Trying to set up all my phone jacks

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 4

Hello all,

I would like all of my phone jacks in my house working with Vonage.

1. I connected the Vonage RTP300 adapter to my cordless phone. It worked fine as I was able to make calls/receive calls using Vonage.
2. Next, I unplugged the adapter from the cordless phone. I unplugged the jacks connecting my house to the outside telephone line at the external Network Interface Connector. This house had 3 phone lines previously, however, I was only using one with my previous Comcast phone service. I disconnected all three anyway.
3. I connected my RTP300 phone adapter to a telephone jack in my den.

Now, I don't get any dial tone at any of the other jacks. However, the light blinks slowly indicating that I have voicemail just like it did when the RTP300 was connected to the cordless phone. But, why no dial tone?

Any ideas on what I can do to have all my jacks wired into Vonage? I had Comcast phone service prior to this, so I wonder if I need to do something with Comcast to make this work. I am using Comcast as my ISP and the Motorola Surfboard for the cable modem. I tried swapping several phone cables with no luck.

Thanks in advance. Any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated.

Posts: 4777 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4777

Just how fast is that blinking? Does it stop when you unplug the adapter from the house wiring? One speed of blinking indicates phone mail; another indicates that a phone is off hook somewhere. If the blinking stops when you unplug the adapter from the house wiring, then the latter is the problem.

If that's it, unplug all phones from the house wiring and try again. If the light still blinks when you plug in, then get back to us.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 4

The blinking is very slow indicating a voice mail, which I am aware that I have. The blinking does not stop when I unplug the adapter from the house wiring. I unplugged all of the phones from the house wiring and tried it again...the light still blinks when I plug in the adapter to the house wiring.

Posts: 1123 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: May 26, 2005 Posts: 1123

Ok, this may be a long shot, but is it possible that your den jack was hardwired to a single incoming line? You said there were 3 lines total before. Maybe go get a cheap 50 ft phone cord and try some other jacks and see if it's only that one. Something is up with that one jack, and it may be because it was a straight through to the NIU.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 4

I just tried a long cable to another jack, and it still did not work. I was using only one of the three jacks in my den previously when I had Comcast phone service, and it worked fine. I had SBC before Comcast, and it worked with that service also. Do you think it may be something that Comcast did with the wiring? I see a cable coming in from the Comcast box outside with a blue and white wire coming out and connecting to a swithboard type of device in my basement.

Posts: 1123 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: May 26, 2005 Posts: 1123

Hmmm. Is it possible for us to get a picture of that?

Posts: 4777 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4777

icehouse7 wrote:

The blinking is very slow indicating a voice mail, which I am aware that I have. The blinking does not stop when I unplug the adapter from the house wiring. I unplugged all of the phones from the house wiring and tried it again...the light still blinks when I plug in the adapter to the house wiring.

OK, if you plug into the house wiring and then pick up one of the phones that are plugged into the wiring, does the blinking go to the one indicating the off hook condition?

I you can get a simple splitter, plug it into the Vonage adapter and plug a phone into one of the splitter ports. Presumably you get a dial tone and the phone works. Now run another cord from the other splitter port to a house jack. Do you still get dial tone on the phone plugged into the splitter?

Have you considered the possibility that one or more of your phone cords is bad?

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 4

OK...it was the Comcast wiring that was the culprit. I removed the blue and white wires going into a device that looks like a little "switchboard" which is terminating wires for my security system and wires from the NIC outside as well. These blue and white wires were coming out of the Comcast cable which is coming inside to the basement from the Comcast box outside. After I removed these blue and white wires, everything started working, including all of the phones connected to jacks around my house. Thanks for your assistance.