Our Phone wiring is underground and the connector box on the outside of mthe house was done in1978. My problem is that I hit the wires and some of them were knocked loose from the terminal and now I don't know which one goes where. It is only the wires that go inside the house that I knocked loose. Can you help me out?

Take an old fashioned phone (wired handset, no external power needed) and connect it to the jack. Do you have a dial tone? If the simpler phone has a dial tone, the cordless phone system has a problem. Otherwise, try a different RJ-11 cord. (Note: a handset cord does not work in place of the standard phone cable between the base and the wall jack. I've seen this mistake made.) I assume that the power adapter wasn't cold when you unplugged it and plugged it back in. (No power to the base would give the same error on some handsets.)

Check for dial tone at other jacks for the same phone line (if available). I use the old-fashioned phone for these tests. Try locating the telephone service box. If there is an RJ-11 jack in the box, check for a dial tone. Your telephone company can test the line if the box doesn't have a RJ-11 jack. If you have no dial tone at any jack, contact your telephone company. You probably have a damaged wire outside. Most telephone companies repair outside problems for free. (There are some companies that will try to get you to pay for an upgrade to new wiring.)

If other jacks inside your home work, then the loose or damaged wires are either behind the face plate or in the wall from the service box and the face plate. Open the face plate and look for any loose wires. There are two types of face plates/jacks. One uses screws to secure the wires. Remove the insulation on each conductor and secure at the terminal location. The other option is a keystone jack. For these, you need a wire push down tool from your local hardware store (in the electrical wiring section). Do not strip the wire and push into the barbs of the keystone at the correct spot. Cut off the extra wire sticking past the outside edge of the keystone with wire nippers if needed. This diagram, https://www.lanshack.com/wire_phone_jack.aspx , shows the wire colors and the appropriate terminal locations.

If the wiring problem is inside the wall between the service box and the face plate, you may want someone else to track and fix the issue. Many telephone company service techs will do this for a fee.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells
(I've had phone issues from mice chewing on the lines (outside, underground), someone breaking a line while digging for another utility, a damaged modem in a fiber-optic service for all jacks for the house. Those were all repaired by the telephone company or other agency. When we had single jack that failed to work following a service upgrade, we found one wire left loose behind the siding. Fishing the wire up and plugging it into the service box solved the problem.)

Check that the base for the cordless phone system has power. If you have power then the problem may be with your telephone wiring in the house or outside. My standard checks start with checking if the jack is working by plugging in an old wired telephone. If there is a dial tone, then there is a problem with the cordless phone base. If there was no dial tone, then I check for dial tone at another jack for the telephone line with the wired phone. If there is a dial tone, then check the wiring for the first jack. There could be loose wires inside the box. The face plate will have either screw terminals or a keystone jack. You will need to strip the wires and secure them for the first type of jack. To secure the wires for the other type of jack, you do not strip the wires. Instead you will need a punch-down tool available at most hardware stores in the electrical section. Note: if there is a DSL filter inside, you may need to replace that. If you recently had a telephone service upgrade, a wire might not have been connected to the service box. Check behind your siding. (We had one phone extension out of four that wasn't connected after a service upgrade.)

If there is no dial tone, then I check the service box. If you have RJ-11 jacks in the service box, then plug in the test phone and check for a dial tone. If there is no dial tone or you can't test the line, contact your telephone company. They should test and fix outside problems for free. (Some companies may try to get you to upgrade to a non-copper line service instead.) Outside problems can be caused by mice or other animals chewing on the wires or a contractor who cut a cable while digging. Similarly a DSL filter in the service box could be damaged. If you have fiber-optic service, then the problem could be with the modem that translates the signal for the POTS line. If you have isolated the problem to an inside wiring problem that isn't at the jack, your telephone company can send a technician to fix a problem in the wall for a fee.

I hope these ideas help.

Cindy Wells
(I've contacted my telephone provider about the mice breaking an underground cable a few times. When my household's fiber-optic modem flaked out, we had intermittent loss of dial tone and internet service. Due to the sporadic nature of the outages, it took a while to realize that we needed to call for the unit to be serviced.)

Lands phones...

Typically means NO RADIO involved
(POTS refers to "Plain Old TELEPHONE Service")...

A POPULAR (and much cheaper) alternative to
"twisted pair" hard wired telephone service... is the
newer PACKET phone service...

All these (here in the USA) typically include
a CUSTOMER "network interface ... Commonly
outside your house where the "phone wires" enter.

Your side of the box should have an RJ11 plug
inside. You can RELEASE the MODULAR wire
exactly as you do... inside of your house...

If properly wired.. YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE is
on the wire you just unplugged (TELCO is in the
RJ11 jack).

Plug in a GOOD working phone into that
connection...

If you still have NO-DIAL-TONE you have just
verified the trouble is OUTSIDE (no charge for repair)...

Please for BETTER trouble assistance...
IDENTIFY your "provider".

Carnac the Magnificent

A "Line in Use" message generally means that there is no dial tone detected. Assuming that all of the handsets are in Standby and any other phones are connected to that line are also on their hooks, then you need to determine why the base isn't getting a dial tone. This can be an inside or outside wiring problem.

