How to Troubleshoot a Phone Line Connection
- 1). Bring your computer to a family or friend's home and plug it into their modem with their phone line. Using your Internet service provider, try and connect to the Internet. If it connects, then you know that it is not a problem with your computer, but with your phone line.
- 2). Listen for noise or disruption on the phone line. Unplug the phone line from your modem and plug it into a regular a handset. Pick up the phone, turn it on and listen for scratchiness, hissing or crackles. This could be the cause of a slow connection or frequent disconnections. Check your phone connection and make sure it is plugged in securely; a loose connection could be causing the hissing noises.
- 3). Pick up and turn on your regular handset. If you do not hear a dial tone, there is a problem with the connection coming into the home. Contact your home phone provider immediately.
- 4). If the problem has started recently, analyze any changes that you have made lately. For instance, did you get a new phone that may be causing the problem? Did the power go out recently that might cause connection problems? Once you have identified a change that you made recently, call your phone company and ask for suggestions on how to fix the problem.
