DSL and Treadmill - Don't mix
Lanny
with my DSL connection? It is on a different electric circuit in another
room. When someone is walking on the treadmill my connection drops down to
50k or less or drops totally. I have just put my DSL modem on a new surge
strip that is supposed to filter out noise. No luck!
This one is driving me crazy. Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Lanny
Hal Burgiss
wrote:
Get a new treadmill :) Something is wrong if it is putting out that much
RFI. If its RFI via electric service, a good UPS might work better as a
filter. If its radiated (by air), you'll have to move it. A very short
cable cat5 cable from wall to modem might help some. Encasing the cable
and modem in aluminum foil probably would help <but we are getting
pretty desperate at this point>.
--
Hal Burgiss
Eddie Rosado
"Hal Burgiss" <h...@burgiss.net> wrote in message
news:slrnabci...@feenix.burgiss.net...
w_tom
fixed - something not easily done since such noise is so poorly
understood by most. For example, to fix it, one may need an
oscilloscope. How many repair people would even know what that is?
The surge protector never claims to protect from significant noise.
The surge protector remains inert (as if not connected) to everything
but a surge. That number on the box is typically 330 volts. If your
treadmill is generating 330+ volts into the AC power, then remove it
immediately as a threat to human safety. IOW that surge protector
does not claim significant noise abatement.
Furthermore, if the surge protector was to quash electrical
treadmill noise, then surge protector must be on the treadmil - not on
the DSL modem. But surge protectors are designed only for event that
occur typically once every eight years. Daily surges from a treadmill
would degrade the surge protector to uselessness in weeks or months.
At best, the surge protector has only made DSL modem damage more
likely. A surge protector is only effective if connected less than 10
feet to central earth ground. Surge protectors only shunt
(distribute) a surge from one wire to all others. Surge protection is
earth. Effective surge protector only connects a surge connected less
than 10 feet to earth. It is called 'whole house' surge protection.
More likely solution is to find what phone line runs too close to
that treadmill - and move it. Did you also verify your household
ground system (safety grounds and earth ground) is intact?
"Lanny" <spe...@lanny-amy.com> wrote in message news:<Avrt8.62071$gA5.5...@e3500-atl2.usenetserver.com>...
Larry
wrote:
>Can anyone tell me a good way to fix a problem with my treadmill interfering
>with my DSL connection? It is on a different electric circuit in another
>room. When someone is walking on the treadmill my connection drops down to
>50k or less or drops totally. I have just put my DSL modem on a new surge
>strip that is supposed to filter out noise. No luck!
>
The noise you are getting is not interfering w/the AC power to the
modem, so a filter there won't help. Most likely your phone wire is
running in parallel w/your electrical wiring, and the phone wire is
picking up the noise there.
1 - try the filter on your treadmill
2 - plug the treadmilll in somewhere else (sometimes one outlet away
can aleviate the problem)
3 - provide a new home run wire to the computer from the interface box
4 - provide a new isolated outlet for the treadmill
5 - ditch the treadmill and run outside
Ernie
There are two possible paths for the interference to be getting into your
modem and affecting your DSL service.
One is direct radiation from the microprocessor circuitry (every computer
clock is an RF oscillator) in your treadmill that is being picked up by your
household phone lines.
The other is conducted RF coming down the power cable, going through your
DSL modems DC power supply cable and into your DSL modem.
Practical recommendations are found at the bottom.
The first is the reason why all popular networking
cable uses twisted pairs of wires. The phone companies own cables use
twisted pair wiring. For what ever numbskull reason, many builders use non
twisted pair wiring for intercoms and phone wiring...even the phone company
themselves have put this cheap wire in many homes. The twist makes the wire
pair immune to radiated electromagnetic fields...there is always a near
equal and opposite induced current with each twist...the net effect is
zilch. This also prevents crosstalk between adjacent pairs...you may note
that the rate of twist varies between each pair of wires in a Cat 5 cable.
