Digital Phone / Phone line help

[PhantomOG]

So yesterday I had Time Warner Cable install digital phone for me since my no frills SBC landline was starting to cost more than a complete digital phone package.

Anyways, the installer tells me that now TWC has a rule that he can't install the digital phone unless the cable outlet and phone jack are within 6ft. They are actually only about 10 ft apart but on different walls and he won't budge. Long story short, I get him to install the new cable modem and just plug one phone directly into the cable modem. He then does some stuff outside to the phone box on my exterior wall and tells me that once I get a wall drop for bringing the two outlets together I can plug the jack into the cable modem and be set.

After he leaves, of course the first thing I do is plug a 10ft phone cord from the phone jack into the cable modem, but of course, it doesn't work. :(

I'm thinking there is something else that needs to be done outside but I have no clue. Can anyone help? I really don't think moving the phone jack 4ft closer is going to make a difference, but will it? TWC charges alot for the wall drops and even getting them to come out at all is like $30.

[sucks2beme]

So yesterday I had Time Warner Cable install digital phone for me since my no frills SBC landline was starting to cost more than a complete digital phone package.

Anyways, the installer tells me that now TWC has a rule that he can't install the digital phone unless the cable outlet and phone jack are within 6ft. They are actually only about 10 ft apart but on different walls and he won't budge. Long story short, I get him to install the new cable modem and just plug one phone directly into the cable modem. He then does some stuff outside to the phone box on my exterior wall and tells me that once I get a wall drop for bringing the two outlets together I can plug the jack into the cable modem and be set.

After he leaves, of course the first thing I do is plug a 10ft phone cord from the phone jack into the cable modem, but of course, it doesn't work. :(

I'm thinking there is something else that needs to be done outside but I have no clue. Can anyone help? I really don't think moving the phone jack 4ft closer is going to make a difference, but will it? TWC charges alot for the wall drops and even getting them to come out at all is like $30.

The wires in your house are originally run from the demarc on the side(or basement) of the house. There is a box with the drop wire from the pole or a buried feed wire. example:
http://www.modemsite.com/56k/demarc.asp
You might have a problem if:
1. the jack you are using to backfeed the telephone line is not connected
to the other jacks in the house.
2: if the telco connections were never removed going from the central office
to you, connecting the line to the jack is pulling down your dial tone.

You can find independant telephone wiring guys. They work cheaper and
actually have a brain.

[PhantomOG]

awesome, just the kind of info I was looking for.

I'm pretty sure the telco connection was never removed because it took awhile for my phone jacks to "die" (lose dial tone). All evening I could make calls (dial tone present) from my old phone jacks with nothing connected to the cable modem, however, calls to my number only went to the cable modem.

This morning, the dial tone was gone from all the jacks so I believe the phone company finally cut my line but its still connected outside.

[PhantomOG]

Will just disconnecting the buried feed be enough? Or do I need to somehow join up all the jacks in the house?

[sucks2beme]

The connection may still exist all the way back to the central office.
This could cause you a problem. I re-did all my house wiring to a panel in the garage.
I have a phone, data, and catv connection run to most rooms in the house running back
to the panel. This way, I can control what goes where. The current Verizon Fios connection
comes in and feeds the panel. Phone and internet connections are done there, as well as catv.

If the jack you connected to had dial tone on it before you switched,
you will need to remove the connection to telco. The demarc connection in older
houses often has a bunch of wires tied together on screw down
posts. You will have to find the one coming from telco and remove it from the
connections to the house wiring. I'm sure a bit of googling will help
you figure it out. If I wasn't packing to head out of town, I'd take a picture of my
old one that's no longer in use.

[sucks2beme]

Will just disconnecting the buried feed be enough? Or do I need to somehow join up all the jacks in the house?

Was the one you're tying into hot before?
Anything that had dial tone on before is tied together.
If so, pulling the telco feed should do the trick.

Quote from Time Warner:
No-hassle standard installation - Keep using your current home phones, jacks and phone number. There’s nothing extra to buy and no long-term contracts.

Guess they told a fib!

[PhantomOG]

Was the one you're tying into hot before?
Anything that had dial tone on before is tied together.
If so, pulling the telco feed should do the trick.

