No dial tone, no lights

Posts: 18 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 18

I posted this problem elsewhere yesterday and SSantana was trying to help me -- may still be trying, because he seems like a solid citizen -- but is anyone else experiencing this or have any ideas to help:

My Vonage worked perfectly for two months, no complaints (well, the phone didn't ring a couple of times, but no big complaints). Worked perfectly Thursday night, but when we woke up Friday morning, no dial tone, no lit LED lights under either phone line, no nothing.

Our setup is like this: cable goes into Motorola Surfboard modem, to Netgear wireless router, which then sends ethernet cables to the computer and to the Linksys RT31PT which the phone is hooked up to. This setup worked fine, right out of the box in minutes.

Over the past 36 hours I have rebooted everything constantly. I reset the Linksys adapter (holding the reset button in while it rebooted). I've powered the adapter on and off, with the phone cord both attached and removed. I've swapped the ethernet cables. I've tried different phones and different phone cords.

This afternoon, after leaving the Linksys unplugged for a couple of hours, I plugged it back in and phone line 1 lit solid and I got a dial tone. By the time I happily told my wife, 30 seconds later, it was gone again.

Do I need a new adapter/router/something? Any ideas? It really **** having no phone whatsoever. Beginning to wish I hadn't told Verizon to screw off.

Posts: 18 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 18

Anyone? Please?

Someone must have a guess why this is happening.

Or an off-the-wall suggestion as to how to fix it? I'll try anything at this point.

Posts: 222 · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 7:29 pm Post subject:

bosox18 wrote:

Anyone? Please?

Someone must have a guess why this is happening.

Or an off-the-wall suggestion as to how to fix it? I'll try anything at this point.

OK, you asked for off-the wall sugestions, so don't be offended. Lol

1. Change the ethernet cable that conects your RT31P2 to the Netgear router. It could be a loose or otherwise bad cable. A shorting cable would explain the errant behavior you describe.

2. Go into the RT31P2's config screen and check the MAC address of the router. Then call Vonage CS (or PM ssantana) and ask them to check whether the MAC address you are sending out is the one that Vonage is authenticating. If the MAC address in your adapter got zapped and changed itself or if something happened and someone at Vonage changed your MAC address (perhaps thinking it was someone else's account), that might also explain the behavior you're seeing.

3. Try separating the Vonage unit and all of its cables as far away from the Netgear and its cables as physically possible. You can get interference even across wires.

4. Make sure your Vonage unit is not sitting on top of a giant electro-magnet, like an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).

5. Make sure your Vonage unit is not overheating and is in a well ventilated space. Do not stack it on top of the Netgear or any other heat-producing device. If it is overheating, let it cool and see if it works before it heats up again. If so, you've probably got a hairline fracture in a circuit and will need to replace the unit.

6. Check your account web page at Vonage and make sure your account is not blocked by mistake. For example, someone with a similar phone number or account number who hasn't paid a bill or who cancelled an account.

7. Have a stiff cup of stong tea and watch your tapes of the Pats winning the Super Bowl and the Sox winning the World Series. (Actuallly, that would put me into a funk like your Vonage adapter, as I'm an Eagles and Yankees kind of guy.)

That's all I can think of off-the-wall, but others may add to -- or modify -- my list.

Good luck.

Fletcher

Posts: 222 · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 7:32 pm Post subject:

Oh, the most obvious of all to add to my list above:

Try putting your RT31P2 immediately behind the modem and disonnect the Netgear and all computers from it. Then see if it works.

I assume you did that yesterday. Lol

Fletcher

Posts: 18 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 18

To show my ignorance ...

2) How do I get to the RT31P2's config screen to check it?

Posts: 18 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 18

I think I found it ... and it matches what is on the box and the bottom of the router.

I should mention (maybe), when I go to http://192.168.15.1 I get this message for at least the last hour when I check under "Status" or "Voice"

"Router still restarting. Please wait a moment."

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 8:49 pm Post subject:

http://192.168.15.1
use admin for password

Posts: 3198 · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 8:52 pm Post subject:

wow that's weird. I wonder if a firmware update got messed up and killed the router.

Posts: 18 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 18

I can still use the Internet just fine ... I even swapped the configuration around, putting the Linksys router first (after the cable modem) and sending the ethernet cable to the Netgear wireless and everything works fine ... except for my Vonage.

How can the router "still be restarting" and how long, exactly, is a moment?

Posts: 222 · Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 9:12 pm Post subject:

bosox18 wrote:

I can still use the Internet just fine ... I even swapped the configuration around, putting the Linksys router first (after the cable modem) and sending the ethernet cable to the Netgear wireless and everything works fine ... except for my Vonage.

How can the router "still be restarting" and how long, exactly, is a moment?

I'm not sure what is happening, but the firmware update is one package but contains two parts: the router part 1.27.01 and the voice part 2.0.13(LI). It is possible that the 1.27.01 took but something interrupted it while it was writing the voice update.

I'm just guessing, but I'm afraid you are going to have to swap out the RT31P2. Nevertheless, I'd still ask advice by PM from ssantana and vonagebest. They can work miracles and might have a solution for you.

Also, give them your MAC address and ask them to check if that is the same one that is on your account at Vonage. That might still be the heart of this problem -- and that would be a much easier fix than swapping routers.

Sorry I couldn't help more.

Fletcher