Perplexing whole house wiring and/or V-Portal problem?

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 30, 2008 Posts: 3

OK my turn for this circus.

I had just replace my Linksys WRTG since I was getting some white noise during conversations. Had used it since 2005. I have now installed the VDV21 and am getting the 013 code.

I have DSL from AT&T
Have the main telco line on the 3rd pair house wiring
Have Vonage (VDV21 phone port 1) on the inside pair, pair 1

Disconnected everything from the house wiring accept VDV21 phone port 1 and telco (DSL phone line from the splitter) and still got the problem.

Reconnected cordless phones to inside wiring. One on each line.

Can place an receive calls without a problem.
Voice is clear as a bell.

Voltage readings:
Line 3 Telco phone pair (AT&T) : -46.1
Line 1 VDV21: -49.6

Disconnected the Telco line (off the DSL splitter) from the line 3 of house wiring.
Ran the phone line diagnostic and ... NO Error 013 anymore.

Voltage readings:
Line 3 Telco pair: 0v
Line 1 VDV21: -49.3v

Disconnected the VDV21 line from house wiring.
Connected the telco line again.

Voltage Readings:
Line 3 Telco pair: -46.1
Line 1: -0.2v

It seems that there is a very low voltage getting passed through from the DSL phone line (inside wiring line 3) over to the other inside wiring line the the VDV21 is using. Also the VDV is putting out a pretty high voltage itself. Standard telco is -48v. I don't recall what the acceptable tolerances are. +/= 2v I would guess.

This may be a hardware sensitivity problem in the VDV21 and firmware will not fix it accept can inhibit any disconnect actions.

Sometime I can occasionally hear dial tone pulsing when I go off hook. Perhaps I am getting some crossover or induction between lines.

I think I can safely ignore the error messages.
At least as long as the phone line operates.

It would be a good improvement if the VDV21 would display the voltage on the line it is complaining about.

Mike

Posts: 15 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 11, 2008 Posts: 15

I see there have been no messages in this thread since July. I just installed a V-Portal and am having the same error problems. All wiring is new and is just single pair wiring at each outlet. I guess the answer is a different device? It's quite annoying.

Posts: 15 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 11, 2008 Posts: 15

As an update .... I had my system professionally tested (cost me $150!).

With all phones unplugged there is ZERO (has been physically cut from the outside wiring) voltage and FULL OPEN CIRCUIT between the red & green pair. When the V-Portal is plugged into the home wiring it gets the error with NO PHONES ATTACHED only the v-Portal.

"Tech-Support" (Level 2!) tells me there is voltage or a short on the line.

Impossible since absolutely NOTHING except the v-Portal is connected.

It's simply 3 homeruns tied together (all reds and all greens) in the garage hooked up to nothing..

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

Just out of curiosity, is your situation exactly the same as DrEvil's; i.e., DSL on one pair, Vonage on the other, error 13, but the phone still works?

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 30, 2008 Posts: 3

Mr Ed.
You have the same problem as I have. You should ask Vonage for 6 months (150/25) of free service for having put you through getting someone to verify what you already knew. And support is too lame to know. The device is defective! They are being precautious at our expense.

I am convinced the VDV21 device is too sensitive and gives a false error code.

I have been running OK since July by just ignoring the error code.

Once or twice in the past 3 months the error came up and then does not present the phone icon. The device did not attempt to connect to the Vonage server due to the error. This Hasn't happened for a long time though and I have been through a couple power outages.
To remedy this I simply power cycle the VDV21 only and I get connection and dial tone back. If that doesn't do it, disconnect the phone line and power cycle it. Then connect the phone line back into the VDV21.

I have not had to power cycle the device for about a month now.

Other than this, I get clear conversation and my house is still standing!

Thanks,
DrEvil

Posts: 15 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 11, 2008 Posts: 15

No, I do not have DSL, I have Comcast.

I think it just may have been a bad device because they were SUPPOSED to send me a Motorola replacement because I borrowed my neighbors Moto and it worked fine but they (of course) send out another V-Portal .... but so far (2 hrs) and about 20 intentional power cycles of the device I have not seen any errors.

My wiring consists of 3 brand new homeruns of just a single red/green pair connected and not within 50 feet of my telco d-mark yet the Vonage 2nd level tech insisted I had voltage or shorts on the line.

I worked for them for 18 months in Edison and Holmdel (05-06) so I knew what I was getting into with their "tech support."

Steve48 wrote:

Just out of curiosity, is your situation exactly the same as DrEvil's; i.e., DSL on one pair, Vonage on the other, error 13, but the phone still works?

Posts: 15 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 11, 2008 Posts: 15

Since I have the device in my garage on a "communications rack" it would be a major hassle to have my wife run out there to reset it. But like you said, it was probably a bad device. See the message previous to this for what happened.

DrEvil wrote:

Mr Ed.
You have the same problem as I have. You should ask Vonage for 6 months (150/25) of free service for having put you through getting someone to verify what you already knew. And support is too lame to know. The device is defective! They are being precautious at our expense.

I am convinced the VDV21 device is too sensitive and gives a false error code.

I have been running OK since July by just ignoring the error code.

Once or twice in the past 3 months the error came up and then does not present the phone icon. The device did not attempt to connect to the Vonage server due to the error. This Hasn't happened for a long time though and I have been through a couple power outages.
To remedy this I simply power cycle the VDV21 only and I get connection and dial tone back. If that doesn't do it, disconnect the phone line and power cycle it. Then connect the phone line back into the VDV21.

I have not had to power cycle the device for about a month now.

Other than this, I get clear conversation and my house is still standing!

Thanks,
DrEvil

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: Jul 30, 2008 Posts: 3

Glad to here you are having some positive progress Mr Ed.
Also good to see the problem is not specific to DSL or cable.
Let me know how long before you need to power cycle and if the error 13 ever comes back. I may want to get a new device as well. It will reduce stress when the wife does not get dial tone.
Thanks

MisterEd wrote:

Since I have the device in my garage on a "communications rack" it would be a major hassle to have my wife run out there to reset it. But like you said, it was probably a bad device. See the message previous to this for what happened.

DrEvil wrote:

Mr Ed.
You have the same problem as I have. You should ask Vonage for 6 months (150/25) of free service for having put you through getting someone to verify what you already knew. And support is too lame to know. The device is defective! They are being precautious at our expense.

I am convinced the VDV21 device is too sensitive and gives a false error code.

I have been running OK since July by just ignoring the error code.

Once or twice in the past 3 months the error came up and then does not present the phone icon. The device did not attempt to connect to the Vonage server due to the error. This Hasn't happened for a long time though and I have been through a couple power outages.
To remedy this I simply power cycle the VDV21 only and I get connection and dial tone back. If that doesn't do it, disconnect the phone line and power cycle it. Then connect the phone line back into the VDV21.

I have not had to power cycle the device for about a month now.

Other than this, I get clear conversation and my house is still standing!

Thanks,
DrEvil

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

I hope Vonage gets this issue with the V-portal fixed. I've been hoping that the V-portal would gradually become their only supported device, decreasing their tech support problems just by making the job simpler.

Posts: 15 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 11, 2008 Posts: 15

They totally deny there is an issue. Rolling Eyes

They insist it's my wiring.
They replaced mine not for that problem but because the network ports died.

Steve48 wrote:

I hope Vonage gets this issue with the V-portal fixed. I've been hoping that the V-portal would gradually become their only supported device, decreasing their tech support problems just by making the job simpler.