Telephone not working through livebox!!!

[Richie-Bytes]

I have the internet and unlimited telephone package through France telecom/Orange, but the phone running through the livebox has no dial tone. I have tried everything suggested with no luck. The English-speaking  FT "help" line refuse to deal with it, and my French is not good enough to understand the operators on the 3900 number. It's driving my nuts! I am paying for a service I cannot use, and I have run out of options to fix it. Could it be the Livebox itself? It appears to be working - I have internet access, and all the lights are on. I am at a loss here, and I don;t know anyone bi-lingual that can help me! Suggestions would be a life-saver (because I'm beginning to feel murderous).....

[Anton Redman]

Have you two 'phones / handsets ?

Have you ADSL filters plugged in everywhere you have a normal phone installed ?

Have you tried ringing your internet 'phone from your other phone line or a mobile ?

 

 

[Philouis]

I had the same problem with Orange when I was one of their sufferers! Please remember that you have to wait a considerable period before they switch you on; in my case three weeks!  I served my 12 months stretch of hard labour with them and in desperation, especially when they continually began to overcharge me on my monthly prelevement, I cancelled and switched to Teleconnect.

 Much better service, free help line conversations  in English and a live box which works for 95% of the time. I do have some short black outs, when the line goes dead, but put it down to being nearly 6 kms from their exchange. As Gladstone once said.'Wait and see!'

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

You need a digital phone to use with the livebox. Make sure yours is.

[Richie-Bytes]

Thanks for all the info so far!! To answer some of the queries: Yes, I have two phones, one bought specifically for use with the Livebox, the other plugged into the ADSL filter (which works fine if I don't mind paying for the calls!); everything is connected correctly as per instructions on the setup CD. But no, I haven't tried phoning my internet phone from the other one, as I wasn't even aware that there was a seperate number! All I was told was that the internet phone was for outgoing calls, and the other was for internal. Is this right?? I'm so confused!

[Gyn_Paul]

This posting might confuse more than help but....

With Free's equivalent of the Livebox, one has to go on line to the personal page on the Free.fr website and 'enable' the phone socket on the box, perhaps Livebox is the same ?

To hopefully sort your confusion a bit...

Coming down your bits of wire is a mixture of ordinary telephone signal and digital computer signals. The ADSL filters separate the two and pass the appropriate  signals to the (landline, or 'fixed') phone and the Livebox (then to the computer).

You can plug another phone - which is a completely separate service to the landline one - into the back of the box. This uses the ADSL, or computer, part of the signal. So you can, in fact, hold two separate conversations on the two phones (or as someone pointed out, call one phone from the other!).

Or not in your case...

The one thing you haven't said is, how long have you had the ADSL service? As mentioned earlier, it can sometimes take them an unconscionable length of time to light up the phone line.

p

[Richie-Bytes]

I had the internet telephone as part of my original package, but I hadn't connected it up properly, (totally my fault) and ended up paying for every call I made. This was back in June. A friend came over and fixed it for me, but then the Livebox went pop (possibly due to a lightening strike) and I lost everything. I got a new Livebox a couple of months ago, and I have had problems ever since. Either the phone worked and the internet didn't, or vice-versa. Unfortunately my computer-literate, french-fluent friend is no longer aroud, which has left me totally stuck.

(A few weeks ago I did convince the English helpline people at Orange to test the line, and they said there was no problem. ....)

Thanx to all for your continued advice!!

[pimpernel]

I have exactly the same problem. Fortunately I have a fluent French speaking friend who phones up for me when the phone doesn't work and although Orange deny that the fault is with them the phone always comes back on after one of these calls.[:@]

[Panda]

This has been discussed many times on here before, yes the telehone line does go down occasionally and you need to log on to the livebox and re-enable the telephone service.  Orange say that for some reason the service doesn;t recognise your login credentials so by logging in via the live box you are re-entering them.  How to re-enable is in your handbook..or can be found on here, Jane and Danny post the best help on this search for their response and print it out!

 

 

[Richie-Bytes]

Thaniks Panda (and everyopne else!) This has at least helped to illiminate what the problem ISN'T.... it isn't the phone, as I went in to the Orange shop and confirmed that the model was compatible, and it isn't the way I have it connected. The fixed telephone light on the Livebox makes me assume that the fault isn't with the hardware, and according to the page link from my messenger page the phone is active. BUT. I have now discovered that the Gestionaire Internet application doesn't work. A friend set up the internet connection for me (as it is way beyond my knowledge of computers) and I can connect to the internet via Internet Expolorer or Firefox without any problem, but if I try to use the actual Livebox software it tells me is "Temps d’attente dépassé" (Latency exceeded), which makes no sense to me in either language!

Is this a different problem, or part of the same one? When I diagnose the problem it says "Il est impossible de communiqué avec le périphérique" (It is impossible of official statement with the peripheral), which again makes no sense! My head is spinning now. I need to go and lie in a dark room....

[suein56]

Try typing the following into your address bar and it should give you access to your Livebox

http://192.168.1.1./       (this will be your own personal access to your livebox - it is not broadcast to all and sundry on the web)

after logging in with the password and user name given to you by Orange you can change preferences such as language to English and you can also see whether your adsl telephone is enabled or not.

