UKC

We updated to fibre from the cabinet recently so the phone signal now comes with the broadband via the router. We have an old extension that we want to continue using. I modified the faceplate as recommended to avoid feeding signals back to the exchange, inserted a line splitter into the output from the router and linked one leg back into the phone connection so it links to the old extension line. The splitter I had was bulky and blocked the other sockets on the router if connected directly so I inserted an old filter just to space it away from the rear panel. The main phone connection works fine and the extension accepts incoming calls OK but outgoing calls don't work properly. Any suggestions what the problem is?   

I narrowed it down by connecting the phone from the extension directly to the router (no other phones connected). This produced the same symptoms so it seems that the phone and the router are not compatible. 

The ISP's help system says that if one phone works and another doesn't then the phone that doesn't work is faulty but it worked OK before the phone signal switched to broadband. It just doesn't work with the router.

Do you have cable with the likes of V Media or one of the other modern cable suppliers? Otherwise, not sure why you have a landline phone plugged into router (except maybe if it’s internet phone?).

In all my ISP contracts and different routers over the years I’ve never plugged a phone directly into a router (except with VM, but that is different). I did have problems with the phone functioning with VM as well as various others problems so got rid of after some 3 mths since they couldn’t or wouldn’t resolve.

Broadband and phone by the usual Open Reach setup with me is a splitter in the usual telephone socket (well actually it’s an extension which is not recommended, but is as good performance as the master for me; I don’t use the master socket at all); from splitter one lead to the router and the other to the phone. The splitter has the necessary micro filters within. If I wished I could plug another phone into the master but would have to add a micro filter in between.

Thoughts assuming it’s a normal Open Reach/BT setup (pure layman’s thoughts as just from my experience over the years):

1. IIRC some old adsl micro filters are no good with more modern setups; I had to change some really old ones when I used to use to use more phone sockets.

2. If you have to plug the phone direct into the router for whatever reason, then why add a micro filter at the back? I would have thought that any filter was before the router and the router itself would have any protection it needed as standard?

3. Modified face plate? If it’s a modern faceplate then it may have a micro filter built within. Also, I’m not sure micro filter in line with another micro filter is needed and may be detrimental? Maybe you are using too many filters? I only have one and that is within the splitter (besides any standard provision in BT’s master socket).

Edit: Even with VM where I did plug a phone into the router*, I never needed a micro filter. The problems I had were not due to that. In reality I think it was the same setup maybe as you. I took the phone cable from the router to the master socket which I had removed the input wires, so it then went to the extension socket where the phone was actually plugged in. No micro filter was needed though.

With fibre to the cabinet the phone signal comes with the broadband and no analogue phone signal is provided. The router unscrambles the phone signals and provides them a a standard phone type socket.  My question is now really does anyone know why an analogue corded phone that worked perfectly well on the old analogue line wont work on the analogue link from the router. The DECT phones work/worked on both.

1 the microfilter was OK with the phone before

2. Because I needed something to physically shift the splitter off the router. I can't see what harm a filter would do (anyway it made no difference the fault persisted when I just connected the analogue phone directly)

3. It is a modern faceplate with built in filter. No other filter is needed but it did no harm (beyond perhaps  attenuating the signal a little. The fault persisted without the second filter.

Ok, obviously a totally different set up to mine. I’ve got OpenReach fibre to cabinet but the routers I’ve had for this (3 or 4 now due to different providers), have never had a phone plugged in to them. Phone is just plugged into normal socket.

There are at least a couple on here that work for telecom companies so someone should be able to help.

Does the phone have a big round dial with holes in?

We found what the problem was. Nothing to do with the broadband set up. There is a 3 position mode switch underneath the analogue phone and my wife had knocked it into the wrong mode when cleaning. Put the switch position back where it should be and everything worked again.

We're currently changing out network over to FTTH and the network terminating units we've found won't allow customer equipment to dial using decadic 'clicky' dialling, only modern tone dialling.  You'd almost certainly changed your switch from MFT / tone to TBR/pulse dialling.

There's a bunch of these rollouts happening, ours is imminent, so there's going to be more of these kind of things Harold mentions. Will affect some people with alarms and pendants hooked up to the phone and stuff like that. The motto is be careful of excess housework

Yes, I think that was it.