Call Waiting Caller ID

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:22 pm Post subject:

Get thee to a store and buy a different splitter. What you may have is a 2-LINE splitter, which (even if it works, which in theory it shouldn't but it depends on any other "special" stuff your tech did to work around it) will probably cause you no end of trouble.

While you're at it, buy a couple of patch cables so you know there's nothing special going on. You just want your Vonage adapter, a plain 2-or-more-way splitter (ONE LINE), and a few basic plain old patch cables.

It is also possible that one of your phones, or something on the wiring, is causing some form of interference. But if the wiring changed at the same time you added Vonage, then I'd look at the wiring changes.

Posts: 21 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 07, 2008 Posts: 21

OK, so dumb question - when you say splitter, you mean a regular splitter not a DSL splitter and not a duplex? I am pretty sure that is what you are saying?

I have a bunch of cat 5's, they are all pretty new, so I don't think the problem is there. This may be one of those annoying trial and error things, but you are being a great help...........

BTW - that was on my list of thing to try, so I guess I am being relatively logical, I just didn't manage to get to Radio Shack in time.

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject:

Cat 5's are network cables. You need regular phone patch cables.

And, yes, just a splitter. Go to radio shack and tell the guy you've got one wall jack with one phone line and you want to hook two telephones up to the one line. If the part is over a few bucks, it's probably more complicated than what you want (grin).

Posts: 21 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 07, 2008 Posts: 21

Ok, so this might or might not work. I actually only have one phone hooked into the wall, the other connection is for the Vonage device. I also have a slew of phone lines in the house. Hopefully I am on the road to recovery with this solution tho?? Confused

.................watch this space!

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:40 am Post subject:

Another idea: Get a splitter that can support all of your phones. Temporarily move all of the phones into one room (the same room your Vonage adapter is in). Hook all the phones into your Vonage device using the splitter and test it out.

If everything works, then you have home wiring problems. If you still have problems, it's your phones or your Vonage adapter.

Posts: 21 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 07, 2008 Posts: 21

OK so no joy with the new splitter. I can only have it in the wall jack and I can't put it into the phone or the Vonage device. When it is in the wall jack, the caller ID is disabled and I just get a busy signal to the incomming call. This is extremely frustrating!

Posts: 2257 · Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:21 pm Post subject:

Plug a phone into a wall jack, without the Vonage device attached to ANYTHING. Nothing should be connected to LINE1 on your Vonage adapter at all.

This is just a test to make sure your home wiring is well and truly "dead" (no other signal coming in at all). Preferably, use the simplest phone you have. Ideally, a simple slimline phone with a light-up keypad, but not a phone that you have to plug into power.

If you hear anything at all, or if the keypad lights up (this doesn't count, obviously, for a keypad that lights up because you plugged the phone into an AC outlet), then you still have signal in those home lines, and you'll have to disconnect that before Vonage will work on those wires.

Posts: 21 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 07, 2008 Posts: 21

I know that the land line is dead, becasue of two factors, the tech did the installation, and if I connect the Vonage device in a certain wiring pattern the other two jacks in the house are dead.

But just to make you happy, I plugged the slim and trim princess phone directly into the wall, and there was complete and utter silence.

Posts: 21 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 07, 2008 Posts: 21

Ok - so the tech came back. The Jack was dead, but there was something to do with the blue and green wires where the phone line came into the unit.

thanks for all your help, I had tried everything, but I would never have fixed it.

Posts: 21 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Apr 07, 2008 Posts: 21

The tech came back - it is working now, but I can't fax..............