Help! "No Dial Tone"

1242 Views 14 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Dr_Diablo, Sep 5, 2007

magpie5

Discussion Starter · Sep 4, 2007

am a consumer who is having tremendous difficulty with my hi-def tivo unit. The unit cannot detect a dial tone in order to update program information. At first they determined that the problem was the tivo unit - that it was occupying the phone line and so could not connect, and so I paid $75.00 for a new unit which connected once when we switched the 2 cable cards to it and now will not connect again. Tivo says that it must be the phone line or the specific phone jack. I have tried another jack which also did not work, and called my phone line supporter who said if I was calling them on the line than there obviously was no problem with the line. And, no, I do not have DSL on that same line. So... I am at a loss and do not know what to try next!

Has anyone experienced this?

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Dr_Diablo

· #2 · Sep 4, 2007

Not quite as severe as you are experiencing... My problem with the dail tone was from using a cheap splitter for the phone plus the line to the Tivo... Ended up plugging the line directly to the wall jack...

Don't mean to insult your intelligence, are you hearing the "click" when you plug in the phone line to your Tivo? Could it be as simple as a loose connection ?

Its been a long time since I was forced to rely on dail up for internet access, must be a drag...

I'm sure you are aware of Satellite broadband as well...

I'm assuming you have the Tivo HD unit, but that should have no bearing on the problem at hand...

Another option, I just thought of is using the phone jacks that insert into the wall outlet... Tis rather pricey but is an option to attempt to determine the problem you are having...

http://www.familysafemedia.com/instajack_phone_line_jack.html

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magpie5

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 4, 2007

Dr_Diablo said:
Not quite as severe as you are experiencing... My problem with the dail tone was from using a cheap splitter for the phone plus the line to the Tivo... Ended up plugging the line directly to the wall jack...

Don't mean to insult your intelligence, are you hearing the "click" when you plug in the phone line to your Tivo? Could it be as simple as a loose connection ?

I'm assuming you have the Tivo HD unit, but that should have no bearing on the problem at hand...

Another option, I just thought of is using the phone jacks that insert into the wall outlet... Tis rather pricey but is an option to attempt to determine the problem...

No insult taken... and yes - I do hear the click, and yes, I do have a Tivo HD unit.

Not sure what the device is that you speak of - phonejacks tha tinsert into the wall - would you mind sending me a link to one?

Also, when I connect the tivo unit to the phone jack, it occupies the phone line (I cannot call out), so I don't think it's a bad connection to the line...

jfh3

· #4 · Sep 5, 2007

You don't happen to have "Pulse" dial tone service do you?

Very strange that two different THD boxes would have a modem problem.

magpie5

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 5, 2007

Dr_Diablo said:
Its been a long time since I was forced to rely on dail up for internet access, must be a drag...

I'm sure you are aware of Satellite broadband as well...

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Thanks for the link - and God NO, I don't have dial up - I have cable internet access!

magpie5

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 5, 2007

jfh3 said:
You don't happen to have "Pulse" dial tone service do you?

Very strange that two different THD boxes would have a modem problem.

No - it's not pulse. And tell me about it. It's so weird that I cannot get an answer from anyone - I honestly have no idea who to even ask for help.

The weirdest part is that it worked once with the 2nd unit the first time we connected, but then not again after that.

I can't believe that no one else has experienced this problem.

jfh3

· #7 · Sep 5, 2007

If you switch to network and then back to phone, the Tivo should do a phone test - does that work?

Dr_Diablo

· #8 · Sep 5, 2007

Under the Settings Menu, Phone/Network...

"Test network connection"

GoHokies!

· #9 · Sep 5, 2007

magpie5 said:
No - it's not pulse. And tell me about it. It's so weird that I cannot get an answer from anyone - I honestly have no idea who to even ask for help.

The weirdest part is that it worked once with the 2nd unit the first time we connected, but then not again after that.

I can't believe that no one else has experienced this problem.

Apparently you got the only two THD's in the world with a bad modem.

Seriously, I think that you're alone because most folks just use their internet connection and don't mess with the phone line. I'm assuming that you prefer to use a phone line because you have a phone jack near the TV and don't have a network connection nearby?

ZeoTiVo

· #10 · Sep 5, 2007

magpie5 said:
No - it's not pulse. And tell me about it. It's so weird that I cannot get an answer from anyone - I honestly have no idea who to even ask for help.

The weirdest part is that it worked once with the 2nd unit the first time we connected, but then not again after that.

I can't believe that no one else has experienced this problem.

I can not beleive no one asked this yet, what type of phone service is it? If Vonage or some other type of VOIP that can chnage things.

Also, why not just hook up the TiVo HD via your broadband connection?

Dr_Diablo

· #11 · Sep 5, 2007

Good questions, until she posts her setup it is difficult to assist her...

Appears Tivo has been of no help in assisting her with this problem either...

magpie5

Discussion Starter · #12 · Sep 5, 2007

Thanks for all the responses, everyone.

I don't have Vonage - just regular old AT&T. And,yes, the reason I don't hoook up to Cable is due to it being across the house. But maybe that is the way to go - even though I will have to send someone under the house - that way, I will know for certain if it is the Tivo modem or not, right?

Dr_Diablo

· #13 · Sep 5, 2007

Have you considered an "wireless router"

I am presently using an Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router

model# WRT54GS

just a though there kiddo,,,

BobCamp1

· #14 · Sep 5, 2007

Try unplugging the unit for a minute, plug it back in, and perform a test call. Sometimes the modem gets "stuck", especially if the power flickers.

I think there is an option to diable the dial tone detection. Try that and see if it helps.

Finally, you can try a test call with the Tivo plugged into a different phone jack.

If all else fails, try another Tivo.

Dr_Diablo

· #15 · Sep 5, 2007

She has tried another Tivo... I feel her pain after going through this with two units having identical issues... What are the chances of that, with two units?

My Tivo HD could not communicate with the PC, until I disabled the Win Firewall... go figure

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