Is Vonage picky with Caller ID and phone type?

Posts: 22 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Nov 04, 2004 Posts: 22

Is Vonage picky with Caller ID and type of phone you have? CID works on my wireless phone but I bought a cheap corded Conairphone and the display has no reaction when it recieves a call. I tried with a very old SWBell caller ID box and it also didn't respond. I have the Linksys RT31P2.

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 26, 2004 Posts: 6

Hi. I am having the same problem with my Vtech 20-2431. Still searching for a solution.

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2004 11:49 am Post subject:

it should be standard. I had a problem where my phone would barely ring at all, and caller id would disappear after a split second. After Vonage upped the "voltage" (according to tech support) on my linksys, it works almost perfect now. (ring is a tad weird but never drops cid).

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 26, 2004 Posts: 6

I just got off the phone with Vonage tech support. They said because I had a land line coming into the same phone as my Vonage line, the voltage from the land line could be interfering with the CID of both. Is this possible? If so, any ideas how I might adjust this? Thanks.

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 6

I have a Siemen's Gigaset 2420 (2-line phone)... and the caller ID works occasionally - I need to place 2 calls, one after another for the caller ID to show up. The first call, no caller ID shows up. The second call, the caller ID shows up.

I wonder if it's a database caching issue? Could some phones timeout on caller ID too quickly?

Or perhaps it's just something flukey with two line phones.

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 6

Just did another test - If I disconnect my landline from the two line phone... Caller ID works fine on the Vonage line.

WEIRD.

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 6

I *THINK* I fixed the issue... I noticed some people saying it maybe a voltage issue... so I placed a DSL filter on the incoming land line... and now my caller ID works fine on my Vonage phone.

So give it a try... it may fix your phone!

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Nov 26, 2004 Posts: 6

Wow! I would be very happy if this were the fix! Forgive my ignorance, but what is a DSL filter? And will it work with a cable modem?

Thank you.

Posts: 6 · New Forum Member Joined: Jun 02, 2004 Posts: 6

A DSL filter is typically used to filter out noise on a phone line for DSL modems. I just did further tests and it seems my Caller ID is 100% on my Siemen's Gigaset 2420.

I guess by adding a DSL filter to the phone line, it either filters out enough noise from the line to let the Vonage Caller ID work - or it lowers the voltage on the land line just enough not to mess with the Vonage caller ID.

Radio Shack Sells DSL filters:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F004%5F004%5F002%5F000&product%5Fid=279%2D101

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F004%5F004%5F002%5F000&product%5Fid=279%2D110

Just buy one and plug it between your land line (not Vonage line) and the 2-line phone.

P.S. the exact filter I have is Corning DSL Filter - it looks VERY much like the filter in the first link (Radioshack part 279-101) except that mine is beige.