Extensions to VM landline

[DougW12]

I have just ordered a landline to add to my VM hub. During the order process I was asked if I had phone extensions and I told them I did. However, looking at the set up for the fibre landline one phone has to be connected to the router with the new cable. But how do I link up the existing two wire extensions in the house to the router?

[DougW12]

Hello

A Virgin engineer has fitted adaptors to the phone socket in the back of the router. One goes directly to a nearby phone and another goes to an extension socket. All the phones on the extensions have dialling tones, but they do not ring. The only way to get a phone to ring is to take the plug out of the extension socket, then the only phone that rings is the one connected directly to the router.

Does anyone have any ideas how, if possible to fix this?

 

[Vikki_M]

Hi @DougW12

Thank you for your response.

I am sorry to hear that.

What happens when you try to call one of the phones on the extension please? Do you hear a ringing? Is there an error message or engaged tone etc?

Please pop back to us when you can. 

[DougW12]

Hi

Thank you for your reply. When I use one of the phones on the extension to call my mobile it works as normal. The only problems is that when the extensions are plugged into the router none of the phones ring when I call. 

[DougW12]

Could the problem be that there is not enough current from the router through my phone extensions in the house to make both extensions ring? My speed is 360 mbs.

i found this comment at https://mrtelco.com/questions/nbn/landline-doesnt-ring-no-ringer-on-incomming-calls

….More common of the two reasons your handset telephone can’t be heard ringing, is that there is actually an issue with the ISP side of the network. 

When your telephone rings it's supposed to send AC voltage down the line, and if the voltage isn't meeting the required level. it won't sustain enough voltage to trigger your handset to make the ringing noise. Or in-fact, depending on how much voltage is being sent, it can result in low ringer volume; meaning you can still hear it but really low….

[Paul_DN]

Hi DougW12,

Thank you for reaching back out, as the phone works OK until you use an extension this isn't something we can support, have you tried a different extension or phone to see if the same happens?

Regards

Paul.

[goslow · Accepted solution]

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@DougW12 wrote:

Hello

A Virgin engineer has fitted adaptors to the phone socket in the back of the router. One goes directly to a nearby phone and another goes to an extension socket. All the phones on the extensions have dialling tones, but they do not ring. The only way to get a phone to ring is to take the plug out of the extension socket, then the only phone that rings is the one connected directly to the router.

Does anyone have any ideas how, if possible to fix this? 

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Could be an issue with your phone(s) or could be an issue with how the extra wiring has been connected up. Firstly, start with the phones.

Based on past topics on here, phones from the early 2000's and before may have issues with non-ringing once they are no longer connected to a conventional master socket.

What sort of age are the phones you are trying to connect?

Try each phone on its own in turn. Remove the extension cabling connectors from the VM phone adapter in the back of the hub.

Using just the VM phone adapter connected into the VM hub, try each individual phone in turn, one at a time, and see if you get a ringing sound for an incoming call. You will then know for each phone if it is capable of ringing on its own when it alone is connected to the VM hub.

Finally, how many phones have you been trying to connect in total? A recent topic suggests 3 phones total (REN = 3) is the maximum for connecting to the phone socket on a Hub 3.

[DougW12]

Hi

Thank you for your reply, it was very useful. I did as you suggested and tested each phone by connecting directly into the router, two of the new cordless phones worked making calls and receiving calls and ringing. The older corded wall phone when plugged into the router could make calls but did not ring.

The wiring in the house is quite long, routing through several rooms so I suppose the current from the router was not strong enough to make the phones ring.
I have two separate relatively new Panasonic cordless phones and one old corded wall phone that could be 15-20 years old.

So it looks like I will have to retire the old corded phone and extensions.

One thing I would like to do, which is not a Virgin problem, is to pair the two separate cordless phones so I can put one of them in another room.
(I had one cordless phone and I was given a second one).