No incoming calls on DGL-4300/RT31P2

Posts: 76 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Oct 17, 2005 Posts: 76

One thing I'd recommend trying is to plug the phone back into the mains. Now make a call to yourself from another line and pick up the phone when it 'should' ring (even if it doesn't actually ring). If you can do this and connect a call then the problem is with the ringer rather than call connection. Now bear in mind that their are two ways a phone in the UK can ring. Some phones in the UK detect the line is ringing straight from connections 2 and 5 shown on the site below:

http://www.wppltd.demon.co.uk/WPP/Wiring/UK_telephone/uk_telephone.html

Other phones require the bell line (connection 3).

My first thought was that perhaps when you unplug the phone, it falls back to the bell line instead of 2 & 5 (or vice-versa - less likely though I think). Analysing whats going on on 2 & 5 is required to get caller id so maybe this is something your phone only does when its plugged into the mains?

How is your phone connected to the Vonage box? If you are connecting by plugging the box into your existing house wiring it can be easy to switch polarity of the line, especially if you are connecting the Vonage box using an old modem cable. Modem cables sometimes include a polarity reversal and sometimes don't. You need to get a multimeter out and check basically.

Darren.

Posts: 9 · New Forum Member Joined: Sep 04, 2005 Posts: 9

Thanks for letting me know about firmware 1.5. It's not on the D-Link UK site yet so I think I'll wait till it is before I upgrade. Wouldn't want to wreck things.

As for the phone connection, it has not changed from when it was a landline, except for it now plugs into the RT31P2 instead of a wall socket. The phone is plugged into an extension reel which is plugged into the RT31P2. The thing is that when I originally switched to Vonage, the phone worked perfectly. Then, without me doing anything (at least anything I can remember) it stopped ringing and now will only ring when it is unplugged from the mains. I tried what you suggested about answering when it should be ringing and it was just dial tone.

I think that a firmware update pushed to my RT31P2 by Vonage did something that my phone doesn't like. I e-mailed Vonage asking them to change it back and they said they couldn't do that. The thought of phoning them up to plead my case fills me with dread. In my experience, getting through to someone who can actually help takes way too long, if it happens at all.

Posts: 76 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Oct 17, 2005 Posts: 76

I'm not at all sure about this but I have a vague memory that the Vonage box cuts off the phone line if you get the wiring of your extensions wrong in a certain way (perhaps to protect its analogue phone circuitry?).

Just because your phones used to work doesn't necessarily mean there wasn't a wiring issue. Maybe the firmware upgrade just made the box more fussy about cutting the line for example... If you are not already I'd make 100% sure your wiring is exactly how it should be.