Telephone Troubleshooting
If you have a cordless phone, you may need to change the channel on your set. Due to the multitude of customers with cordless sets in close proximity to one another, cross-talk can be a factor. Changing the channel should switch you off their frequency.
First, check to ensure that all phones are on the hook and cordless phones have not lost their charge. Second, begin a process of elimination with any piece of equipment that uses a dial tone. This includes phones, modems, security systems, answering devices, fax equipment, etc. Disconnect one piece of equipment at a time, checking for dial tone on a phone that is still plugged into an outlet. If dial tone returns, you have found the equipment that was causing your problem.
Call Forwarding may be on; verify that you have deactivated Call Forwarding. Also verify that the ringer is on and that you can hear your ring.
Test to ensure that your phone is receiving a signal. To do this, try these steps:
- Place a call from your phone.
- If you can call out, you have the correct signal.
- If you cannot, try placing a call in a location you know has good signal.
- Is your phone on vibrate or is the ringer turned off? Some phones can be set up to alert you silently.
Yes. Please be aware that your home phone uses both battery backup and generator power to keep your service working in times of extreme weather for as long as it takes the power company to restore electricity. The only exception is for cordless phones, which require electricity to operate. On the other hand, wireless/cell phones require charged batteries to operate. Once the batteries are drained, it would be difficult to charge them when the power is out for long periods of time.
*After hitting *98, you’ll need to input your pin number. If you haven’t set one yet, your default pin number is 1111.