Does a POTS phone work on an ISDN line?

[50]

Hello,

I bought this phone off craigslist for $15 bucks thinking I could use the caller ID, since my boss has it on his phone. I also thought it would work with my voicemail notification. Neither feature is working and I'm wondering if it is because the company uses an ISDN line or some other technology incompatible with this phone. Anyone have any ideas? I don't have a 9V battery in the phone but I don't think that is causing the problem. Thanks

Moved from Off Topic.
Moderator allisolm

 

[James Bond]

Originally posted by: 50
Hello,

I bought this phone off craigslist for $15 bucks thinking I could use the caller ID, since my boss has it on his phone. I also thought it would work with my voicemail notification. Neither feature is working and I'm wondering if it is because the company uses an ISDN line or some other technology incompatible with this phone. Anyone have any ideas? I don't have a 9V battery in the phone but I don't think that is causing the problem. Thanks

What isn't working?

Does it power on?

Need description.

 

[50]

The voicemail indicator and caller ID aren't working. I can dial perfectly.

 

[spidey07]

POTS and ISDN are very different, you wouldn't get dial tone on an ISDN unless it was an ISDN phone. If you have dial tone, it isn't an ISDN line which is digital. Who is providing the phone line? Is this a residence or a business?

Generally if this is a business you will have a mix of digital phones and some analog lines. The digital phones have message waiting indicator and a whole slew of other features. The analog lines (POTS) don't have these without using special feature codes and you'd have to program the analog phone to use them. What kind of phone does your boss have?

 

[50]

This is a corporate business environment. I'll need to check what kind of phone my boss has, it's a pretty common one with a red logo for the brand. My old phone is a Northern Telecom and has a red light that indicates voicemail. Anyone have any ideas? There are some dip switches on the bottom of the phone with TRPC/TRCP, is that what you mean by programming? Thanks

 

[spidey07]

You are probably SOL then on getting a message waiting indicator (MWI). The analog line that you are on would have to be programmed to send the correct codes to your phone. That's only something the administrator of your PBX could do. Or there may be something in the phone instructions on how to configure the MWI for whatever phone system you're on. Best to just open a ticket with your helpdesk.

Do you get a stutter tone to indicate you have a message waiting? When you pick up the phone you'll hear the dialtone stutter before becoming constant.

 

[50]

Nope, no stutter tone. I'm going to try IT now, doesn't seem very hopeful though

 

[Muadib]

How the heck are you buying a phone when you don't know what type of system your job uses?

What model phone works at your office now?

 

[DivideBYZero]

A corporate business environment where employees buy phones off Craigslist?!

SHENS!