DSL Is Not Staying Connected

If you use the telephone line connected to the DSL modem for other devices like telephones, then these could be disrupting your connection. The frequencies involved in both the DSL signal and the voice signal may be interfering with one-another. Solve this problem by installing DSL line filters on all telephone jacks in your home or office that belong to the phone line used by your DSL modem. If the line is a dedicated Internet line, then your connection problem may lie elsewhere. These filters should be available through your ISP, or at your local electronics store.

Your network adapter itself may be the culprit in your DSL difficulties. Try repairing your connection to see if this fixes the connection issues. To attempt a repair, click on your network icon in your Windows toolbar. Click "Open Network and Sharing Center." Click "Change adapter settings" in the menu along the left side of the window. Click on your network connection icon, then click "Diagnose this connection" in the toolbar near the top of the window. If it prompts you to run the diagnosis or repair as an administrator, allow it to do so.

Sometimes, all or some of the cables involved in delivering your DSL service become unseated from their correct positions. This can be because someone has has accidentally bumped your DSL modem or router, or if someone has pulled or tripped over an Ethernet cable or telephone wire. Check all the connections to your modem to make certain the cables are pressed all the way into their sockets. Also check the connection to your DSL line filter and/or the telephone jack connection. Finally, check to make certain any Ethernet cables plugged into your computer are still properly seated.

Another possible culprit in the case of your fickle connection is your hardware. This includes the DSL modem, any routers, hubs and switches and your computer itself. Try power cycling all of your network equipment. This involves unplugging the power cables from your modem and other networking gear for fifteen to thirty seconds and then plugging them back in. You'll probably need to wait a few extra seconds for the equipment to reacquire their connections. Restart your computer as well, to reset its own connections to your network.