Testing phone line

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I bought a $8 phone line tester that plugs into RJ-11 jack. It displays a yellow light when I plugged it into an extension jack. The yellow light means wires are reversed. Does that matter?
So I plugged the 2 way splitter that I normally use in that jack. Plugged the tester in one of the RJ-11 jacks in the 2 way splitter. Now the green light comes on. So by chance the 2 way splitter reverses the wires so after the 2 way, the wires are back to proper.

Does one need to worry about reversed phone wires?
 
It only mattered with the old western electric phones that had a physical bell, and required a certain polarity for the touch-tone keypad. No phone built in the past 20 years has one. I didn't think POTS lines existed any more.
 
The reason I bought the tester is to figure out phone issues at a church camp. Phone line runs outside to 2 buildings from Comcast VOIP box.

When all the wiring and phones are connected things do not work right. Could be old phones or wiring.

A test phone connected by itself to Comcast VIOP box works fine.
 
Originally Posted by NO2
I didn't think POTS lines existed any more.


There are still millions in the US, both in residential and businesses. The phone companies are working hard at getting rid of them, the infrastructure that supports them is ancient and expensive to maintain.
 
How long are the wires to the other buildings? Are they of good quality? With the VOIP and all phones unplugged, do you measure any leakage resistance between the wires or to ground? VOIP boxes are not intended to work exactly like a phone company office. They can't drive a lot of wire.
 
Originally Posted by mk378
How long are the wires to the other buildings? Are they of good quality? With the VOIP and all phones unplugged, do you measure any leakage resistance between the wires or to ground? VOIP boxes are not intended to work exactly like a phone company office. They can't drive a lot of wire.


Looks like CAT6 where they used one pair for phone. Other pairs unused.

I will have to measure the resistance this weekend. They probably have 500' of wire.
 
So if I plug in a phone to the Comcast VIOP box it works fine. If I plug in the wiring going to a couple of buildings all the lights on the VIOP box flash in unison signifying a wiring fault I assume.

With all phones that I know of disconnected, the wiring itself has a resistance of 2 M ohms. Disconnect one building and it's 1 M ohms. I assume it should be infinity?

Some of this worked two weeks ago. I am thinking it's rain related.

Could also be a broken phone plugged in that I am unaware of.
 
Last weekend I had AT&T out to repair static on my POTS line. He said squirrels chew the line to wear down their teeth. Said there were about 12 bites. No opens or shorts, but breaks in the insulation. Water and contaminants get in and cause static. It took him several hours and several trips up/down ladders in different backyards to find the one causing the static. Maybe it was more than one.
 
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