Troubleshooting Humming, Static, or Noise

If your phone line is making noises that are making it difficult to use your phone, try these troubleshooting steps to solve the issue or at least diagnose it.

First answer these questions:

1. When did you first notice the noise?
2. Are any other services like Internet or television having trouble?
3. Is it only happening on one phone, some phones, or all phones on your line?
4. Is there a difference in the noise between corded and cordless phones?

Once these questions have been answered, you can try the following:

• If the trouble is on cordless phones:
  • Try changing the wireless channel if your phones have that option.
  • See if the noise changes depending on where you use it, and ensure the handset is fully charged.
  • If you only have cordless phones, try to find a corded phone. Plug it in and check if the noise is reduced or eliminated.
• Try unplugging all the phones and equipment using the phone line (like fax machines, modems, and voice mail machines) from the phone line.
  • Plug in each phone or device one at a time, and try to determine if a specific phone or device is introducing the noise.
  • If one device is causing the problem, try plugging it into a different phone jack, and see if there’s still noise when using that.
  • Do you use any DSL filters or splitters on your phone line? Try plugging the phone directly into the phone jack and checking for noise.
• Verify the condition of your phone cords. Frayed or exposed wiring can cause problems, as can excessively long cords. Try to make the path between the phone and the jack as short as possible.

If you have followed these steps and not been able to fix the issue, or require assistance, please call 1.888.477.2177.

Please be patient – We will ask similar questions as above to verify what has been done, and may ask you to repeat steps so that we can run tests on the line with and without equipment attached.