Do you remember the last time you got on the phone with your cable company, and they said, “Hold on while I check the line,” or the time you tried to call a friend and didn’t get a dial tone? Your first thought might be that you need to buy a new phone, but that doesn’t always have to be the case.
There are many different ways a phone line can malfunction, and today we’ll give you an overview of what to look for and how to test for common problems.
Testing the Phone Line
The multimeter is an invaluable tool for anyone interested in electronics and computing. Without a multimeter, you can’t do many things, like check your phone’s battery or make sure your home wiring is in order.
This time it is a tool to test the phone line with. But how do you test a phone line with a multimeter?
The telephone line test is a basic test that checks for continuity, shorts and open circuits. This test will help you understand whether your phone line is working or not.
You can use a multimeter for a line test. But before you start testing your phone line, make sure all your phone lines are working.
Phone line test helps you check all the wires in the phone jack and make sure they are properly connected to the phone line. First, you need to turn off the phone and unplug it from the wall.
Then you need to disconnect all the wires from the back of the phone. Now check the phone line to see if it is damaged. In addition to this test, here are the steps to test the phone line with a multimeter:
- You should find the phone jack. It is usually located on the wall or at the bottom of the phone itself.
- Connect the phone jack with the phone cord to the multimeter.
- Use the multimeter dial to check voltage.
- You must select 500 Hz to get a dial tone.
- With the multimeter on, touch one probe to the center wire of the connector and the other probe to the outer wires surrounding the connector.
- If you have a wire connector, the second sensor should touch the middle wire, and the third and fourth wires should be covered by the second sensor.
Some multimeters have two probes, while others have one pointed probe. Sensors are often interchangeable, so if you only have one, you’re not stuck with it. (If it’s the type with replaceable probes, you need to make sure the probes you use are the same as the spikes on the phone line you’re testing. Make sure you don’t use the wrong probe as it can damage the spikes.)
What are phone lines & how are they connected?
A telephone line is a telecommunication line between two or more places. An RJ11 cable is required for connection. Most homes and offices use telephone lines to connect to the central office (or CO) of the local telephone company for local calls and to the long-distance operator.
The telephone line is a duplex pair. This is either plain old telephone service (POTS) or a more modern service such as DSL or ISDN. A telephone line can be point-to-point or point-to-multipoint, such as loopback, star or repeater. It can also refer to a fixed line, a data connection between two stations with the same endpoints.
The Line and Its Wires
As a technician or hobbyist, you’ve probably encountered a situation where you need to test a telephone line with a multimeter. For those who haven’t, a phone line is usually four wires and is used to carry analog audio signals. For this reason, analog telephone lines are often referred to as POTS, which stands for Plain Old Telephone Service.
These wires are usually color-coded green, orange, red and yellow. Green is the central wire that carries the signal, orange and red are individual wires on either side of the green wire, and yellow is the ground or protective wire. This configuration is called tip-ring-ring-sleeve (TRRS).
The All-Important Line
It is said that the telephone line is the most important link in a building, especially in a modern office. It is a medium of communication between the company’s employees and a medium of communication between the company and its customers. Of course, a working phone line is a big plus in terms of the company’s marketing and customer interest. That’s why it’s important to make sure the phone line is working at all times.
Other Telephone Tests
There are several ways to test a telephone line, and a multimeter may or may not be the right tool for the job. Some phone lines use a modem that may require a different test. If you are not sure what to do next, it is better to call an expert in the field.
Although you can buy an expensive and sophisticated phone line tester, you can easily test your home phone line with a few simple household items. The first step is to take a pen and press the tip down on the phone line. Listen to your phone’s ringtone.
Assuming you hear it, that means the line is good and ready. If there is no dial tone, try connecting the phone and make sure it works. It could be a broken phone line. Although it may seem ridiculous and possibly dangerous for such an attempt, it is still better to consult an expert.
To Sum Up…
The multimeter is an essential tool for all electronics enthusiasts; in fact, it is even more important than a soldering iron and wire cutters.