Sue

 

[mint]

[quote user="Richie-Bytes"]

My head is spinning now. I need to go and lie in a dark room....

[/quote]

At least the phone will not be ringing to disturb you!  But, I AM sympathetic to your problem.  I have had no end of problems with FT, not least with prelevements.  Why do they never "undertake" but always "overtake"?

Even now, I do have hours when I have no internet access and friends and family have often told me that they'd ring for hours on my landline and get the engaged signal when we have clearly not been on the phone.

Ah well, only 6 months or so to go to the end of my year's contract and then I shall be out of there so fast a bat out of hell would seem like a drifting leaf.

And then there is my Orange mobile....................but I'll not even go there just now so as not to spoil your thread.

[liz89]

So a question from me, because I seem to be in the same position.

I received my livebox earlier this week. I had a phone line till yesterday, but now it's gone dead. I've put my filters in place, but nothing. No line at all now. So does this mean I just have to wait without any phone at all until Orange turn me on. So to speak?

[suein56]

[quote user="liz89"]

I received my livebox earlier this week. I had a phone line till yesterday, but now it's gone dead. I've put my filters in place, but nothing. No line at all now. So does this mean I just have to wait without any phone at all until Orange turn me on. So to speak?

[/quote]

When I went from dial-up to broadband with Orange I lost my telephone line for most of the Friday then it reappeared in the very late afternoon, but I couldn't access the ADSL aspect of it until the following day - so keep trying!

Sue

[Richie-Bytes]

Well, there is an end to this tale, (one hopes!) and I will share with you all for reference to those in the same, or similar boats:

Having exhausted, as you know, all possible avenues open to me, a French-fluent knight in shining armour came to my rescue (and not being anyone's first choice for a "damsel in distress" I am pleased that the stocks of such hankie-dropping ladies are low in this region!)

So Mr Francelot Phoned up the evil France Telecom on my behalf, and battled with the beasts for well over half an hour, pulling plugs and pushing buttons as commanded by the Tele-tyrants. He delved into the darkest caves of config on my computer; swam around the intristic sites of the Orange web pages, and the result? Absolutely no difference whatsoever.

Yea, the LiveBox remained unpurturbed, pleading it's total conformity and yet so obviously lying through it's teeth; for the little red light that means my phone is working remained fixed and unblinking, yet my poor phone had no voice.

But do not fret, dear readers! For there is sight of a happy ending - The evil France telecom have admitted that their faithful old dog, the LiveBox, must surely be at fault, and have arranged for a replacement. (Note that I am not jumping for joy at this presumptuous stage, though....)

So the moral of this story is thus: If you really feel the need to arm yourself with the aforementioned contraption, RENT IT, DON'T BUY IT!! And if you are learning French, but are not altogether confident with your abilities, tailor your lessons towards a parlay with the Devil that is France telecom, because one day you will thank your Gods that you did.

A HUGE thank you to everyone that took the time to help me with this issue, and the best of luck to anyone who finds themselves treading this same thorny path - my prayers are with you!

[Richie-Bytes]

I know this thread is a little old now, but I thought it fair and just to finish the story properly...

The new Livebox hasn't made any difference at all. I withdraw my previous advice. Don't rent a livebox. just don't bother with France Telecom at all. They are useless.

[suein56]

[quote user="Richie-Bytes"]

Don't rent a livebox. just don't bother with France Telecom at all. They are useless.[/quote]

I must disagree re the Livebox - there will just be a small something that isn't enabled or a switch that isn't switched on - find whatever it is and then all will work well.

Honestly our neighbour has had endless problems with his Neufbox and his phone not working - he comes round here to use our connection via our Livebox and our phone to complain as otherwise it costs him a small fortune using his mobile phone to call Neuf!

Sue

[Deimos]

[quote user="sweet 17"][quote user="Richie-Bytes"]

My head is spinning now. I need to go and lie in a dark room....

[/quote]

At least the phone will not be ringing to disturb you!  But, I AM sympathetic to your problem.  I have had no end of problems with FT, not least with prelevements.  Why do they never "undertake" but always "overtake"?

Even now, I do have hours when I have no internet access and friends and family have often told me that they'd ring for hours on my landline and get the engaged signal when we have clearly not been on the phone.

Ah well, only 6 months or so to go to the end of my year's contract and then I shall be out of there so fast a bat out of hell would seem like a drifting leaf.

[/quote]

It is not just FT.  I have a friend who has their phone through their AOL box and a lot of the time when you ring you get nothing, diverted to an answer phone (when she is around and not on the phone), sometimes it even rings and she answers and you can talk for a bit.  Of course, if you are not using your phone loads you are not aware that is is not working well for incoming calls or that you are losing voicemails, etc.

I would expect they are all much of a muchness and that whilst you might be lucky with another ISP it might end-up the same.

These problems are the reason why I stick with a traditional telephone.  Calls are so cheap (without paying extra fixed subscriptions) that the total cost difference is nothing and, for me, definitely not worth the grief.

Ian