BT4500 phone problem/compatibility

[cadoc]

I've recently acquired a pair of 2nd hand BT4500 landline handsets with bases.

When I've plugged my phone line in to the base and try to use them I get a message on the handset saying "Please Check Line Cord".  What does this mean ?

Are the phones not compatible with my system ?  Is it something to do with registering the phone to the base unit ?

(I thought they would simply work straight away when plugged in...as other landline phones have done).

I'm currently with Virgin Media and have recently had my old phones switched to the new fibre network.

Can you please advise on how to get the BT phones working normally ? 

Thanks in advance.

[jac_95]

It might be worth asking on the Virgin Media forum: https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Home-Phone/bd-p/Telephone

Assuming you've plugged the BT4500 into phone port on the Virgin Media hub and not the usual phone socket after moving to Virgin Media's digital voice service. You might need an adapter from Virgin Media to plug it into the Virgin Media hub.

[rbz5416]

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@cadocwrote:

I've plugged my phone line in to the base and try to use them I get a message on the handset saying "Please Check Line Cord".  What does this mean ?

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Assuming the Virgin service is correctly configured, I suspect it's because you have the wrong type of telephone cable. When you say that you plugged your phone line into the base, do you mean you used a cable from another phone? Cables are specific to phones & while the problem isn't as common as it once was, if you take a cable from one device & plug it into another, it may not work.

If you're using the cables supplied with the "new" phones then it's also possible they have been mixed up. I guess the easiest way to test is to try them on a friend or neighbours line & see if you get the same result.

[cadoc]

Thanks for the replies.

There is a new adapter already fitted to the Virgin media hub for my current landline phone usage on the fibre network. (All my old landline phones upstairs and downstairs are working).

The hub is upstairs and I'm plugging the BT4500 into a line downstairs which has a working landline phone.

Actually, I am using the phone cable from the previous phone so that may be the problem as you've suggested.

The BT4500 phone didn't come with it's own phone cable.......is that the answer do you think ?  (i.e. to acquire a compatible BT4500 cable ?

Thanks again.

[rbz5416 · Accepted solution]

@cadoc 

There are two types of cable, straight & crossover, so it's just a case of finding the opposite to what you have.

Both the RJ11 & BT431a connectors have six pins, but 1 & 6 are never used. At the BT end, the signal is always carried on 2 & 5. But at the RJ11 end those wires can either also go to 2 & 5 (straight) or to 3 & 4 (crossover). With the aid of a magnifying glass or a heavily zoomed image from your phone, you may to able to just about see the colours of the wires, & therefore identify which you have. You can then rummage in the cable box for the opposite or resort to Amazon/Ebay.

[cadoc]

Thanks all for your good advice.

I used an old Binatone phone cable and 'Hey Presto' the BT4500s sprang to life and are now working normally !

Cheers !