Does the house have a newer style NID (Network Interface Demarc) where line enters house ? If so, it has jack for testing telco vs house problems. Try the non_AC phone there. Report results.
I would take the phone to a neighbor and see if it works there. Then I would take it back to the store and see if it works there. If not, I'd get my money back.
If it does work at the neighorbs, I'd read Todd's post.
Not really relevant to you, but just this week I had a reallly old phone that only made one tone for each row, no matter what column was pressed. A different tone for each row. This was a Western Electric multi-line phone, and I identified the problem, which was dirt. TWo of the 5 cam axles were so dirty in their notches they didn't spring back. Maybe I just should have sprayed something, but I took it apart, and it was murder getting it back together. When new, it was assembled in a different order. And even if fixed it was so heavy, and I'll never have 5 lines, or whatever is needed to use the Hold button. I ended up stripping it for parts and throwing much of it away.
I agree with to one responder. Rule out bad phone. Often times other devices (aka cheap junk) can affect the working of other devices. Go through your house and disconnect all the other things plugged into all of your other phone jacks checking your new phone as you go. The same thing happened to me. Once I unplugged the bad device everything was fine. Good luck.
this poor fellow isnt aware the wired system is much more reliable in a emergency. every line has a dedicated path, power backup is by big batteries and generators designed to run for weeks. specs designed during the cold war, it is very reliable. with the exception of peoples cheap phones that need power to operate
now cell phones dont meet the military reundant specs, have limited capacity, during a real emergency only emergncy workers phones will function, all others will go all circuits are busy try your call later. when you need it the most know it wouldnt work.
this so the limited capacity bandwidth can be used by emergency workers........
plus cell phone handsets need recharged frequently, in a power outage that may be a issue too.
You do know that the phone company must supply power to the phone lines for running the old phones don't you?
It is obvious that you are suffering a power shortage on your phone line and you can ask the phone company to provide the proper power to your phone lines.
Some of your 'powered' phones are masking your line problem.
if you have a NID try plugging phone in there, it disconnects your entire home. proves one way or other if phone or internal wiring of home has trouble
i would try first plugging the suspect phone in a different outlet
I was in Springfield last week where the power is STILL out. I had a cell phone and my daughter had a cell phone, 2 different carriers. There were plenty of times when only 1 had service and a few times when neither had service. Cell phones are not that reliable. How about CB and a couple extra batteries or a decent sized generator?
Exactly. Cell phone networks in addition to being radio (or wireless) as we are now once again referring to it, are not designed to be cost competitive AND as reliable as 'land lines'. Cell phone systems make a lot of sense; fewer cables, portability of the handsets, can be activated by building some towers and connecting them to the national telephone network which was and still is, including the numbering system, designed an built mainly by the traditional telephone companies.
Also, these days, there is a lot more 'stuff' (junk if you like) being transmitted via cell phones. When situation is normal that has good aspects and bad. But one has visions of someone in an emergency situation like the above (Springfield), calling up a relative in another part of the world and saying "Hey, I'm in Springfield, look at this picture of a tree which fell on a house in ..................... ", blissfully unaware that the picture they are sending is using up cell phone bandwidth and circuit time that could carry 100 'real emergency' calls!!!!!!
Thirdly the old monopoly telephone networks which reported to various regulatory commissions and had their rates approved, before the days of 'Competition', were, as somebody mentioned built to withstand various emergencies. Standard were, huge banks of batteries good for at least
24 hours, diesel generators, extra circuits, 'thread of life' circuits and procedures built into day to day operations that ensured what to do if/when emergencies occurred.
Much of that 'extra' or overbuilding, which involved large capital investments, has gone in the name of cost reductions in the face of competition. Nowadays almost anybody can start a telephone company by using a computer plugged into a bedroom electrical outlet. Not very reliable, but cheap.
The telephone business is a different world today; the technology has changed so rapidly, wider range of services available, lower price competition for customers. So; in times of stress particularly, poorer service and less reserve within the system/s to carry the telecommunications through an emergency!
. Totally agree we once had a fireman complaining his phone would not ring when he was called for emergencies.
The cause was two cheap phones that had been supplied as 'free gifts' with magazine subscriptions by his two sons! Junk phones that damped down the ringing on his line so badly that not only they but his regular 'Telephone company' phone would not ring at all! Took them off and everything went back to normal!
This not a criticism of the OPs 'good' phone but; 'Not all phones are created equal' that's in quality or meeting reasonable standards of ringing, dialling and transmission.
Also other gadgets such as FAX machines, voice announcers, certain cheaply made (not always cheap to buy!) cordless phones, bedside radios that incorporate a phone etc. There is a lot of junk out there that was not manufactured to any particular standard. In most case the high quality of the existing phone system manages to cope with them; but not always.
Been there! Hard to tell some telephone customer that their fancy 'art deco' whats-it phone bought on a back street in Istanbul or Paris is terrible junk and not designed to suit North American standards telephone network. The North American telephone system being for at least the last 60 to 80 years the best in the world, so that we take it for granted. But just try to make a phone call in some other countries; or even get a phone installed etc. in less than months/years and without paying a bribe!
Our crews in New Orleans found that after the cell site batteries ran down the only phones left working were the ones that were connected to unflooded local exchanges. Not all cell sites have generators and their battery reserves are only good for a day or two. All of the legacy bell exchanges have engine alternator or generator sets.
Tony Wires don't break just because the utility power goes out but cell site batteries don't last for ever without it. Point is that you don't depend on just one means of communication. An exchange powered copper pair line is an excellent means to keep a pathway open when the a power outage is the problem.
Some copper pair land lines depend upon power that does not come from the central office. About a month ago, after less about a day of power failure, the phone went out (but DSL kept working for a while!!). It turns out that there is fiber optic from the central office to an equipment shack in the field. Power comes from the utility, then back up batteries, then a back up generator, but someone has to go out into the field to start the generator.
What really matters for reliability is not the technology (land line vs. cell), but the reliability expectations, and what the service providers will do to meet those expectations. Currently, we expect land lines to be there all the time and get very upset if there is one outage a year. We expect cell sites and entire network regions to go down frequently. Consequently, land lines have back up batteries and generators (usually automatic!), and cell sites might have a battery.
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