OT: help! - Telephone Question

Sorry for the off topic post, but I figure someone on this group probably knows the answer.

I have DSL service on the home telephone line. None of the home phones give me a dial tone and I get a busy signal when the number is dialed from elsewhere, such as my cell phone. However, the DSL modem still works, as evidenced by the sending of this message.

My ISP is also a DSL reseller and provided the modem/service for the DSL and he says he's never heard of the DSL working when you don't have a dial tone as it depends on the dial tone to operate.

I called repair service for Embarq and they informed me that they'd send someone out but IF they had to go into the home it would cost $40 for the service call plus $25 for each 15 minutes he is here. *OR* I could buy their "line guard" at a rate of about $5.95 (?) per month for the rest of my life - or until the rates go up again! :-)

I canceled the service call and decided to do a bit more checking before calling them back.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Al

Reply to
Al Patrick
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I've heard of DSL working with one of the wires being open, but have yet to hear a good explanation of how or why...

In any case, do what ever is necessary to disconnect the drop line coming to the house, and temporally connect a known good phone directly to it. If the phone doesn't work there, it's the phone company's problem. If your test phone does work, the issue it's in the house wiring. Some newer boxes have a clever jack inside that is connected to the drop line when the cover is open.

I bet it's outside somewhere... usually is unless you've been messing with the inside wiring or just added some new phone equipment.

Good Luck,

Erik

Reply to
Erik

Somehow one of your devices on the line is giving the telephone company an off hook condition. I would start disconnecting each telephone and dsl modem one at a time until you get a dial tone. Something is putting a load across the phone lines and giving the off hook condition. It could also be a wet junction box. As someone else said, there is a master box outside somewhere that usually has a jack you can unplug and plug in a phone instead to test the line to the central office.

John

Reply to
john

The problem is likely in their line. DSL "rides" on a seperate carrier on the same line and is picked off by specialized equipment. The handy-dandy telephone. however, is still the same. You MAY have a disconnected line in the junction box on the outside of the house. Open it up and check all the wires, especially the two that come in from the pole. Normally, the phones are connected in parallel so if you have no dial tones and the line shows busy from the outside, something has opened on the incoming line. I hope that helps.

Jim Chandler

Reply to
Jim Chandler

Not true. DSL and phone service are only connected in they share the same wires. That's it- they don't depend on each other to work past that there's wire between you and the phone company. It sounds like you have some sort of short or off hook device on the phone line.

The best place to test is with as at TNI box, if you have one. It where the phone company wires stop and your inside service starts.

some have a test phone jack where you can plug in a phone, by unlpugging the jumper that runs to your inside wiring. If this works, you have bad wiring inside.

If you can't get a phone to work here, call the phone company, it's an issue on their side.

If you don't have a TNI box, the same things apply. Break the connection between wiring inside your building and the phone company drop and test the phone company side with a plain phone.

As somebody else mentioned, something may be wet, of you have have a broken phone jack, bend pins etc. Unplug all phones/faxes/ filters and see what happens with a single phone.

Here's a basic TNI:

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That short jumper runs to inside wiring, and by unplugging it, you've isolated anything going on in your side of the line. They're really handy, and beat porcelain, and even wood junction boxes.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

Not.... If disconnected, the phone co wouldn't see "busy".

in the junction box on the outside of the house. Open

Line would be shorted, not open.... /mark

I hope that helps.

Reply to
Mark F

Thanks to all who replied so quickly. I even got a photo of an outside junction box, though mine is slightly different.

I went to Dollar General and got a brand new $5.25 (+ tx = 5.60) phone and plugged it into their outside jack - after disconnecting the one that fed everything inside. I got the same problem that I had inside.

I then took that same phone to a neighbor's house and plugged it in and it worked.

Next was the call to the telephone company who greatly appreciated my checking their equipment for them.

They'll have it fixed by 1245 tomorrow and that is a "worst case" situation. It'll probably be sooner.

They did NOT mention this time that "if it is inside the home ...."

