Landline not working since Vodafone Fibre broadband installed

balliali

Changed from Pure to Vodafone Fibre Broadband last week, prior to this I had 2 landline extensions in the house - one in the hall, and one in the office (where the modem etc is). Since the installation the landline phone in the office is working, but the hall connection doesn't ring. I'm not techy, but the hall handset goes through a splitter into the wall socket, there is a constant engaged tone on this phone, but it won't dial out or ring when there's an inward call. Can anyone explain what's wrong. Vodafone live chat no longer works, and it's hard to get through via 1907. Can anyone help with a simple explanation of a remedy, thank you.

Ten Pin

Is the splitter a DSL splitter?

Remove the splitter and plug the lead directly into the wall socket.

balliali

Excuse my ignorance, but is this the same splitter as an ADSL splitter? Have removed this one, and there is still the engaged tone.

Ten Pin

Yeah same thing.

Try the hall handset in the office socket and vice versa to rule out handset problem and to confirm it's a socket issue.

Is there any chance the hall socket isn't connected back to the same feed supplying the office phone socket?

Was the Pure line also FTTH or was it xDSL?

balliali

Thanks for your patience.....no the handset is working perfect, so it's definitely the socket that is the problem. Your diagnosis is likely very correct, the Fibre broadband is only installed last week.

Ten Pin

You'll have to find where the hall socket is fed from and use a RJ11 splitter/joiner (not a filter) to connect the hall socket feed to the same feed connected to office phone socket.

balliali

Oh thank you (says she frantically googling the RJ11 piece of equipment). That's a job for tomorrow, thank you so much for taking the time to help. I am happy that at least one phone is working, but it's an inconvenience to have to move to the office to answer domestic calls. Thanks again for your help.

TomOnBoard

balliali wrote: »

Changed from Pure to Vodafone Fibre Broadband last week, prior to this I had 2 landline extensions in the house - one in the hall, and one in the office (where the modem etc is). Since the installation the landline phone in the office is working, but the hall connection doesn't ring. I'm not techy, but the hall handset goes through a splitter into the wall socket, there is a constant engaged tone on this phone, but it won't dial out or ring when there's an inward call. Can anyone explain what's wrong. Vodafone live chat no longer works, and it's hard to get through via 1907. Can anyone help with a simple explanation of a remedy, thank you.

Vodafone provides your phone service via the router and not directly to the phone. So, there is no longer a dedicated landline (PSTN) service coming in.

The office phone is now connected to the back of the router. Your hall service is no longer connected to an active service... hence no dial tone...

balliali

Thank you both for your responses... I was on to Vodafone via Facebook chat, and they tell me that I need a VOIP phone set to solve the problem, so that's what I will do. Hopefully calm will be restored......

TomOnBoard

You could do that... Or...another solutiom would be to swap out the office phone for a cordless (DECT) base station and portable phone. You could have a number of handsets slaved off that dotted around the house (up to 4 in total I think). Depending on the quality of your internet connection, they might work out better quality and wont be adversely impacted by other WiFi users on the network...

Ten Pin

Thank you both for your responses... I was on to Vodafone via Facebook chat, and they tell me that I need a VOIP phone set to solve the problem, so that's what I will do. Hopefully calm will be restored......

AFAIK that's not correct. A VOIP phone requires a user and password that is already set in the router/modem. From reading other threads, Vodafone won't give you those details and a VOIP phone won't work without those details so buying it would be a waste. Ask them for those log in details and see if they provide them....if they do then they can be used on a smartphone app to receive/make calls on the landline number....but it's doubtful they'll provide them anyway.

A cordless phone set will work by plugging the base station into the router/modem instead of the existing office phone.

Tracing the lead for the hall phone socket would be the first thing to try before buying new phones. If both phones were working before the FTTH installation then the installer did something to the wiring that disconnected the line feeding the hall socket. What the installer should have done was connect the router/modem phone socket to the office wall phone socket and that would enable all phones that were connected before to be still connected now. A RJ11 splitter would be needed at the wall socket but they're a couple of euro to buy.

Connect a phone lead between the office wall phone socket and the modem phone port and check hall phone for a dial tone.

balliali

Ok, so the new fibre broadband connection comes in to the office, and yes, before this happened both landline phones were working. Now, I have a cordless phone plugged in to the office, but the wall mounted one for the house no longer works. It's more of an inconvenience than anything else....we find it hard to hear the phone ringing in the office, (as the wall mounted one was louder) so we miss calls. We don't use the landline much for making calls, it's more of a convenient way of elderly relatives keeping in contact with us. Will check in with Vodafone over the next few days. Thanks for your responses.

Varik

Are you sure the office phone isn't just plugged into the router straight.

Did you have broadband before was the modem in the hall then?

Where the below box (NTU)

balliali

Ok, so yes office phone is plugged into the router. I did have broadband with 2 working landline phones previously, but recently moved to Vodafone fibre broadband (though I can’t say there’s a huge difference in speed). I have uploaded images as I’m not at all tech minded. Thanks everyone for your patience and replies.

Varik

So that white box with the thick black cable, did the old modem use to plug into that along with the office.

I was kinda hoping to see a NTU more or less intact that you could have bought a simple cable or a BT to RJ11 if needed and plugged that into the rear of the NTU and plug the other end into the router.

Installer could have used the original copper as a guide wire and the rest is still wired up on the other side of the wall or maybe in the attic. A lot of phone installs use a single cat5 cable and then use the individual pairs for separate uses.

Either buying a new wireless phone setup (normal one not any fancy VOIP as the router does that for you), or calling an electrician if you're not up to it.

ED E

balliali wrote: »

Ok, so yes office phone is plugged into the router. I did have broadband with 2 working landline phones previously, but recently moved to Vodafone fibre broadband (though I can’t say there’s a huge difference in speed). I have uploaded images as I’m not at all tech minded. Thanks everyone for your patience and replies.

You used to have an old POTs line, now your line is "generated" by the router.


1. Get a Y splitter on TEL1 on the router
2. Connect phone to one side
3. Connect wall socket to the other
4. Connect other phone on far end

This should backfeed the new "line" through the existing house wiring.