Wifi cuts out when landline in use

[Genie32]

Hi, I hope someone can help 🙂

We have had a problem for 6 months or so whereby whenever our landline is in use the wifi connection cuts out - the router flashing on and off orange for the duration of the call. When the landline call has ended the router resets itself and wifi is restored. 

We've had no joy with customer service - each time I call or chat online all that they ever do is run a test on the line. Then I either get a message saying that the test was run and no problem was found, or that a problem was found and an engineer has fixed it. But it never fixes our problem. So I ring again and the whole process starts again of running a test on the line but never addressing the issue I have raised repeatedly. Any ideas what can be causing this? The router seems to be connected correctly as it works generally.

Thanks in advance for any help

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Genie32

That's great news, thanks for letting us know 🙂

Debbie

[Genie32]

Thank you, no further issues thus far 🙂

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Genie32

Thanks for your reply.

Please let us know if you do experience any further issues.

Debbie

[Genie32]

Hi, sorry for the delay, I've been monitoring the connection over the weekend. Initially I set the modem up - all new cables etc. & microfilter - into the test socket. Everything seemed fine so I then put the faceplate back on to check that set-up. I think that's when there were a few problems that I reported last post. But, I've since re-run the tests and there are no issues again with the modem going into the test socket, and also during the last two days there have been no issues with the faceplate back on and no microfilter. So I'm hoping it is all fine now. I do think that the new modem has made a difference as I noticed straight away that during initial set-up after the orange flashing stopped there remained a solid white light which has remained on, as it should. Our previous modem started out like that but somewhere along the line we lost that solid light and just had either the orange flashing when the modem was re-setting followed by no light at all - even when we did have internet / wifi connection. I hadn't realised that we'd lost that light until we had it again with the new modem. So I don't know if that is an indicator of something or not but it seems to be working ok at the moment. The line was a little unclear today from mobile to landline - ringing from outside the house - with faceplate on. I'll try ringing the landline again tomorrow when I'm out - with phone plugged into test socket.

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hello,

Thanks for the update. The voice line test is clear, however the broadband test has detected a potential fault. Just to confirm, are you using the new cables and microfilter that came with the new router and is the router connected to the test socket? As soon as we've confirmed this then we can pass this over to Openreach for further investigation.

Thanks

[Genie32]

Just tried this test on both handsets and no funny noises 🙂

[Genie32]

Hi, I've set up the new modem now. I've had mixed results - still flashing during test calls initially - but at the moment it is mainly working ok. Mobile to landline and vice versa is now working. Landline to landline is where it's still not 100% with orange flashing and cutting out during calls. However, I had made a couple of calls to landlines today and asked those people to call me back from their landlines to our landline and those calls have all been ok. So is it possible to have problems with specific callers - who don't themselves have problems with anyone else? I did notice when I rang our landline from my mobile yesterday, while out of the house, that the line was very crackly, and we have heard that before from another caller saying our line was crackly - not every call though. Calling off and re-dialling corrects it. Would that be a line problem or a phone problem? Not had chance to try an alternative phone in socket I'm afraid, so short of buying new phones which may not be the problem, I'm not sure what the next step is. I'll see how it goes tonight with the usual problem caller!

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi

OK, let us know when you have tested and we will pick this back up with you 🙂

Karl.

[Genie32]

Hi thanks yes I received it just before I left home this morning so not had time to set it up yet I'm afraid. Will hopefully try it tonight. 

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Genie32

Have you received the replacement router?

Thanks

[Genie32]

Ah, thank you - I will try that also.

[Skynet_TX]

One additional thought (if the new router doesn't fix it), if you dial 17070 on your phone you will get a recorded message that reads back your phone number a couple of times, but after it has done that it will give you a totally silent line. Would be good to just listen to that silence carefully for a minute or two just to see if there is any indication of any sounds (crackles, pops, whistles, clicks etc.) as that could be an indication of a subtle line issue, hearing those is what first alerted me to a fault on my line. 

If you do get a chance to test with a different corded phone it might be best to do this 17070 test with that, as a corded phone is likely to give you a better quality of connection to listen to the 'silence', cordless phones can sometimes introduce some noise that is actually just a characteristic of the wireless connectivity, and nothing to do with the actual phone line itself.

[Skynet_TX]

ok, if the replacement router does not fix things, then if there was any way you could get hold of an alternative corded phone (even just to borrow for 5 minutes) to test if it still causes the router to drop, then that would be useful, but totally understand that this may not be possible.

[Genie32]

Hi Chris, I can't change the base station as the additional cradle doesn't have phone connection and we don't have an alternative old phone to try I'm afraid.

[Skynet_TX]

What we really need to eliminate is the base station itself (the unit that is physically connected to the microfilter in your test socket) as being the problem, as the handsets just communicate with the base station, it is the base station itself that sends the signal down the phone line. Do you have a totally different phone (maybe just an old corded telephone) that you could try in place of your cordless phone base station ?

[Genie32]

Hi Chris, I've been interchanging the handsets, trying all combinations - have a whole spreadsheet of results! 🙂

So I've tested handset 1 at base station to mobile and vice versa, handset 2 at base station to mobile and vice versa and both handsets at the additional socket in the lounge, all possible ways. All with the same result so far 😞

Thanks for your help

[Skynet_TX]

In fact, just re-reading this topic again, my situation was even more similar to yours, in that using the phone didn't disconnect the router, but as soon as the phone was hung up after a call it caused the router to disconnect, which I believe is the scenario you described a little earlier.

Well worth giving the replacement router a go, and as @Chris-TalkTalk has just suggested, trying a totally different phone if possible (just to eliminate the phone itself as a possible cause). But if neither of those help then it could be something similar to the issue I had where there was a subtle fault with the external phone line that didn't really show up on line tests, but when Openreach switched me over onto a different wire from the telegraph pole back to the street cabinet it fixed the issue.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi Genie32,

I know you are waiting on a replacement router but do you have a second telephone handset that you can test with at the test socket? (Apologies if this has already been asked)

Chris

[Genie32]

Oh wow, someone else had this same problem?! I was wondering if this was a unique situation 😉 Good to know it was resolved eventually.

Yes, I'll see what difference, if any, the new router will make and take it from there.

[Skynet_TX]

Ah, sorry, I misunderstood, I thought you had a phone socket in the lounge. That makes more sense then, as it looks like your master socket has no other sockets connected to it, so as you don't have a socket in the lounge and the socket in your bedroom does not work then that makes more sense 😀

So yes, if the only things connected are the router and the phone via the microfilter into the test socket, then trying the replacement router would be the next best thing to do, failing that it may be a more subtle fault on the phone line, as I have had exactly the same issue before when using the phone disconnected the router, ultimately it was tracked down to a fault out on the external phone line and was resolved by Openreach.