New landline phone: always off hook?

mike004 · 16 Nov 2011

Just bought a BT Decor 1200 land line phone.

The problem is it always seems to be off hook. If I lift the receiver, there is no sound. So I remove and reinsert the phone plug at the wall socket, which gives me a dial tone.

If I phone in from another phone, I get a message prompting me to leave a 1571 phone message.

Most disturbing, at odd times of the day and even in the middle of the night the phone gives a distorted "chirp" sound for a couple of seconds. Like someone is faxing a phone line or something.

I have broadband and the phone is connected to a filter.
My 12-yr old BT phone still works OK, but this brand new phone doesn't seem to be compatible or something.

flameport · 16 Nov 2011

Either the phone is faulty
or it's too close to your wireless modem/router.

mike004 · 16 Nov 2011

My router has wireless turned off.
The router is on a telephone extension in the next room.

joinerjohn · 16 Nov 2011

Router shouldn't be plugged into an extension socket. It should be plugged into the master socket, although I don't think that's your problem. Does your new phone have an answering machine built in? Perhaps the settings are set wrongly for the phone. I know I can set mine to automatically go to answering machine straight away, or after a set amount of time without answer.

Paul_C · 17 Nov 2011

mike004 said:
The problem is it always seems to be off hook. If I lift the receiver, there is no sound. So I remove and reinsert the phone plug at the wall socket, which gives me a dial tone.

It sounds very much like a faulty phone which is permanently looping the line, even when hung up.

mike004 · 17 Nov 2011

Paul_C said:
mike004 said:

The problem is it always seems to be off hook. If I lift the receiver, there is no sound. So I remove and reinsert the phone plug at the wall socket, which gives me a dial tone.

Click to expand...

It sounds very much like a faulty phone which is permanently looping the line, even when hung up.

The phone does not have an answering machine.

I suppose the phone could be faulty, despite being brand new and not a cheapo phone.

I was thinking that the new phone might be more sensitive to noise on the line or something, compared to my old, solid BT phone.

JohnD · 17 Nov 2011

try that phone in a different socket, and a different phone in that socket. You can take the phone to someone else's house if you like.

Whichever one the fault stays with is likely faulty

if you have an extension socket, it is possible the extension is incorrectly wired.

The original BT socket is most likely to be corectly wired.

mike004 · 17 Nov 2011

JohnD said:
try that phone in a different socket, and a different phone in that socket. You can take the phone to someone else's house if you like.

Whichever one the fault stays with is likely faulty

if you have an extension socket, it is possible the extension is incorrectly wired.

The original BT socket is most likely to be corectly wired.

It's the same behaviour on the main socket and the extension socket. No dial tone/off hook. Reinserting the plug gives you a dial tone and lets you make a call. But that's all.

Monsterminty · 17 Nov 2011

refund time i think

mike004 · 18 Nov 2011

I unplugged and then replugged the router cable in the telephone extension in the spare room.
The phone is on the main socket.
Voila! The dial tone returns and everything works OK.

New landline phone: always off hook?

joinerjohn

Paul_C

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