Wifi cuts out when landline in use

[Genie32]

Hi, I hope someone can help 🙂

We have had a problem for 6 months or so whereby whenever our landline is in use the wifi connection cuts out - the router flashing on and off orange for the duration of the call. When the landline call has ended the router resets itself and wifi is restored. 

We've had no joy with customer service - each time I call or chat online all that they ever do is run a test on the line. Then I either get a message saying that the test was run and no problem was found, or that a problem was found and an engineer has fixed it. But it never fixes our problem. So I ring again and the whole process starts again of running a test on the line but never addressing the issue I have raised repeatedly. Any ideas what can be causing this? The router seems to be connected correctly as it works generally.

Thanks in advance for any help

[Genie32]

Hi

The phone in the lounge is just an additional handset / cradle that plugs into the wall socket not a phone socket. We never had any microfilters in our set-up previously - the lounge just plugs into the wall socket and the bedroom phone socket is disconnected. I now have one filter going into the test socket as instructed as a trial and am awaiting a replacement router from talktalk. So I shall keep that in place for the time being and see what happens in the meantime before doing any more tests. I suppose this set-up is as you describe anyway with "ONLY things connected are the router and the phone via the microfilter into the test socket in the hall". First findings are that this still has the problem of devices / internet / wi-fi cutting out when landline in use.

Thanks again

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Genie32

Thank you 🙂

Debbie

[Genie32]

Thank you so much. Yes, I will let you know if it makes a difference. 👍

[Skynet_TX]

Presumably the socket in the lounge just has one single port on it ?, can you confirm if you have a microfilter in that socket (and the phone connected to the microfilter).

A microfilter would not be necessary in the lounge if that socket was connected back to this master socket, but as I can't see a wire connecting any extensions to your master socket I just wondered what the setup was like with the lounge socket.

If you disconnect EVERYTHING (including any microfilters) from the sockets in the lounge and the bedroom, so the ONLY things connected are the router and the phone via the microfilter into the test socket in the hall. Does the router still drop the connection when you use the phone in the hall.

[Skynet_TX]

Purely out of interest, how is the socket you have in the lounge (where you have a phone) connected back to this master socket in the hall, as your photos only show one wire going into this master socket ?

Yeah, you can't reply to the notification emails you get from the community, you have to reply on the community website itself.

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Genie32

The replacement router is on its way, please allow 24-48hrs for this to arrive.

Let us know how the connection compares with this router.

Thanks

[Genie32]

Hi Debbie

I suppose you could send a replacement router as it is already happening in this set-up unless it takes time to settle?

[Genie32]

Hi, I previously replied to you by email but I see here that there is additional text that did not come through on the email.

I wasn't sure that the first bit of the faceplate that I removed was in fact removing it all - with previous sockets I have had to remove screws to get to the test socket and it wasn't until I removed it all that I saw there was nothing there apart from wires which I didn't touch by hand.

Yes that is the first socket into the house.

Thanks for your help

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Genie32

Thanks for your reply.

Would you like me to send a replacement router for testing or would you prefer to wait and see if the fault occurs in this set up first?

Debbie 🙂

[Genie32]

Hello, no I have never been sent a replacement router - I have never managed to get this much of a dialogue going through customer services so thank you for listening. I have set the phone / router and filter up as you suggest and will leave it in place until further notice - photo attached.

So far this has resulted in no flashing of router during call but smart speaker cuts out while wifi-only tablet still works. Smart speaker reconnects when asked to during call. When handset is returned to cradle the modem flashes orange and smart speaker and tablet cut out again until flashing stops.

Thanks for your help

phone / router and filter into test socket

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Genie32

Have we sent you a router to rule this out?

Please can you leave the router, phone and filter at the test socket at the test socket for 48hrs to see if the fault is still happening in this set up?

Thanks

[Skynet_TX]

The 5C master socket faceplate has a microfilter built in, so that separates the phone and data signal to the two ports on the faceplate, so you should not plug a microfilter into the phone socket on the faceplate, as that socket has already been filtered by the faceplate to only have a voice signal on it, so you would never expect the router to work if it was plugged into a microfilter that is connected to the faceplate. You should only plug the microfilter into the test socket (as in your last image).

I'm a bit confused about you saying you have other phone sockets in the house, as your top image only shows two wires (which are presumably the wires from the external line coming into your home) going into the master socket, so how are the additional sockets in your home connected back to that master socket ?

You should not really remove the screws on the socket, it is fine to remove the faceplate on the front, but the wiring behind the screwed in section should only really be fiddled with by Openreach.

Is that socket in your images definitely the first phone socket that the phone line that comes into your house goes to ?

[Genie32]

Hi, thanks for the replies
We have Openreach Mk4 lower row, far right image from link.
 Yes we have one master socket with router and phone connected in the hall. A second phone plugs into wall socket in lounge. We have a phone socket in a bedroom which hasn't worked for years and has been looked at by an outreach technician - it hasn't affected the connection before and he said it wasn't a problem (didn't find why it didn't work).
 
Above images show the Openreach Mk4 master phone socket and how I have been testing the set up today with filter / without filter etc. The upshot is that we have no guaranteed connection when the landline is in use. I did manage to keep a connection while landline was in use for one combination of mobile to one handset (but not the second handset) when one of the filters was connected with the faceplate on but on the latest trial I couldn't replicate that and in fact can't connect with a filter in place at all now so back to modem and phone going into socket with faceplate in place. Neither of two filters I tried worked with faceplate off.
I’ve completed a lot of tests and it takes anywhere between 3 and 10 minutes for the orange flashing to stop each time - even with turning modem on / off when it’s taking so long.

[Genie32]

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear this. Can I just confirm, does this also happen if you connect the microfilter, router and phone directly at the test socket?

Thanks

[Skynet_TX]

Hi @Genie32,

Based on the images on this page can you confirm what type of master phone socket you have.

Can you also clarify what setup you have, i.e. do you just have that one master phone socket in your home, and your router and phone are both plugged into that, or do you have any other phone extension sockets in the house, and if so what is plugged into those.

When you removed the faceplate to test, did you connect both the router and the phone to the test socket via a microfilter, and if so, did the router still drop its connection when the phone was used.

The TalkTalk Support Team on this community will be able to help, they will hopefully be able to respond to this post tomorrow.

[Genie32]

Hi, Thanks for your reply.

There is no noise on the phone line. Talktalk actually fitted a new socket when we upgraded wifi less than a year ago. No microfilters so must be built in. Yes I've tried connecting by removing the faceplate, as I've been asked to do by customer services. They have all my details on main account page - and forum as well now - but they just don't seem to get past the testing-the-line phase. 

[AllyM]

If the router LED is flashing orange, that would indicate that it is losing the internet connection, so not just a WIFI issue.

Is there any excessive noise on the line when using the phone?

Do you use a microfilter or does your socket have a built in filter for the broadband connection?

If you use a microfilter, have you tried a different one?

Have you tried removing the faceplate of the master socket and connecting via the "test" socket to see if the problem remains?

If you would like TalkTalk staff to help, it's best to make sure your forum profile is updated with your personal details and your TalkTalk landline number in order that they are able to access your account (don't post personal details on the thread though).