P.S. After posting here I Googled "no dial tone, but DSL works" (without the quotes) and found that I'm not the only one who has had this problem. Some two year old posts were worded almost like my own! ... And got very similar answers.

Will let you know how it turns out.

Thanks again, I sincerely appreciate all the help on this off topic post.

Al

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Mark F wrote:

Reply to
Al Patrick

Does NOT require a dial tone, or it would not work with the phone in use. You have a problem somewhere with a phone off the hook, or a bad phone. Unplug all phones and non-dsl devices from the line, then install one dsl filter and one phone (test at a friends to be sure it is OK first) then add each device until you find the problem.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

Don't know how long the phone has been "fixed" but I picked it up about

16:30 and got a dial tone. Don't even know if they had to come onto the property or where they fixed it.

Anyway, IT'S FIXED!

Thanks to all and again, sorry for the Off Topic post.

Al

Reply to
Al Patrick

Quite often the fix is accomplished at the central plant. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

Make sure that EVERY phone plug but the DSL modem has the filter. Problems exist when not using them.

Mart> Sorry for the off topic post, but I figure someone on this group

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

According to Martin H. Eastburn :

Or -- if you feel like tackling your in-house wiring, all you

*really* need is a single filter, and install it where you branch off the line to the DSL modem from the rest of the house phone wiring. I've helped a friend (with DSL) do exactly that. The phone wiring comes into the house, the wiring to the DSL modem goes off to the modem through the house, and the wiring goes through the single filter to all of the normal phones in the house. It keeps the cost down a bit. It helps that I have the punch-down tools and the crimpers for the RJ-45 and RJ-11 connectors so we could do a neat professional job.

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

Make sure that you disconnect the feed to the inside wiring for at least 20 seconds before plugging in the "test phone" to the outside box. Many phone systems take at least 10 seconds to reset. I'm guessing you have either a short inside or a malfunctioning modem card / telephone that is keeping the line "off the hook" as this would allow the DSL to work, cause the busy signal, etc.

Ask your TelCo to forward all calls to your cell for now, etc. Get it fixed and then remove the forwarding if needed.

Reply to
Joe AutoDrill

Do you have a "network Interface" on the outside wall of the house? If so, open it up with the "customer access" screw and you will find one or two familiar phone jacks inside. There will be a cord plugged into the jack(s). Take a phone and plug it into the jack instead, leave the phone hung up for 10 seconds, then pick up and see if you have dial tone. If you do, it means there is a "phone" off the hook in the house. I say "phone" because it could be an answering machine, FAX, security system, TiVo or cable/sattelite decoder. It could also be any of the above devices shorting the line after a DSL filter. Shorting the line before a DSL filter will kill the DSL signal, and your DSL modem will drop offline. Shorting the line after the filter will kill your dial tone, but the DSL signal will still be fine.

If the above test shows the problem inside the house, disconnect everything from the wall jacks, then plug in only one phone. You might have to try 2 phones, to make sure the phone you're testing with isn't the culprit. Don't forget other devices like the above mentioned FAX & answering machines, etc.

Finally, it is actually possible it is the DSL modem, that is taking your phones down! So, disconnect that and see if you get dial tone.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

Al: I had the same problem on my lines with SWB when I had their service a a number of times. In fact it happened so often that I got the techs to tell me which card was hanging up so that I could speed the repair when I called in. Got to be pretty funny when I would call in a ticket and tell them to check a specific card for the problem as most of the ticket takers wanted to run all the diagnostics first. I finally just started to tell them to check all the previous tickets for the number and then have the techs reseat the card. They completely solved the problem when during an equipment upgrade, the card cage and some cabling got replaced.

Craig C.

Reply to
cvairwerks

After testing it and getting the same results on their jack as on the inside phones they had it fixed in about one and a half hours. Makes me wonder if they even had to come out or if it was a problem in their system elsewhere.

Reply to
Al Patrick

It's fixed. Was outside - on TelCo end.

Reply to
Al Patrick

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