Can't get home wiring to work.

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 21, 2007 Posts: 2

I have had Vonage for about 1 year now, I purchased the "Plug & use" wireless phones at the time because I was to chicken to fool around with the NIU box.

After much debate with my husband I decided to give it a go.
I purchased a Motorola VT1005 and I called Vonage so they could register the Mac ID Number. I purchased new 5.8 Uniden Phones
(Model number DXAI5688-2) I also purchased a long phone cord.
I followed the instructions provided by Vonage to the letter, but I can't get the wall jacks in my home to work with Vonage.

I made sure I disconnected the two things that look like phone plugs in the NIU box outside. (I have pics of my NIU box bellow)

I connected the new phone cord to the back of the Vonage router Line 1, then I plugged the other end into the wall jack. I then plugged the new uniden phone into one of the other phone jacks in the wall & I hear no dial tone. I then plugged my Uniden phone into the vonage router Line 1 just to make sure my connection was working I did get a dial tone when I did that.

I also took pics of my home alarm system. We no longer use the alarm system so it is deactivated as of now, but I am unsure if this could be causing the problem. Well at this point I am truly stumped & I would be thankful for any help. I am a true Goof when it comes to this kind of of stuff, but I am a quick learner LOL. Thank You in advance to anyone who can offer advice to this problem.

These are pics of the alarm system box in my basement
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/5348/0421071650ep3.jpg
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7564/0421071651fz2.jpg

This is a pic of my NIU box you can see the 2 phone plugs I unplugged in the box.
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7981/0421071642sp6.jpg

This photo is a pic of me holding a blue cord in the NIU Box it covers up some wires, I don't know if it is relevant to my problem but I thought I would get a snapshot of it any how.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8494/0421071639ck8.jpg

Posts: 4751 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4751

I'm afraid that your photos are too small for me to see much, but you seem to have done the right things; i.e., pulling the plugs in the NIU and plugging the Vonage box into a wall jack.

A couple of questions:

1. Are you sure that the jacks that you're using for the phone and for the Vonage box were both working before you got Vonage? If so, were they both set up for the same line?

2. When you plug the Vonage box into the wall jack, what happens to the phone light on the Vonage box? Does it stay lit solid, go out, or flash?

If the phone light stays solid, the next step is to get a simple telephone y-splitter: the kind that turns one phone jack into two jacks. Don't get the L1-L2 type. Plug the adapter into the Vonage phone 1 jack and plug your phone into one of the adapter ports. You should get dial tone. Now run a phone cord from the second adapter jack to your wall jack. Do you still get dial tone on the phone?

Posts: 2 · New Forum Member Joined: Apr 21, 2007 Posts: 2

I am sorry I didn't post my reply sooner. I went and purchased the telephone y-splitter I plugged it into line 1 on the vonage unit. Then I plugged my cordless phone into one of the slots but I didn't get a dial tone, then i took the telephone y-splitter out of the vonage unit & I plugged the cordless phone into line 1 just to double check and make sure my vonage unit was ok It did work I got a dial tone.

So i put the telephone y-splitter back into the vonage unit and once again nothing/

When I plugged the Vonage box into the wall jack the green light stays solid on the vonage unit.

All my home jacks worked before I got Vonage.

Thank you for all help in advance.

Posts: 4751 · Vonage Forum **MVM** Joined: Aug 30, 2005 Posts: 4751

The fact that the phone light doesn't flash when you plug the Vonage box into the wall jack indicates that you don't have a short and you don't have a phone plugged into the wall somewhere and off hook. That's good.

The trick with the Y splitter should work, provided you have the right type. A simple splitter is what you want; an L1-L2 splitter is not. When you plug the splitter into phone jack 1 on the Vonage unit and plug the phone into one of the other ports, the phone doesn't work. Does it work if you plug the phone into the third port instead? Are any of the ports on the splitter labelled?

When you plug the phone into the wall jack, are you using the same cord that you use when you test the phone by plugging it into the Vonage unit? You'll need at least one more cord to plug a phone into the wall jack. Are you sure that that cord is good? Test all the cords that you're going to use in this endeavor by using them to plug the test phone directly into the Vonage box.

All of your jacks were working before. Were all of them set up for the same land line? They were all working after use of the alarm system was discontinued?

Do you have high resolution photographs that you can post or email?