. Sometimes I can hear what sounds almost like radio waves or static, coming from that location. When I go outside, I can’t really hear it as well. What I am probably hearing is the vibration of something coming thru either the wall or the abandoned cable. The cordless receiver is right on the nightstand near the bed, right opposite this ‘sound’.

Now, the location of the receiver is not the issue, because I’ve plugged in it at various locations. I’ve also plugged in the land line at the current receiver location (opposite the ‘sound’), and it works fine.

I’ve unplugged all appliances, modems, etc. The phone company did a check on the line and they said it was fine. It is highly unlikely that I have run into two cordless phones, both brand new, with the exact same problem.

So I’m stumped. Any last suggestions before I call the repair man? The only thing I can think of is that I screwed up the install of a new phone run. But if that were the case, I would think the land line phone at that new run, and all other runs downstream, would also be affected. And they are now.

Either that, or something is interfering with the cordless signal; something other than the normal stuff, like the modem, etc. I have not taken the phone elsewhere, out of the house, and tried it at another location. That would be good, to rule out the phone. But the problem still remains.

Where is the interference coming from?