Caller ID Question

KristineN · Post by **KristineN** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:10 pm

While I wait for my voicemail issue to resolve...I do have a question about Caller ID.

Mine does not work...the phone plugged into the magic jack only displays "Incoming Call"

We use broadband cable for the Internet...the computers in the house all are run wireless. I no longer have a land line...

Caller ID did work yesterday...

Tech support is telling me it is a power issue with my computer...I tried every USB port...none cause the phone to pick up the caller ID.

Any suggestions?

kumar · Post by **kumar** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:12 pm

Look at the "Caller ID Fix" on the forum. I think that should help. sorry I can not find the link for it, you gotta search!
Peace
Kumar

KristineN · Post by **KristineN** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:16 pm

Are you talking about the thread whereas you are wiring different components together? I did read that....but unless I am reading it wrong, I don't think this would apply to me, since I no longer have any land lines....or am I not understanding the concept of the fix?

kumar · Post by **kumar** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:17 pm

is your phone connected directly to the jack? I think that you are reading the forum almost instantly, i am at the chat in my sig if ya need help.
Peace
Kumar

HolmanGT · Post by **HolmanGT** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:08 pm

KristineN,

I you haven't taken Kumar up on his invite to his site you should. Kumar's middle name is MagicJack (I know a very strange middle name but hey...).

Anyway what Kumar was directing you to is a post that talks about putting an 100 KΩ resistor across the telephone line. This is required for some new electronic phones to be able to see the Caller ID signal. Some modern phones present such a high impedance to the phone line that the Caller ID signal which rides on the Telco DC carrier voltage is not properly developed.

All the techie talk (smoke & mirrors) aside the addition of this resistor will usually fix your problem. Not all phones have this problem with MJ but for the ones that do I am not aware of this fix failing to fix the problem.

If you are not comfortable doing this sort of think yourself, print out the text and picture that shows the resistor being added and go have the Geek Squad or some similar group put together the modular connector & resistor for you. It will only take a Technician about ten minutes to build it for you.

This post and someone that knows how to drive a soldering iron can fix your problem.
This is the post with the FIX: http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/inbo ... -t108.html
The poster that added the explanation and very nice pictorial is "LikeMagic"

PS Inventor of this patch (Drum Roll) "snafu2" Graphics by "LikeMagic".

KristineN · Post by **KristineN** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:22 pm

Yes...I did chat with him....so far haven't figured out the issue.

Since I don't use any in house hard wired phones....I am not grasping how the soldering project would apply to me....unless I am missing something?

HolmanGT · Post by **HolmanGT** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:31 pm

KristineN,

OK just to make sure we are on the same page your Caller ID does not display.

Adding this resistor fixes the problem where the caller ID is not displayed.

OK - I think I see the confusion.

You only add the resistor at the phone that plugs into the MagicJack. Once this phone has the Caller ID signal it will wirelessly (is that a real word ?) pass it to the others.

KristineN · Post by **KristineN** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:36 pm

correct....it worked yesterday, but not today.

I have no land line phones or jacks that I use. I have broadband cable for Internet...and all the computers are run wireless. When I read the resistor instructions, it talks about plugging into a wall jack..I don't have that...so how would it apply? or am I missing something?

HolmanGT · Post by **HolmanGT** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:44 pm

KristineN,

Sorry I did not originally catch the fact that your problem was intermittent but this fix should still do the job.

Sometime it is just easier to try it than explain it. The cost is minimal 25 cents for a resistor and $dollars for the modular coupler.

KristineN · Post by **KristineN** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:46 pm

but does it still apply if I don't have any wall jacks

HolmanGT · Post by **HolmanGT** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:52 pm

YES,
The resistor module goes betwen the MagicJack and your master wireless phone. Just ignor the part about the wall jacks.

KristineN · Post by **KristineN** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:55 pm

k...got it...I kept reading the part about the wall jack and couldn't understand how I could use it. I will try it...although I am not looking forward to trying to build one.

Rubberchicken · Post by **Rubberchicken** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 1:44 am

my caller id wasnt working either i tried the caller id fix with the resitor and it fixed mine its working great now

HolmanGT · Post by **HolmanGT** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:25 am

Rubberchicken,

Where were you when I was trying to convince KristineN this is a good thing.

KristineN · Post by **KristineN** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:53 am

One of you folks need to start making these to sell to us "soldering challenged" folks.

I have read the directions 12 times and I am still not 100% convinced I am ready to attempt this

KristineN · Post by **KristineN** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 11:48 am

BTW...when I unplug the laptop from the power supply, Caller ID works just fine....what does this now mean?