My modem is reporting a no dial tone message
My modem is responding but is reporting a no dial tone message.
For External Modems Only
- Make sure that you are using the power supply that came with your modem. Other similar-looking power supplies may be of different voltages, and in addition to possibly causing damage to the modem, they may not allow the modem to dial out.
For Both Internal and External Modems
- Your phone cord may not be plugged in or may be plugged into the wrong jack on the modem.
- For external modems, the phone cord should be in the jack labeled,
For internal modems, the phone cord should be in the jack labeled,
- Make sure the other end of the phone cord is plugged into a working analog phone jack in your home or office.
- You may have devices between the modem and wall jack that affect the quality of your phone line. If you need to connect other devices to your phone line, and want to ensure the best quality line for your modem, we recommend that you connect the phone cord directly from the wall to your modem.
- Make sure the phone line you are using is not a digital line. Digital phone lines can damage the modem. If you are unsure which type of line you are using, you may want to call your local phone company. In an office environment, you may need to contact the person in charge of your phone system to find out which type of phone line you have.
- If your phone system requires dialing a digit such as "9" in order to access an outside line, be sure to add the digit and a comma (9,) before the number you want to dial.
- If you have voice mail provided by your phone company, your dial tone may be altered when messages are waiting. Retrieve your voice mail to restore a normal dial tone. If you are unable to retrieve the messages, you may want to add five commas to the beginning of the number to be dialed.
- You may have a bad phone cord connection to the modem. Try the modem with a different phone cord. We recommend that you use the phone cord included with the modem if possible.
Note: Each comma represents 2 seconds. Therefore, adding five commas will delay the modem connection try by 10 seconds. Since each ISP connection may vary, you should insert as many commas necessary to meet your specific needs. Commas may be necessary if voice mail messages have not been deleted before attempting to establish an Internet connection.
How to Check for a Non-standard Dial Tone
- Open a terminal program such as HyperTerminal in Windows.
- Select Cancel at the new connection dialog box to open the Terminal window.
- Type AT and press Enter. You may not see the letters, which is fine.
- The modem should respond with an OK message. If you did not see the letters A and T as you typed them, type ATE1 and press Enter. You should now see the AT commands as you type them, in addition to the responses.
- Type ATDT and press Enter.
- If the modem comes back with a No Dial Tone message, type ATX3DT18473304569 (or a local ISP or BBS number) and press Enter.
- If the modem dials out instead of coming back with a No Dial Tone message, you have a non-standard dial tone. At this point you should either have your phone line checked or try adding X3 to the Extra Settings field. Access Extra Settings for help locating the Extra Settings field specific to your operating system.
- If the modem doesn't attempt to connect and it comes back with a No Carrier message, the issue may not be phone line related.
Note: For most operating systems, HyperTerminal is accessible by selecting Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, and HyperTerminal. Windows 95 and NT 4.0 users should access HyperTerminal for more information.
Note: The number in the command code is the actual number to be dialed.
Closing the window to end your HyperTerminal session.
Note: If none of the solutions above restores a dial tone, your modem may be damaged. While most USRobotics modems are built to withstand up to 3000 volts, lightning damage is not covered by the warranty of your product.