Help! My Wires Have Been Cut

Mokura · 08-30-2009, 02:09 PM

I got AT&T Dryloop Internet a few months ago, but about 3 weeks ago my Internet suddenly stopped working. I found out later that the cord that runs under the house had been cut all the way through in a couple places; it's like someone intentionally crawled under there and cut them. Now I'm faced w/ a huge bill to get an AT&T repair person to fix it. If anyone could give me some advice on what to do or alternatives, that would be great.

mrgr8avill · 09-13-2009, 08:55 AM

like any DSL, "dry loop" (which just means there is no voice line on the phone service) is run over copper wire. In homes, this is usually insulated and shielded wire with four interior wires called "two pair," again typically with red, green, yellow, and black. Chances are you are using the red and green. If the colors don't match, don't worry. Just make sure you connect the same wires to the same terminals.

Go to Radio Shack or your local hardware store and get an inline connector for outdoor use. Simply connect one color from one side of the cut to the same color on the other side of the cut, and all should be well.

You can splice the wires directly, but that could cause more line noise than you want.

Alternatively, just re-wire the connection from your phone box to the wall. Red to red, green to green.

Remember that phone wires are "hot" and run at low voltage, so if you corss live wires you will get a but of a wake up call -- nothing big and sure as heck not like 120V current, but stronger than putting your tongue on a nine volt.

While you are at the hardware store, you can buy a wire tester that plugs into the jack and tells you if you have the wires hooked up correctly or not. Just don't plug anything into the jack until it tests positively, and you are good to go. Crossing phone wires is not by any means the end of the world, and nothing will happen while you are testing.

If you have zero inclination to DIY, then hire someone from the green sheet to re-run the wire. Don't mention you have DSL -- just have him or her run a new set of two-pair to your jack. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than the phone company, and the wire is exactly the same!!

Just remember -- DSL is not rocket science -- it runs over normal old copper phone line like the $5.00 phone you get at the discount store.

Good luck!!

08-30-2009, 02:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mokura Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1 OS: Vista	Help! My Wires Have Been Cut I got AT&T Dryloop Internet a few months ago, but about 3 weeks ago my Internet suddenly stopped working. I found out later that the cord that runs under the house had been cut all the way through in a couple places; it's like someone intentionally crawled under there and cut them. Now I'm faced w/ a huge bill to get an AT&T repair person to fix it. If anyone could give me some advice on what to do or alternatives, that would be great.

09-13-2009, 08:55 AM	#2 (permalink)
mrgr8avill Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 30 OS: Vista Ultimate 64	Re: Help! My Wires Have Been Cut like any DSL, "dry loop" (which just means there is no voice line on the phone service) is run over copper wire. In homes, this is usually insulated and shielded wire with four interior wires called "two pair," again typically with red, green, yellow, and black. Chances are you are using the red and green. If the colors don't match, don't worry. Just make sure you connect the same wires to the same terminals. Go to Radio Shack or your local hardware store and get an inline connector for outdoor use. Simply connect one color from one side of the cut to the same color on the other side of the cut, and all should be well. You can splice the wires directly, but that could cause more line noise than you want. Alternatively, just re-wire the connection from your phone box to the wall. Red to red, green to green. Remember that phone wires are "hot" and run at low voltage, so if you corss live wires you will get a but of a wake up call -- nothing big and sure as heck not like 120V current, but stronger than putting your tongue on a nine volt. While you are at the hardware store, you can buy a wire tester that plugs into the jack and tells you if you have the wires hooked up correctly or not. Just don't plug anything into the jack until it tests positively, and you are good to go. Crossing phone wires is not by any means the end of the world, and nothing will happen while you are testing. If you have zero inclination to DIY, then hire someone from the green sheet to re-run the wire. Don't mention you have DSL -- just have him or her run a new set of two-pair to your jack. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than the phone company, and the wire is exactly the same!! Just remember -- DSL is not rocket science -- it runs over normal old copper phone line like the $5.00 phone you get at the discount store. Good luck!!