Phone Wiring Problems

Network Interface Device Testing

• Most homes come equipped with a Network Interface Device. A gray box typically found in the basement or on the outside of your home, the NID allows you to test the telephone line for problems and determine if the problem lies with the wires inside your home or with the phone company’s wiring. To test your phone line using the NID, open the customer-side of the box and unplug the modular connection. This disconnects your home wiring from the phone company’s network. Plug your telephone into the modular connection inside the NID, and then listen for a dial tone. No dial tone indicates a problem with the phone company network. Contact your phone company for additional assistance. If you hear a dial tone, place a call to listen for noise on the line. A clear connection while connected to the NID, but a noisy connection inside your home, indicates a problem with your home’s wiring. Use a second telephone to confirm the diagnosis.

Incorrect Phone Jack Termination

• An incorrectly terminated phone jack results in you hearing no dial tone. If you experience problems with one phone jack but other jacks using the same phone line function properly, then you can use a functioning jack as a guide. Use a screwdriver to remove the cover plate of a functioning jack from the wall. Do not tug on the plate because doing so may damage the wires. Older wiring uses a four-color standard, with the wires secured to the plate by screws. New wiring uses a jack similar to an RJ45, or CAT5, jack. Review the wires connected to the jack and make a note of the connected colors. Then replace the wall plate. Remove the cover plate from the problematic jack and review the colors. If the connected colors appear different on an older style jack, then use a screwdriver to remove the wires from the jack and secure the appropriate color wire to each screw. When using a new phone jack, press the tab to remove the jack from the wall plate, and then cut the wires to remove the jack. Use a wire punch to secure the wires to the appropriate slots on a new jack, and then press the jack into the cover plate.

Shorts and Other Wire Defects

• A telephone wiring short occurs when bare wires touch within the wall or the wall jack. The touching of these wires often produces line noise and other feedback. Cuts or other damage to the wires may result in the lack of a dial tone. Use a screwdriver to remove the plate cover from the wall. Do not tug on the plate because doing so may damage the wires. Inspect the wires for signs of damage. If you find bare or otherwise damaged wires, cut the wires and re-terminate the ends to the jack. Occasionally, the problem lies deep within the walls and you must use a line-testing device to confirm the problem. In these cases, contact a professional unless you have significant experience and knowledge, because this involves cutting and removing the damaged wire from the wall. Then you must pull new wire through the wall from your telephone wire connection box to the individual wall jack and terminate the wire at both ends. Use caution to avoid damaging other wires while pulling the new wire.

Responsibility

• The responsibility to repair problems with the wiring outside your home lies with your phone company. However, you are responsible for the wiring inside your home. When a problem occurs with the inside wiring, you can save money by choosing to perform the repair yourself. If you do not feel comfortable working with wiring, you can pay the phone company or a third-party technician to perform the repairs. The cost of the repair varies between companies.