Around 11:15, alenxa noticed the “in use” light on our main phone was on. Figuring we had a phone off the hook, she went and checked, but both other phones were properly hung up.
As near as I can tell, the “in use” light just means “no dial tone” – it turns on when you unplug the phone, for instance (it’s got an AC adapter to power the answering machine). So the next assumption was that the line was down… but strangely, the DSL was running. OK, so maybe one of the filters or adapters had gone back. I went unplugging everything I could, leaving each phone in turn as the only device hooked up, but the line still sounded completely dead.
Next step: Call SBC on the cell phone, navigate their menu, and hit the wrong option just before actually reporting a problem. Swear, decide to wait a few minutes and see what happens, get back to reading www.neilgaiman.com and notice, hey, it’s telling me google.com doesn’t exist? Look over at the DSL modem and watch it syncing up.
After a few rounds of this, I decided it was time to call again. Once again through the menus, up to the point of reporting a problem, then it asks for the type of problem, and I realize we haven’t actually tested an incoming call. So instead of “dead line or no incoming calls” I choose “no outgoing calls” and (as SBC starts running a test on the line) I ask Katie if she’ll try calling the home number, just for kicks. As she’s getting her phone, the voice comes back, saying “we have found the problem. We will need to schedule an appointment with an SBC technician…”
Great. So it’s not back *and* they need to send someone out to fix it. But as I’m walking back into the other room, I notice the “in use” light is off again, and then the phone rings (Katie in the next room).
SBC continues to explain that the problem appears to be with the wiring at this end, and I can either fix it myself or have SBC come out to fix it, and I can test whether it’s SBC’s wiring or my wiring that’s broken by going out to the switch box (as if I have access to the switch box for my apartment building) and hooking up a phone there, and would I like to schedule an appointment… and meanwhile I’m checking the phones and getting perfectly serviceable dialtones.
So there’s a problem with the wiring at this end, but their automated, remote test cleared it up.
Well, at least we can receive calls again (and the DSL doesn’t seem to be going down every 3 minutes).
Current Mood: 😕confused