r/Network • u/Nolliexo • 18d ago
I accidentally cut through the phone line and lost all internet. Quick fix has helped but is now very slow, how do I fix this properly
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u/Howden824 17d ago
You have to at least solder the wires, twisting them isn't reliable at all for data. preferably though you would replace this whole cable run.
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u/Intelligent-City-363 17d ago
Ah this takes me back.
About 20 years ago I was getting crackling on my telephone and my internet speeds had dropped to around 100kb (I had a 17mb dsl with Virgin way before they took over NTL.)
Anyhow a couple of Openreach techs turned up after a phone call to BT and I explained the problem. One the guys went to his van whilst the other guy told me (with a smile) that they had a special piece of equipment to test damaged lines…
It was a hook on a broomstick.
His mate gave the line a shake whilst he listened to my phone. They diagnosed a broken cable and replaced it. He then showed me the old wires - one of the cables had completely snapped and the ends were just rubbing together which just enough for me to make voice calls and get a bit of internet.
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u/No_Ear932 17d ago
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but would insulation tape around those connections help improve things a bit? (Just as a quick fix).
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u/FreddyFerdiland 16d ago
yes, if its taped tight , it keeps the wires touching and passes the broom stick test .
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u/Miserable-Win-6402 16d ago
This is not right, but should work. Did you restart your modem after you made the repair? If not, try that.
Some inline junction box things will be better, but short term you can use this.
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u/charlieb1981 16d ago
That looks like an old four wire internal cable, the first pair is orange and blue, the second pair is green and brown. I suspect that you haven’t stripped back the insulation far enough to see the missing two wires.
If I’m correct, your broadband is only coming down one leg of the cable. Strip it back and connect all four wires correctly. You should only need two wires, however it depends on which two you need…
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u/Tosser_535231 16d ago
The best possible fix will unfortunately be replacing the entire cable.
However if that's not an option make sure the wires are twisted as close as you can get it without the actual conductors still touching make sure the wires are straight not coiled around each other and then just put a simple thin bead of on them if you don't have any heat shrink hot glue usually works pretty well and then wrapped in any sort of tape (electrical tape is probably best to shield it from moisture but being that it's inside you probably won't have to worry about it)
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u/satheda42 16d ago
When I was a kid we lived off grid, half a mile from a main road. We did have telephone with a cable that ran through the woods on the ground. It got cut somehow and my father found 4 old pennies that were pure copper, drilled a hole through them, soldered the wires to them, bolted the pennies together and wrapped it all in a rediculous amount of electrical tape. I think his logic was that the surface area of the copper pennies would handle the signal and they could be unbolted quickly if machinery had to go through the trail again. It worked perfectly for years and years though he did replace the tape a few times when water got in there.
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u/JaggedlyStaking 15d ago
Soldering or crimping with proper connectors is the way to go, twisting them together will keep degrading over time. If you've got the tools, a punch down block is honestly the cleanest option for phone lines.
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u/SuccessfullyGray 15d ago
That twist job is gonna cause crosstalk and signal degradation. Get a proper Cat5e/Cat6 connector and crimper, or replace the whole run if you can. Twisted bare copper isn't gonna cut it for sustained speeds.
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u/Necessary-Age9878 15d ago
Do you have ADSL or FTTC? If it is ADSL, you can switch to FTTC and complain about poor speeds. They will send a technician to fix old cables 😄
if you like to fix it yourself, replacing the entire cable end to end would be easier than soldering or connectors (that would still introduce some signal loss). Another alternative is to move the wall socket to this location and use a slightly longer telephone cable (wall socket to router) to connect to the modem-router from here.
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u/kona420 15d ago
Dolphins or scotch locks. Like these https://www.homedepot.com/pep/IDEAL-Insulation-Displacement-Wire-Connectors-25-Pack-85-925/100192058
They are filled with gel to displace moisture so the connection doesn't degrade as the copper oxidizes. The metal insert makes positive mechanical contact when you crush it with a pair of pliers and lock it place.
Best fix is a new high quality wire though. Diminishing returns but its nice to know you aren't leaving anything on the table.
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u/Bchbumjfk 14d ago
Ummmm… this is clearly a splice with two different cable runs (gray and black). Pull all new Cat6 and be done with it. Faster speeds and reliable connections.
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u/AlternativeWater2 14d ago
You can cut it clean, get a punch down tool and jack, an RJ45 connector and a crimp tool. Crimp one end, punch down the other and plug it in. It should clean things up, but if it's still slow than you've likely stretched the cable and would be better off replacing the run.
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u/Sokanas 13d ago
I had an exterior ethernet cable drop in front of a hot bulb and melt.
I, cut the melted section, twisted the pairs back together and covered the twists in electrical tape.
Worked without issue for ~14-15 years before it started having issues, dropping from gigabit to 100mbit before I replaced it.
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u/DULUXR1R2L1L2 17d ago
You need to run a new cable. You can run cat6+ and run DSL one pair. Or you can replace it with cat3. Maybe you can get lucky and use the existing wiring to pull the new cable.
Edit: just saw the wires are twisted together. That's impressive it still works. Get a splice or repair kit to reconnect them, with heat shrink. Or just replace it
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u/finthir 16d ago
CAT6 is absolute overkill for DSL unless you're expecting to get fibre in the future and even then CAT5 is good enough.
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u/DULUXR1R2L1L2 16d ago
I agree it's overkill, but if they ever want to convert it to Ethernet down the line they just save themselves a bunch of work. 2.5g and 10g on the modem/router/ONT are becoming a lot more common, so this would give them the ability to run faster speeds to the modem, or for whatever the future holds.
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u/furruck 16d ago
I mean for less than 100-150ft, cat5 works fine for 5-10Gbps
I’m still using the old cat5 I installed years ago for 5 and 10Gbps twisted pair no issues, mostly to feed the SSD nas I set up before SSD prices went insane.
If OP is on xDSL I suspect it’ll be quite a while before they need to worry about it and at that point let the telco replace the drop.
If it were me in this situation, I’d just patch the cable with gel filled crimp connections and a few inches of cable, then leave it until I upgraded services.
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u/canyoufixmyspacebar 17d ago
the connections are bad and all this mess is picking up interference. a good quality fix is needed which you can either learn to do or hire an RF tech who will do it for you
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u/xmgutier 17d ago
You can either -solder the wires -crimp them with a butt splice Use a 60 or 110 punch down block using a inife, or small flathead -solder the wires using solder filled heat shrink tubes and a lighter -etc
Good luck!