Quote from Time Warner:
No-hassle standard installation - Keep using your current home phones, jacks and phone number. There’s nothing extra to buy and no long-term contracts.

Guess they told a fib!

Damn... I should have done this yesterday evening when the telco was still giving me a dial tone. Oh well, hopefully finding the telco feed won't be hard.

Yeah, the CSR I spoke to yesterday apologized and said the original CS rep I signed up with should have made the 6ft cable/phone jack rule known to me.

Oh well, I'm still happy. I'll finally have caller ID. I was paying $35 a month for a simple dial tone with NO features. Now I'm paying $33 a month for everything including unlimited long distance.

I hope I live long enough to see FIOS in my area.

[PhantomOG]

Thanks! Worked like a charm. I just had to unplug a small phone jack in the exterior box and I was in business. So much for the 6ft rule, I used a 25ft cord I had and everything works just fine. Even works great with the Called ID on TV with DISH Network.

Its great that we have experts on just about everything you can imagine here

[sucks2beme]

Glad to be of service

[bruss]

on demarc boxes there is always a user and telco side.. the phone jack you unplugged makes the connection between the 2.. if you are on POTS phone service and you have no dial tone take a traditional phone out and plug it into that jack.. if it works the problem is inside if it doesnt its the telco.

[disneyjoe7]

IMHO it's always best to unplug the phone cord in the demarc on the user side. This is also the jack you could place a phone to test whether the "Phone Problem" is inside or outside your inside wiring.

[PhantomOG]

now I'm a bit confused... I opened my exterior phone box, and there wasn't much to see. There was yet another closed box within it which I didn't open. I believe coming out of that inner box was a very short phone cord/plug, which plugged into a single jack there. Next to that jack were a couple of screw connectors that I didn't touch. All I did was unplug the small phone cord, then ran inside and plugged the cable modem into one of my interior phone jacks and then I had dial tone/called id/etc. on all my phones in the house.

I'm hoping that was right because everything seems to be working smoothly.

[disneyjoe7]

You got it, that very short phone cord/plug. When you unplug from that you're disconnected from the local phone company.


Now I HATE YOU BYE ;)

[PhantomOG]

Now I HATE YOU BYE ;)

:D sorry! I do notice a slight degrade in call quality, but nothing that bothers me though. I seriously thought the traditional phone companies would be lowering their rates to compete with digital phone / VOIP but its seems to be the contrary. I was paying $29 a month including all taxes and fee for a simple local dial tone with absolutely no features -- no caller id, no long distance, nothing. But last month my bill came and it was $35! I called the friendly SBC rep and he politely informed me that the rates had simply gone up and that would be my normal rate going forward. :(

So here I am today with digital phone from TWC for about $33 a month with EVERYTHING included -- called id, unlimited long distance, call waiting, etc. :o

[disneyjoe7]

Well all in all, I think the phone companies need to get in the voip game. But on the other hand I feel that the phone companies hands are tied with regulations and taxes on local lines where the phone bill with no tax is about with the VOIP line is but in the end are a bit night and day due to the taxes involved. I know this due to fact I needed to be a voip user myself on 2 business lines I have, which where land lines once also. Voip is a new game all in all and the players them self need to learn a thing or two. I now with Att call vantage user from Vonage but haven't got 100% satisfaction from either of them, nothing I got from being a BellSouth Business customer. And the time I need to spend on the phone trying to fix a problem I wonder if any savings are worth my time in the end.

[sucks2beme]

Right now, the Ip phone service doesn't get taxed with the many bullshit fees
they hang on just because they can. The states have tried putting on fees
on internet service and Ip phones, but have been stopped. Don't expect
that to last!
I have used a remote IP phone on my desk for work for about five
years. It works as good as the link works. The quality is less than
normal, maybe about like a cell phone. It's the wave of the future, like it or not.

[bruss]

the telcos have more to gain by leaving the ancient infrastructure the same and changing the backhaul to IP/ATM. They pay less to transport it and power it while you get the same bill every month.

If you dont think Telcos are doing next gen voice your mistaken. Embarq has a huge next gen network.