No Dial Tone, Static or Hum on the line

1. Unplug each piece of equipment you have plugged into the telephone jack for this line.
• Begin with computers, cordless phones and answering devices
• After each phone is unplugged, check for dial tone on the next piece of equipment before unplugging it.
• If dial tone is working, then the last piece of equipment (that was unplugged) most likely caused the trouble.
2. When you get to the last piece of equipment, if you still have no dial tone, unplug it and
   plug one of your other phones back in to check for dial tone.
3. If you still have no dial tone, run a simple test on the Standard Network Interface (SNI). It is a gray box about 6” by 9”. It is usually located outside your house and normally near the electrical panel. Here you can determine whether the problem involves the inside wiring of the house or outside wiring.

   Note:

   The SNI test only applies to customers in the Roseville, Citrus Heights and Antelope areas who have traditional standard access line service.



4. Once you locate the SNI you can open it with a flat head screwdriver in order to gain access to the test jack. Inside you should find a test jack for every phone line within the house; each line should be labeled with the corresponding phone number. The test jack has a small cord with a modular plug inserted. Unplug this cord from the test jack and plug your working phone directly into it.



5. Listen for dial tone and quality of the line through the phone’s earpiece.
• If the connection shows no improvement or you still have no dial tone, call our technical support/technical support department at 1-888-946-3477 or contact us using the SureWest contact form.
• If the test is good at the SNI, that means the problem is with the inside wiring or jacks.

Note:

If you have the SureWest Inside Wire maintenance plan, we will make the repairs for you. If you do not have the SureWest Inside Wire maintenance plan, you may do your own repair work, hire someone to do the repair work for a fee or hire SureWest to do the repair work for a fee.

Additional Tips

• There are many other voice-related trouble types, e.g., can’t call long distance, calling party gets a recording, can’t hear or be heard, etc. When you call to report such trouble, it is important to provide as much detail as possible i.e., What number were you dialing? What recording are you reaching? etc.
• If you have recently purchased new phones and they aren’t working or certain features aren’t working, then please be ready to provide us with the make and model of the phone and whether it is corded or cordless.