Hi guys

I have an orange phone line with orange broadband in a new build house. Everything has been fine until Friday. My broadband is working fine but I seem to have lost dial tone. I've tried several filters and even removing router and filters in any number of configurations on the three phone ports. Any ideas before I ring orange? Only change I've made was moving the router from downstairs to upstairs. I don't think this is the issue as no modem still equals no dial tone

I've tried two phone plus my skybox is also showing no phone line

Thanks Ben

First thing to do.

If you have an NTE5 type master socket (the type with a two piece front panel), remove the lower section of the front panel. That will reveal the test socket and at the same time isolate all your internal wiring.

Plug a corded phone into the test socket with no filter and obviously no router. If you do not have dial tone on the test socket then the fault is most likely outside your house on the phone network. However if you do get dial tone then the problem is most likely your internal wiring. If so that is your problem to fix.

If you call Orange they are more than likely going to ask you to do the above anyway so you can pre-empt them and tell them you've done it. And if the fault is with your internal wiring and Orange send out an Openreach engineer to investigate then you will likely be paying for that visit rather than Orange!

there are no NTE5 sockets in the house, they are all just normal standard sockets with no removable bottoms. ??

Just to be clear this is an NTE5

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/P..._3/GPNTE5A.JPG

So are you saying every socket in your house looks like this

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/P...ze_3/GP21A.JPG

If you have an NTE5 it is normally the first socket in the chain, ie the one the incoming line is terminated on. If you can work out where the line comes into your house that should point you at the master socket.

If it is the type shown in the second image then you can't do the test I described and which Orange are likely to ask you to do. You are allowed to remove the bottom half of an NTE5 faceplate but you are strictly speaking not allowed to open up a master socket with a single piece faceplate.

Which is a potential problem as the whole point of doing the master socket test is to determine if it is your wiring that is causing the fault or the phone network. The NTE5 provides a simple way to isolate the two so you can do that. With a single piece master it is not so easy to isolate your wiring from the incoming line.

If an Openreach engineer is sent out and he does find the fault is with your internal wiring then more than likely Orange will pass on the charge for that visit to you. If it is a fault on the phone network then more than likely you wouldn't be charged.

Classic stuff. Due to the frequencies it uses, the DSL signal will often cope with the loss of one leg of the pair.

As has been said, try the phone in the Test Socket and if the fault remains, call Orange. In that case, because the fault will be external to you, there will be no charge for fixing it.

It's totally correct that your broadband will still work on 1 leg all and your phone is dead. All you need for you phoneline and broadband to work correctly is to make sure pins 2 and 5 on the master socket are connected. I am an ex Openreach contractor that used to migrate users at the exchange, here is a link with all the information you will need:-

Scroll down to "How can I improve my connection?"
http://www.adsl24.co.uk/faq

I am with Sky, we had this fault about a month or so ago, phone u/s , but BB fine, turned out it was a fault at the exchange on the BT stuff.

Are all the phone cables above the floor? when you call your landline is it engaged?, because i had the same problem and it turned out to be a compressed cable under the laminate flooring that was causing a loop which the very nice man from open reach sorted with a new cable and reported it as a master socket fault so no charge

Years ago we had the same problem when it rained . An Openreach engineer traced a split in the cable just before it entered our house. Rain water was getting into the split.
As the fault was outside we didnt have to pay

Interesting, I must be thick & can not see "How can I improve my connection" on the link? can you guide me

you need to go to FAQ at bottom of the page.
Then scroll down the page

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Many thanks

Hi everyone

Not sure this is the right thread but I am livid with JOHN LEWIS's combined phone and broadband service and before I contact WHICH I thought I should alert you.

Broadband works fine for the most part but

in the last 6 weeks our phone has been cut off with no warning!

You cannot talk to a manager and the gormless youth on the end of the phone just sent me an email with no information as to how to stop this happening again. I assume we will have to upgrade to an unlimited calls package.

It appears that they have a cut-off limit for calls if you don't have their unlimited calls package. Nothing in the literature we have been sent tells us about this.

So much for their helpful customer service. Despite all the problems with BT I shall be returning to them when this contract is over.

Do you mean you have had no phone/dial tone for the last 6 weeks ..... or that in the last 6 weeks your phone has cut out suddenly (sometimes) ??
There is no such thing as a cut off limit for calls, if you are paying for your calls then why would they want to take less money from you ?? The only limit is that if you are on an unlimited calls package you must hang up after an hour and redial the number or else they start charging for the call .... this is common with all unlimited packages with all providers.

Within the past 6 weeks we have been cut-off twice and it has taken them 24 hours to put the line on again.

We have a package with John Lewis (waitrose) which gives us unlimited fibre optic broadband and free calls after 5 pm.

The unhelpful 'customer services' rep told me they had no managers to speak to (this was a British call-centre) and that we had exceeded a limit of £50 for our calls - he did not specify why but did say he would get the phone back on. He also did not confirm that we had been notified about this. They have our email - and telephone number so they could have sent a email!

What annoys me is that they don't tell you this or give warning - when we were on dial-up with Which, they would send an email BEFORE you exceeded your limit.

I have also looked up John Lewis management and broadband and of course there is no director listed for Broadband services. I am calming down and then writing a letter to the Chairman and MD of John Lewis, Which - and Ofcom.

New build properties are now using an external NTE

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/btsockets.htm

That is strange, the only thing I can see limiting calls on their website is on the 'Talk Anytime International' package which has a limit of 300 mins for calls abroad, but anyway you are not on that package.
Email John Lewis and ask them to point out where in their terms and conditions it states that you are limited to £50 worth of calls (I can't see it )

Thanks so much. I will.

I spent an hour looking for anywhere the limit in calls is mentioned.

My husband has just spent 20 minutes on my mobile sorting it out - upshot - we have had to upgrade to unlimited calls.

The letter is drafted to chairman and managing director of John Lewis - no director listed for broadband/phone services. Copies to Ofcom and Which will definitely be sent.