Since the man installed BT Infinity I have been unable to dial a specific number 01631****** on any extension phone. It works on a phone in the master socket but not the other three. I can dial this number on my mobile. So there is a subtle fault which affects the extensions - which I will have to fix under the house. Before I go down under, does anyone have any ideas why this one number is affected? I have no problems with any other number.
Since the man installed BT Infinity I have been unable to dial a specific number 01631****** on any extension phone. It works on a phone in the master socket but not the other three. I can dial this number on my mobile. So there is a subtle fault which affects the extensions - which I will have to fix under the house. Before I go down under, does anyone have any ideas why this one number is affected? I have no problems with any other number.
Curiously, as it is such an off the wall suggestion, I have. They say there is no problem. But I can get a BT man to come for £160. I can rewire this myself - I was hoping for some thought as to what has happened.
This sounds impossible. Are you using the same phone in the extensions as you are using to test from the master socket?
Just wondering if you are using 2 different phones and that the one used in the extensions is faulty and not producing the correct dtmf tones for one of the digits in the number.
If these are on NTE 5's, i.e. the master socket with the removable front, calling in Openreach will guarantee you a callout charge, as the fault appears to be on the non-BT side of the interface point. If the extensions are still hard-wired to a 1980s style master socket, I think you might still have a fight to avoid a callout charge.
As this was originally on uk.d-i-y, if you have made any DIY modifications to the extension wiring, whoever owns it, you will also get charged for a callout.
I don't remember the details, but when I was at university I hit something similar. Me and a friend both had our own phone lines in our rooms, provided by BT (not the university). Whenever he called me or vice versa (may have been one or the other) it would take my line out of service. I'd then need to call up BT from another phone and get them to run a line test on my line to get it working again.
It took me ages, but eventually I managed to get BT to send someone out to check the cabinet wiring, and they discovered some way in which our lines had been mis-cabled (presumably together in some way) causing the problem.
Your issue sounds a bit different (cos it's fine from the master socket), but there can be faults that affect particular pairs of lines. Does the number you are calling have any relation to your line - i.e. in the same property?
When you say "unable to dial", what is the symptom when you try? Stupid question, but have you tried dialling *using the same phone* from both the extensions and master socket?
I have also had a situation in which I couldn't dial a particular number. In fact skads of them but others worked. I cant remember what it turned out to be..
Don't call *anyone* in, they'll just call openreach and as the fault has been demonstrated to be in the customer's wiring, you'll likely get charged.
Tried same phone in extensions as used in master?
Tried switching between tone/pulse dialling?
tried longer presses of buttons when dialling?
After lifting receiver, and checking for dial tone, dial a single digit (e.g. 0) does dial tone stop? Replace receiver, repeat for all other single digits
Could you test this by listening to the phone in the master socket while someone else presses the buttons on a phone in an extension? i.e. Would the DTMF beeps be heard through the master phone earpiece?
Yes call someone up on a working number then try pressing each key in turn and note if it sounds different to the others, in level and tone as best you can this -might- be the reason why...
Do you have dialtone at the extensions, is it a good level, is it clear, no hum or crackles etc?
Sort of half shows the number is live but as that call is froma different network doesn't mean the number is live from BT (though it should be).
Like Infinity install man disconnected them and didn't reconnect properly for some reason. Or put the wiring back correctly but your wiring is a bit "odd". Check for consistancy from master socket to all extensions. The same colour wire should be on the same numbered terminal at all sockets, joins etc.
From the extensi Check phone is producing correct DTMF tones (dialtone disappears for each button press when you can hear dialtone).
Use the same phone for all tests.
Start writing down the results of:
Check for clear dialtone at each extension. Do the phone/dialtone check at each extension. Try a number, works or not. Try the problem number, works or not.
Repeat with another known working and tested phone.
Look at results, try and find a pattern.
As the problem number works from the master socket BT aren't going to be interested, their network is working. It'll cost dearly you for them to come out and fix a fault on your side of the NTE.
Off the top of my head I have no idea. However, is the Infinity system using the broadband to simulate the phone line or is it still a traditional bog standard phone line?
I have had strange issues with tone dialling over voip connections if the line is extended on the voip unit, but it usually affects things at random, not specifically one series of numbers.
Do you have just the one plug-in ADSL filter in the master socket, with the working phone plugged into it? If so, you need to equip each extension socket with a similar plug-in filter since they are there to filter the Broadband signals off the telephone connections. If these signals get into some phones, they can cause "strange problems" depending on their design.
It's best to do this filtering at the master socket using the type of filter that replaces the lower half faceplate with one having an inbuilt filter. You can then wire all your extension phone wiring into the FILTERED (Phone) side, leaving the UNFILTERED (ADSL) side connecting to your modem/router ONLY
As others say, don't call BT since if they call out Openreach. If they find your system is OK up to the demarcation point in the master socket, it will be chargeable at ~£120...
VOIP doesn't send the DTMF tones anywhere while you dial a number. It collects them up and sends the decoded information to the "server" setting up the call.
If you then connect to a provider via a gateway that uses DTMF to operate menus, etc. the tones are sent in IP packets. VoIP is such variable quality that the actual tones received may not be good enough for the service to decode them correctly. The tones were designed assuming there was no compression and many VoIP clients use a lot of compression.
If you think tones are bad just try using a FAX on VoIP. They had to invent a whole standard to detect FAXs and handle them differently from voice calls. Many VoIP clients just don't bother.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.