Answerphone doesn't detect disconnects

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 08, 2005 Posts: 19

I have been through four answerphones, all with the same issue with Vonage. When someone calls me, and then they hang up without leaving a message, the disconnect signal is not perceived properly by the answerphone and a fast busy signal is recorded until the answerphone times out. This happens 80% of the time.

This all seems to have started with version 050 of the firmware. A week or so ago, I was getting a busy signal when someone hung up and the answerphone would record the busy. Then the busy signal stopped on hang up but the answerphone still doen't detect the disconnect properly.

Vonage has no idea. Anyone out there have an idea?

Posts: 423 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 423

What exactly is an answerphone? Is it a phone/answering machine combo? If so, is it set to pick up before Wonage voicemail is set to pick up?

If you have a phone that, when you hang it up, the device does not recognize that you have actually hung up, and the phone light still blinks and a off-hook signal is heard, it could be your CPC settings on the device. Version 50 was supposed to fix this, but occasionally a phone still needs this adjusted...try with another type of phone and let us know what goes on.

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 08, 2005 Posts: 19

A digital answering unit ... an answerphone, that is, a phone answering maching machine combo. Sorry for the older term. I don't use Vonage voicemail so it always picks up after x number of rings. How would I adjust the CPC settings? Is this a tech support issue? Thanks.

ColdGin wrote:

What exactly is an answerphone? Is it a phone/answering machine combo? If so, is it set to pick up before Wonage voicemail is set to pick up?

If you have a phone that, when you hang it up, the device does not recognize that you have actually hung up, and the phone light still blinks and a off-hook signal is heard, it could be your CPC settings on the device. Version 50 was supposed to fix this, but occasionally a phone still needs this adjusted...try with another type of phone and let us know what goes on.

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 08, 2005 Posts: 19

Was on the phone with a level 2 tech for over an hour today. He played with the disconnect tones settings, changing the timing, etc. Nothing worked. Eventually, we gave up and he's bumping it up to engineering for a fix.

I have tried four brands of answerphones: ATT, Uniden, Panasonic and only Southwest Bell, a four year old model, detects the disconnect.

On all others, if you call and hang up, it is OK. If you call and leave a message, it's also ok. But if you call and hang up during the announcement, it doesn't detect the disconnect and records blank or a fast busy signal for the pre determined length of the answerphone.

Is anyone seeing this? If no, what brand answerphone are you using, and what model?

Thanks.

Posts: 57 · Full Forum Member Joined: Feb 23, 2005 Posts: 57

Bobpenn,
I hear ya. I'm sure this must be a common issue, esp w/ these RTP300s. I also noticed a few weeks ago I get a fast busy tone as soon as the other person hangs up. It's semi-annoying, but not that big of a deal because my answering machine must know that the fast-busy tone is not someone talking, and within 1-2 seconds, stops recording.

I've got a Panasonic answering machine. I'll give you the model number once I get home.

I'm with you though - I have both call waiting & vm disabled on my home line. If I'm on the phone, wait till I get off. If we're not home, and someone leaves a message, I like being able to mechanically sort through messages.

At work it's a different story, but at home I like it the old school way Smile

.

Posts: 16 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 07, 2005 Posts: 16

bobpenn wrote:

. But if you call and hang up during the announcement, it doesn't detect the disconnect and records blank or a fast busy signal for the pre determined length of the answerphone.

Is anyone seeing this? If no, what brand answerphone are you using, and what model?

Thanks.

I cannot re-create your issue on my answering machine. I hang up during the announcement and seems working fine. My "phone/answering machine combo" is a 900 MHZ panasonic

Posts: 19 · Vonage Forum Associate Joined: Sep 08, 2005 Posts: 19

Here's the trick: you need a LONG outgoing message to make this happen, and the person has to hang up early in the announcement. Here is the test: if you call your number, and hang up diuring the message, does your answerphone immediatly hand up, or does it play out the entire message and then hang up when it hears no caller?

On mine it plays out the message (which is 1 minute long, it's a doctor's message and there are instructions to the patient on it) and then records what's there. If the person listened to most of the message, then when it gets time to recording the message, there is silence. The answerphone "hears" nothing and hangs up.

But if the person hangs up early on, the answerphone keeps the line on, as the message plays out. After about 30 seconds or so, the incoming call starts producing a fast busy signal. When the announcement ends and it's time to record, the answerphone "hears" the beeps and thiinks it's a message. It then records until its recording timeout is reached.

I realize that this is a special case. Most people have very short messages, so with the hang up, the process of not hanging up wouldn't be noticed since the elasped time from hang up to beginnign of recording is short. Since its short, there isn't time to get the beeps.

I realize the fix is to shorten the message, but does anyone else have any other ideas? This is not a problem with Verizon, whiich hangs up the answerphone when the caller hangs up. The Vonage hang up is different and non standard, I would assume