I recall a neighbor in my old neighborhood had a 2nd phone line installed by
Southern Bell. Each line could hear everything that was said on the other.
The problem went away when the phone tech came back and installed a new
service drop cable to the home and abandoned the non-twisted wiring that ran
between the street and the home.
In my own home, I rewired all my phone lines with Cat3 equivalent cable. I
am a HAM radio operator and needed to do this to keep my own RF emissions
from affecting my the phone lines. I also ran a 'home run' between the
telephone service entry point and the location of my DSL modem. My DSL
filters (to keep the higher frequencies off the telephone handset lines) are
located at the entry point. I am able to operate my radio, talk all around
the world, and surf the net, all at the same time.
It is worth reminding all that the DSL signals are medium wave RF energy..
Sent down a pair of cables with a twist, the signal is not radiated and is
RF interference immune. Sent down telephone wiring that is not twisted
pair, it does radiate ever so slightly and is not RF interference immune. I
think a lot of folks have marginal DSL service because the good signal that
gets to their home is compromised by the raunchy wiring inside the home that
picks up every RF noise there is. This cheap wiring makes a GREAT antenna.
The second type of interference mode is easier to
remediate. Go to Radio Shack and purchase a snap together torroid core.
You can also go to www.surplussales.com and order there. You may go
directly to this link: http://www.surplussales.com/FerSplit-1.html I'd
recommend the 3/8" 'bead' which costs $2.50....They do have a $10.00 minimum
order. This will allow you to put 5 or so orderly turns of the DC power
cable on one half of the bead....do wind them orderly or the effect will be
nil....and hold the halves together with the supplied plastic cage. Mount
the torroid core as close to your DSL modem as possible. This will make an
inductance which will exhibit a high impedance (obstacle) to RF energy
coming into your modem DC power cable. Essentially you construct what you
now find on the Video cable of any well engineered computer monitor.
Manufacturers have to do this to meet regulatory requirements in Europe and
the products carry the 'CE' logo. Oh, in case you are wondering, I have no
business relationship with Surplus Sales. You might even think about
putting one on the treadmill's power cord right as it leaves the treadmill.
It works for keeping RF from IN and OUT.
Why Bell South does not require an integrated 'choke' of this kind form
their modem vendors or at least from the modem company's 'wall wart' DC
power suppliers is because of cost. I tend to think that that the folks
making these decision know a lot about DSL and not much about RF or RFI.
A significant number of DSL connection problems can be solved using proper
RF practices. Going forward in time, the problem will only get worse as
more and more low cost, microprocessor laden, imported (particularly China)
electronic gadgets appear on the store shelves. If you have a problem with
something emitting RF that does not carry an FCC Part 15 sticker, you would
be best advised to contact the FCC www.fcc.gov so that they can make some
efforts to stop the importation.
On a practical note, try increasing the distance between your treadmill
(probably made in China) and any phone wiring that may be in the wall, or
running nearby. Radio waves obey a law in physics called the 'inverse
square law'. Doubling the distance between the treadmill and any telephone
wiring will cut the strength of any induced current to 1/4.
Rewire the phone line that is located closest to the treadmill with twisted
pair cable..others if it can be done without a lot of trouble. You can get
Cat 3 cable at Home Depot for 8 or so cents a foot off the spool in the
electrical department.
Put a snap on ferrite bead on the DC power cable to your DSL hardware....I
use two on my own setup because I sometimes practice over kill. Often times
surge suppressors with RFI suppression will not have a great deal of
rejection capability, or the design will be such that is does not reject the
RF frequencies that are giving YOU trouble.
I am a certified two way radio technician and hold an FCC General Radio
Telephone License.
I am Sales Manager for a company that makes wireless data transmission
products.
Regards and Good Luck.
Ernie
"Lanny" <spe...@lanny-amy.com> wrote in message
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