Linksys PAP2 Users - Are Your Phone Ports Like This?

Posts: 23 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Nov 07, 2006 Posts: 23

I have a new Linksys PAP2 (v2) and noticed that phone cord plugs do not "snap-in" and lock into the phone ports.

Normally, like with standard telephone jack ports in a home, the RJ11 plug on a phone cord will snap into a port with a click and lock in place. Then to remove it, you must first push down on the small plastic lever on the plug.

With my PAP2, however, the plug just sits in the port and is not locked in. It is inserted all the way in (as deeply as with any other port), but I can just tug on the cord and it will come out without pressing down on the plug's small plastic release lever.

This happens with both phone ports and I've tried multiple cords/plugs. The phone connection itself does work, however, and the ethernet RJ45 plug does click in place and lock in as expected.

Is this normal for a PAP2? Or might I have one with physically malformed phone ports?

Posts: 1179 · Member of the Week Joined: Feb 28, 2005 Posts: 1179

This is the first time I've heard of it and I've on this forum for 2 yrs now. I bet it's defective. I'd exchange it.

Posts: 23 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Nov 07, 2006 Posts: 23

Joy. I guess this will be my third Vonage hardware return...

Thanks very much.

Posts: 293 · Vonage Forum Master Joined: Jan 22, 2006 Posts: 293

Try just pushing the locking tab into place. The things are only plastic and may just be getting enough resistance to not go into place.

Not a lot of force mind you. But if there is just a minor imperfection, once the connection is made, the tab just holds things there. There could just be some plastic burrs still inside the jack that are catching the tab.

Posts: 14 · Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 5:35 pm Post subject:

I have the same adapter I bought from Wal-Mart in Washington State in September and presently use it here in the Philippines. No problems.

My dad in Seattle uses the same adapter and still, no problems there.

Posts: 1715 · Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:51 am Post subject:

You've got a bad PAP2. Never seen that sort of failure and I've used more than 50 PAP2 adapters for PBXs.

Posts: 23 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Nov 07, 2006 Posts: 23

Well, I'm now on my third PAP2 and can confirm this is certainly a design issue.

At the very least it's an issue with the current models in stock. Or maybe just the ones currently in stock at Best Buy. Or maybe the ones in stock at Best Buys in Houston.

I picked up my second unit at a different BB location and made sure the SN and MAC were reasonably far apart, but the phone plugs still wouldn't lock in. Plus, after 2 hours of use, this unit overheated and died. It was so hot I couldn't touch it for several minutes.

The third hasn't overheated, but is slightly warm to the touch. I hope that's normal since I don't remember from the first one. The phone plugs still don't lock in place though.

The plugs I've tried do lock in to all other ports (including the D-Link VWR and Linksys WRTP54G I had previously) and I've tried over a dozen cables, so this is clearly just bad manufacturing.

I can't explain why other people haven't noticed, but that may also be an indicator that it's a recent issue only with the latest produced units (or maybe just those in stock at my local Best Buys). Either that or no one but me was twisted enough to try pulling on the cables after inserting the plugs. They do fit snugly and deeply and the phone connection does work. I only took notice because I never heard the "click" when inserting the plugs.

Linksys quality was so much better before Cisco...

Posts: 1715 · Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 3:22 am Post subject:

Were these PAP2 or PAP2 V2.0 units? I know they really cut corners on the V2.0 units. Even the case plastic is thinner, to the point that the LEDs are visible through the silver plastic.

Posts: 23 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Nov 07, 2006 Posts: 23

All were 2.0.