Intermittent telephone service with Alice

[Lachouette]

We have the Alice ADSL package that includes unlimited phone calls to landlines, but over the last month or so have found we have no dialling tone at all in the afternoon.

I've rung the 1033 helpline and it'll come as no surprise to anyone else with Alice that even though at the time the phone wasn't working, they tested the line and said it was not them but our phone! Needless to say, I've tried connecting other phones which work on the FT line, but which won't when this problem's occurring.

Does anyone have any suggestions please? Thanks in advance.

Jan

[Danny]

Hello Jan,

I once had someone on the Alice helpline who was most unhelpful and in the end I had to just hang up as he refused to help or listen.

I simply called back until I got someone capable of sorting out the problem.

You could try a reinitialisation of the Alicebox to put it back to factory settings and this may correct any telephone malfunction.

See the bottom of this page for instructions if you are not sure now to do this. You will need to re-enter your ADSL code and password after.

EDIT**** choose 'restaurer la configuration d'origine' and click on 'Validez'.

If this does not help and you don't get a decent response to your phone problem even if you tell them you have tested it with another phone, I would seriously consider changing to another ISP.

Danny

[Martin963]

Does your internet carry on working when the phone is down?

One other thought,   don't press the reset button on the back of the box (at least not if it's the Sagem box like ours).

The reset thus performed is permanent and terminal.

[Danny]

Yes,as Martin says, follow the instructions on the page I linked to.

In case you are not sure...click on this link, use 'alice' and 'alice' as user name and password

http://192.168.1.1/

then click on 'redémarrer le modem' on the top right of the page.

then click on 'restaurer la configuration d'origine' and then click on 'Validez'.

then the modem will restart....

These instructions are for the Sagem 3302 modem and are the same for the others except the Alicebox V5 and the older Triway modem.

Identify your model on this page here

Danny

[Lachouette]

[quote user="Martin963"]Does your internet carry on working when the phone is down?

[/quote]

Thanks Danny and Martin963. I was on the point of following the instructions and resetting the wretched thing but thought I'd check the phone line first.....and for the first time in weeks we've passed noon and I've still got a dialling tone. I'm sure it won't be long before it falls over again so I'll try then.

Interestingly, or not, the internet works fine when the phone's seemingly down, and the little green phone light on the Alice box remains alight too. It's only the aggravation with changing ISPs and getting Alice's equipment back to them that keeps us hopeful that their service will improve.

Jan

[Martin963]

I asked because on our Alice system (with only a 512 kbps rate) the internet often stops working completely but the phone carries on.

In our case I just disconnect the cable going from the Alice box to the phone socket and reconnect it again,  this forces the box to re-synchronise abd restores (normally at any rate) all services.

You could give that a go.....?

[Lachouette]

Rats!!!

I've just restarted the modem with its factory settings and the phone's still off. Looks like we might be seeking a new ISP, or I'll have to wind myself up to ring 1033 again.

Jan

[Danny]

Hi Jan,

it is worth a call...

If you do decide to cancel Alice, it is not difficult - I did it not too long ago and went over to Orange. I can tell you exactly what to do.

Orange works out a tad cheaper for me too.

best of luck

Danny

[Lachouette]

[quote user="Jane and Danny"]

Orange works out a tad cheaper for me too.

[/quote]

Is there any way around paying Orange 3€/month for their Livebox?

Jan

[Danny]

Well, if you want a package which includes the unlimited VOIP calls, then you must use a livebox.

But, you can buy a livebox if you don't want to rent. They are 59 euros for the new livebox - on sale not from Orange but in big supermarkets, electrical shops etc or you can buy one secondhand.

For me, Alice was 34,95 per month plus the 16 euros FT line cost.

With Orange, I have Formule Plus at 29,90 + 3 euros for the livebox and as I want to keep the FT line I still pay the 16 euros too

There is 1 hour included per month to French mobiles too so that is also a bit of a saving.

They also gave me the livebox rental free for six months.....it all helps.

Danny

[Lachouette]

Me again!

Still no joy with Alice and continuing to spend the afternoon with no free telephone calls but......if I disconnect the cheap and cheerful phone we have plugged into the back of the Alice box and plug in our 'proper' phone with is normally attached to the FT line ( a Siemens Gigaset C455) I have a dialling tone and can phone out.

I therefore ask those with a technical knowledge of such things, if we were to buy another Siemens DECT phone, is it likely to solve the problem? I see Alice sell a DECT phone for 60 euros but if we can spend less to cure this after lunch laziness on the phone line's part, it would be better!

Jan

[Danny]

Hi Jan,

I bought this one recently - it seems a very good price. It is really, I mean really pink, even more pink than the photo[:)] but it works very well with our Livebox and I don't see any reason it won't work with your Alicebox

Danny

[Lachouette]

[quote user="Jane and Danny"]

I bought this one recently - it seems a very good price. It is really, I mean really pink, even more pink than the photo[:)]

[/quote]

Thanks Danny - that's cheap and very cheerful so have ordered one and let you know how it's working out!

Jan