Analog phones with a fibre line

[Lee31]

I had a fibre line installed by Telkom a year ago. My normal copper line remained in place as a standalone and all my analogue phones worked fine, until now. The lines are dead so I logged a fault only to be told by Telkom that I should just connect directly to the supplied fibre router. Only one of two jacks works but the problem is that I have multiple analogue phones that are located around the house. I can’t get a Telkom technician out to do anything since they claim that there is no issue on their side . So do I have to run new wiring from the fibre modem to the original entry point of the old copper line ? Will any ordinary 4 core cable work. I also tried connecting the modem jack directly to the nearest point , but the other points are still dead (old adsl filters have been removed).
In a separate topic the Telkom supplied router is also not working –I have replaced with my own but how to I get Telkom to honor the warranty. They indicated that I should take it to a store , but store attendants are clueless.

Can anyone who has had a similar experience provide a solution to either of these dilemmas?

 

[ponder]

So do I have to run new wiring from the fibre modem to the original entry point of the old copper line ?

You can do that or just run a rj-11 cable into an existing wall jack that is spare. I'm nut sure about the current limitations on the router Nd how many phones you can hang of it. You'll also need to put the router on a ups else the phones wont work during a power outage.

 

[Suspect99]

The telkom tech just connected my fibre ONT directly to the main telephone line in my house with an ordinary phone cable I think. Everything worked as normal from then. I'll check it out again later if I remember

Edit: what Ponder said. Think he was the one that gave me advice when I did my fibre

This only works if you have Telkom as your ISP though. the other ISPs need you to go VOIP

 

[cavedog]

You can do that or just run a rj-11 cable into an existing wall jack that is spare. I'm nut sure about the current limitations on the router Nd how many phones you can hang of it. You'll also need to put the router on a ups else the phones wont work during a power outage.

+1 That should do the trick. If you want to be extra safe that it might not leak back to someone else which I doubt that the router will be able to output the signal so strong just disconnect the cable outside the house leading to the street/pole.

Should work fine. Not sure if the ONT supports multiple devices connected at once though and yes as you mentioned power outage means no connection and if the OLT does not have battery backup and the outage is wide spread the fibre could also go down.

 

[mister]

As the others said, just take a normal telephone cable from the working phone jack on the ONT, and plug it directly into the wall jack where you would normally plug in a phone

 

[Lee31]

Hi all. I want to thank you for your responses, they were spot on. There is a call out charge of approximately R1200 for fibre issues hence I was trying to resolve the issue myself with the help of you guys. It looks like that “free line rental “ in the telkom deal applies to telephones that are connected to the fibre modem. He simply cut off the old line and ran a Rj11 from modem to nearest point and all is working. I convinced the Telkom tech (after numerous complaints) that it was an installation oversight , so waiting to see if its going to appear on my bill or not. Thanks for the advice on the UPS to keep the modem operational , need to purchase separately but considering that the line rental has disappeared , I guess that its ok to buy it , just wont look pretty since I didn’t originally plan for one where the modem is located. Its good advice to consider these nitty gritty details when switching to fibre!

 

[Geoff.D]

Hi all. I want to thank you for your responses, they were spot on. There is a call out charge of approximately R1200 for fibre issues hence I was trying to resolve the issue myself with the help of you guys. It looks like that “free line rental “ in the telkom deal applies to telephones that are connected to the fibre modem. He simply cut off the old line and ran a Rj11 from modem to nearest point and all is working. I convinced the Telkom tech (after numerous complaints) that it was an installation oversight , so waiting to see if its going to appear on my bill or not. Thanks for the advice on the UPS to keep the modem operational , need to purchase separately but considering that the line rental has disappeared , I guess that its ok to buy it , just wont look pretty since I didn’t originally plan for one where the modem is located. Its good advice to consider these nitty gritty details when switching to fibre!

And more! Switching to fibre is not a simple decision as everyone makes it out to be. Plenty of things have to be considered before you make the move IF you want to retain your existing services.

Having said that, the onus should be on Telkom ( or any other provider) to ensure a customer fully understands the implications of a move to fibre BEFORE the deal is struck.

 

[Suspect99]

And more! Switching to fibre is not a simple decision as everyone makes it out to be. Plenty of things have to be considered before you make the move IF you want to retain your existing services.

Having said that, the onus should be on Telkom ( or any other provider) to ensure a customer fully understands the implications of a move to fibre BEFORE the deal is struck.

If you go with Telkom its pretty simple. I still use all my existing phones, and got a router ONT and installation for "free" when signing a contract.

installation was relatively quick and painless as well

 

[cavedog]

Hi all. I want to thank you for your responses, they were spot on. There is a call out charge of approximately R1200 for fibre issues hence I was trying to resolve the issue myself with the help of you guys. It looks like that “free line rental “ in the telkom deal applies to telephones that are connected to the fibre modem. He simply cut off the old line and ran a Rj11 from modem to nearest point and all is working. I convinced the Telkom tech (after numerous complaints) that it was an installation oversight , so waiting to see if its going to appear on my bill or not. Thanks for the advice on the UPS to keep the modem operational , need to purchase separately but considering that the line rental has disappeared , I guess that its ok to buy it , just wont look pretty since I didn’t originally plan for one where the modem is located. Its good advice to consider these nitty gritty details when switching to fibre!

That will not be an issue. Just go to the Telkom store and complain. They escelate a case usually and have the call out fee reversed.