My UK internet provider recently moved me from a traditional phone line to a full-fibre connection. They installed a wall-mounted fibre box and connected it to a new router, which is providing internet normally.
The router has two green ports marked with a phone symbol. I connected my existing landline phone to one of them using the adapter supplied by the provider, but the phone displays "Please check cable connection." Picking up the handset produces an error tone instead of a dial tone. The old wall socket is no longer active either.
The router's phone indicator is green, sometimes steady and sometimes flashing rapidly. I have restarted the router and reconnected the phone, but nothing has changed. Does the phone need to be connected differently, or is there a setup or activation issue with the provider?
2 Answers
With full fibre, the landline usually works as a digital voice service through the router rather than through the old wall socket. Your existing phone should normally work, so a special handset probably isn’t needed. Connect the phone to the router’s phone port using the provider’s adapter, making sure the plug is fully inserted and that you’re using the correct port.
The phone service may not have been provisioned correctly yet. A green phone light only shows that the router detects or has a voice service available; it doesn’t necessarily mean the number has been activated properly. The provider will need to check the digital voice configuration, phone adapter, and number transfer. Since the old socket is expected to stop working after the change, this is probably an activation or equipment issue rather than a problem with your phone.
Restarting the router can fix a temporary registration problem, but since that has already been tried, the provider will likely need to reset or configure the phone service from their end.
That is how I connected it, and the phone light is green, but the handset still reports a cable problem and there is no dial tone.