I like to use an old wired telephone for testing since power isn't required to use the phone. You also need another RJ-11 telephone wire. Try connecting a new RJ-11 wire between the KX-TGA131 base and the phone jack. If there is a dial tone with the new cable, you had a bad cable. If not, try the alternate phone. If the test phone has a dial tone, then the KX-TGA131 has failed or has a power problem. If the phone is under warranty, contact Panasonic.

If neither phone has a dial tone, take your test phone to another jack connected to the same phone line (number), if available. If you have a dial tone here, then the problem is in the first jack or the wiring to the jack. You can try to repair the jack yourself. Remove the cover plate and look at the jack. If any wires are loose, reconnect them to their appropriate location. See http://www.lanshack.com/wire_phone_jack.aspx for the usual patterns. There are two types of telephone jacks, keystone and screw terminals. For the keystone type, you need a punch-down tool (available at many hardware stores in the electrical section) to put the wires back in place. Do not strip the individual conductors before using the punch down tool. For screw terminals, strip the wire before securing it under the screw.

If you do not have another jack or there is no dial tone at the second jack, find the incoming telephone service box. Open the box and check the wiring. If you find an RJ-11 jack, plug in your test phone and listen for a dial tone. If there is a dial tone, you have a wiring problem. Check the jacks as above. You may want to have someone else check the wiring in the walls if there are no broken/loose wires in the jacks. Your telephone company will usually offer the service for a fee.

If you can't test the phone line at the service box or there is no dial tone at the service box, contact your telephone company. They will test the service box and should repair outside issues for free. (Some providers are trying to avoid copper repairs.)

If you have DSL, you may need to check the line filter. This filter can disrupt the dial tone when it fails. If the filter is in the interior, you are responsible for the replacement. In my service area, the DSL filter was in the service box so my telephone company repaired it.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells
(I've had no line issues several times. Sometimes, it was the result of a contractor cutting through underground lines. With copper wire, rodents sometimes damaged those underground wires. Once it was simply an issue of a contractor who'd left one wire loose after upgrading the service.)

You can buy the replacement pigtail connector at the auto parts store the connector plugs on the back of the bulb inside the tube on the back side of the headlight box you remove the rubber dust cover and pull the old connector off the bulb plug in the connector on the pigtail and splice the wires to the old headlight wires all of this is done outside the headlight box there is no need to remove the headlight box.

That means that it is not connected to the wiring that has voice data on it. IT cannot detect the voltage that should be there. Check the wires to the plug in to the phone jack.

When I get this error, it's often a problem with the phone line wiring. Sometimes, it is the phone itself.

I like to use a spare corded phone and a new RJ-11 cord to localize the problem. First, try using the spare phone at the jack where the Panasonic base is plugged in. If you get a dial tone with the spare phone, try the new RJ-11 cable with the phone. If there is still no dial tone, then the phone needs repair or replacement.

If you do not have dial tone with the spare phone, try the test phone at another jack on that phone line.If there is dial tone, there is a problem with the first jack. You will need to open the jack and check the wiring. These are either keystones jacks or screw terminals. The keystone type require a special tool to press the wires into the terminal block. This is available at many hardware stores in the electrical wiring aisle (with the keystones and wires for whole house video/telecommunications access).

If you still have no dial tone, find the telephone access box. If you are lucky, that box has RJ-11 jacks so that you can test the line. If there is still no dial tone, contact your phone company. Outside line problems will be fixed by your provider.

If you have dial tone at the access box, you have a wiring problem somewhere inside.You can try to track the wires in any exposed area for signs of damage. You might want to call a professional to check the wires in the wall. Your phone company will do this for a fee.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells
(my own phones gave "Line In Use" when a contractor damaged a wire digging in the wrong spot and when mice got to the underground lines outside. Those problems were fixed by the phone company.)

You should get an electrician. We had a wire that was underground and the lightening severed it and had to replace all the underground wire to our house. Hope you have good luck. with this.

There are a number of tests you can perform to find the problem unhook all the phones in your house and then call to see if it still does it. If it doesnt it may be one of your phones. If it does check the wiring in the jacks and make sure the wires are not backwards in any of them. If they all appear to be fine there maybe a problem at the pole or box whichever the company has installed in your neighborhood. Once you have determined that none of the above is present its not your fault and the providing internet company should not charge you to come out and check the outside lines. It can be as simple as a little short in the wire especially if its underground.

You may also wanna locate the phone box on the outside of your home and see if it disconnects when connected to there.

The box Outside Should Look Like This



And You'll Need To Disconnect All Of The Lines From These Plugs And Then Plug Your Internet Directly Into One Of Them. This Will Disconnect All The Phone Lines In The House. Now Place A Call To Your Home Via Cell Phone Or Have A Friend Call And If It Doesn't Disconnect Your Internet The Problem Is In The House.
If It Still Does Its The Phone Company's Problem And You'll Need To Call Them To Fix The Problem.




If This Does Not %100 Solve Your Problem Let me Know And I Will Continue Further Trouble Shooting With You.
Sincerely,
Michael Scott

Shoot yourself. That will resolve your problem entirely.